Manmarziyaan singer Nikhita Gandhi: I would love to sing for Priyanka Chopra

Written by Kriti Sonali | Bengaluru | Published: September 24, 2018 3:20:32 pm Nikhita Gandhi wants to sing for Priyanka Chopra

“Dhayaan Chand” from Manmarziyaan, Strees “Aao Kabhi Haveli Pe” and Sanjus “Mujhe Chand Pe Le Chalo” are some of the songs sung by Nikhita Gandhi. This Kolkata-born singer was introduced to singing while pursuing dentistry in Chennai. She started her career with A R Rahman and worked on films such as I, Pele and OK Kanmani.

In an interview with indianexpress.com, the singer opened up about her journey and upcoming projects.

Q. What was it like working on Manmarziyaans fun track “Dhayaan Chand”?

This was the first time that I worked with Amit Trivedi, and its also the first time that I tried rapping for a song. It was pretty incredible that he applied my voice in that fashion. “Dhayaan Chand” is quite different from all that I have done in the past. Also, during the promotions, I got a chance to travel with the stars of the film (Abhishek Bachchan, Vicky Kaushal, and Taapsee Pannu) for the Manmarziyaan tour and it was great to perform live for the audience and to see their positive response to it.

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Q. You have sung songs like “Aao Kabhi Haveli Pe”, “Mujhe Chand Pe Le Chalo” and “Raabta”. All of these have been received well. How do you feel about that?

I am thrilled to have sung these songs. “Raabta” was the one song which completely changed my journey. It introduced me to Bollywood, following which I got a chance to work with so many amazing composers.

Q. What has been the best compliment you have received for a song?

One of the strangest and the nicest compliment I got was from a fellow singer who walked up to me and said, I had no idea you had sung “Ghar” (a track from Jab Harry Met Sejal). It does not sound like any other song that I have heard from you. Now, that, for me, is a huge compliment.

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Q. Who is that one actor you would love to sing for?

I want to sing for Priyanka Chopra. I think she is a perfect fit for my voice.

Q. Who is your biggest inspiration in the industry?

I draw inspiration from so many people. But from the list of people I have met and have been instrumental in my life, definitely, AR Sir (AR Rahman) is on the top of the list. He is the person I started my musical journey with.

Q. You have already worked with AR Rahman. What was that experience like?

It is an honor for anyone to work with him. He has so much to offer and there is so much one could learn from him. He keeps reinventing himself constantly and that is really amazing and something everyone should strive for.

Q. Other than Hindi, you have sung in Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Malayalam and Kannada as well. How many languages do you know and which one is the most difficult for you?

I can sing in five-six languages but I do not know all of them that well. I have become very comfortable with Tamil but I had a difficult time recording my first song “Ladio” with AR sir for the film I. It was the first time I was recording and that too in Tamil and the track was really fast. That was crazy.

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Q. What other projects are you working on presently?

I released my first independent single called “Humshakal” recently. It was written, composed and produced by me. I have a few film projects in hand, but I am also trying to work more on my original songs.