Singer Sona Mohapatra — known for chartbusters like Bedardi Raja (Delhi Belly), Ambarsariya (Fukrey), Naina (Khoobsurat) and Aamir Khan’s TV show Satyamev Jayate — has released her latest song, Senti Akhiyaan. Composed by Sona’s husband Ram Sampath, it blends Indian melodies with Reggaeton beats. Sona talked to us about Senti Akhiyaan, her take on today’s music, her musical journey, upcoming projects and more.

How did the song Senti Akhiyaan happen?

Sona Mohapatra: I was telling Ram (Sampath) over a glass of sangria one day that I need to put out a chill song for a change. Not heavy-duty love poetry like Kaaga, or a message for empowerment like Roti Machine, or an ode to my cultural roots like Rasarkeli. These songs were my ‘pop’ releases and even my film releases were intense, like Nikar Chalo Re from Kathal, inspired by the boat music of Bengal and the East. Intense.

Sometimes as an artist, you crave to serve a tasty snack instead of a heavy-duty meal and mine was this fun light dance number, Senti Akhiyaan. Ram had been interacting with this young poet Roshanaara Qureshi on Instagram because she sent him a lot of her musings and he chose this lyric, called her over to the studio and shaped this song about the ‘eyes being a mirror to the soul’ into this. When I met Roshanaara, I knew this would be a great partnership to exchange energies from two different worlds and generations.

How did Frieda Kahlo become an inspiration for the Senti Akhiyaan music video?

Sona Mohapatra: Frieda Kahlo has been an inspiration in my life since my childhood, much before the fashion world in India fell in love with her. I’ve found synergies in her need to put a spotlight on her Mexican roots and identity above all else, her need to stand out, her unique aesthetics and fierce look were as startling and inspiring as her paintings.

You’d have found prints of her works in my room for eons and till date. It was Ram’s idea to marry this love of mine to the Latin beats of Senti Akhiyaan and create a music video that is an ode to her aesthetic. To have a first-time filmmaker, Aroficio, to execute this vision was equally exciting. His technical prowess, imagination and ability to not only shoot this on a shoestring budget and then post-produce it to create something truly world-class is what I’m really proud of. That he is an art aficionado himself helped get the balance right.

The song blends Indian melodies with Reggaeton beats. Tell us about this fusion and other fusions that you have liked over the years.

Sona Mohapatra: It also includes Tanmay Deochake playing an amazing live harmonium through the song, along with my retro-flavoured vocals, the two dominant desi elements of the Latin-flavoured rhythm arrangements using a calypso. Spanish artist Rosalia’s Pienso Tu Mira and

French pop singer Bebe’s Malo are some recent favourites. My favourite fusion songs over the years include Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen, Desert Rose by Sting, Ram’s collaboration with Bhanwari Devi on Kattey, and his latest gem Sajni from Laapataa Ladies with just a voice and a magical instrument from West Africa called the kora.

Which songs of yours have been instrumental in shaping your singing career?

Sona Mohapatra: My first album had songs like Aja Ve, Bolo Na, and Abhi Nahin Ana that are still demanded in my live shows and have stood the test of time. They set the blueprint of my musical career, a perfect mix of folk, modern and pop elements with a showcase of Hindustani gayaki in good measure. Ambarsaria from Fukrey was a bonafide Bollywood hit. Piya Se Naina on Coke Studio was a live and undeniable vocal.

Naina from the film Khoobsurat went on to get an award nomination and then Rangabati and Rupaiya became a truly viral phenomenon online. During the pandemic, Bedardi Raja and Daav Laga, two of my older releases, suddenly became ‘reel gold’ for a brand-new generation while I continued to doggedly put out my original music year after year. The above-mentioned songs did give me a very valuable and rare gift of cultural currency.

How did the show Satyamev Jayate change things around for you?

Sona Mohapatra: It made people think that I should come to perform for charitable causes, shows and for ‘free’. While this is true while being funny, I must add on a serious note that performing those songs on Satyamev Jayate was a milestone moment in my life in many ways. When I sing O Ri Chiraiya in a stadium in Kochi and the audience sings along, or a Bekhauf Azad performance in a public concert last month makes people cry and experience a sort of catharsis bear testament to the power of the music and lyrics, and the fact that I truly believe I was born to sing these for my audiences’ souls to heal.

What challenges did you face at the beginning of your career and what challenges do you still face?

Sona Mohapatra: I think the challenge I faced back then was a lack of understanding of how to use a voice like mine and that continues to be the case. But now I have made peace with it and have in fact converted this into an opportunity — running my own label Omgrown Music, learning production to release my own songs and music videos, creating live show experiences with a world-class team, and being a successful music professional without waiting for someone else to give me a ‘break’. Whatever work I get outside of this has been a bonus and something I am very grateful for but it is not what I count on.

Have you paid the price for speaking your mind in show business? Anything that really took a toll on you or served as a lesson in disguise?

Sona Mohapatra: I’ve gained as much as I’ve lost. Gained the opportunity to create my own space, work and music, and even produce and front a multi-award-winning documentary, Shut Up Sona, a first-of-its-kind not only content-wise but also a profitable venture. I’ve lost out on singing a few songs for Bollywood, which are in any case few and far between for women artists nowadays, and some easier shortcuts therefore to make money in the show circuit and honestly that’s okay.

What is your take on today’s film music?

Sona Mohapatra: I do like composers like Vishal Bhardwaj, some songs that Pritam makes are truly pop-culture lightning rods. The poetry of Irshad Kamil and even the smarts of someone like Kumaar, lots to like but I’ll be honest, I do not listen to new Hindi film music by choice, it mostly lands on my lap. Ever since our scripts stopped mining for the inner voices of women and only spoke for testosterone, whether it’s their love, heartbreak or joy, I’ve tuned out. We came from roots like Guide and Anupama, and even the kitschy ’90s where the feminine voice was present in the scripts and therefore the music, but not anymore.

How has the independent music scene grown for you in the last decade?

Sona Mohapatra: I think there is a resurgence of a good amount of it in the last decade but how much of it is good enough to last and create an economically viable scene is yet to be seen. Economics plays a big role. For an audience that mostly wants to hear all its music for free, artists need to either sell their ancestral land or try and get into the ‘brands’ or ‘Bollywood’ to sustain themselves. So ‘independent’ of any kind, including retaining artistic integrity, becomes more of a myth.

What is the best thing about being married to a fellow music artist?

Sona Mohapatra: The best thing is life is singular in the pursuit of artistry at most times and therefore exciting and fulfilling since we have common interests, goals, beliefs and value systems, and yes endless conversations. We never run out of things to talk about.

What are your favourite collaborations with Ram Sampath?

Sona Mohapatra: The latest, Sona Tarasha – The India Experience, was a fabulous journey to present a brand-new concert in The Grand Theatre, NMACC. We sold out tickets 11 days before the show and it was truly a treasure house of culture that was curated, performed and conceptualised by me, and Ram created all the music.

Also, the opening song for his soundtrack of Laapataa Ladies, Beda Paar, is a peppy, folksy number but quite a complex composition to render despite its unassuming appearance in the background of the film.

What are your latest projects?

Sona Mohapatra: An ode to the rains called Barsai Badaria. It’s Mira’s poetry, not the usual bhakti rasa associated with her but a sensuous love song and an ode to the rains. It features two virtuoso musicians, Purbayan Chatterjee on the sitar and Sanjoy Das on the guitar, and is an original composition by Ram Sampath.

I am also launching a live experience called ‘The Lal Pari Mastani Show’. This will be a tableau of the six stages of love with live music at its core, multiple vocalists, dancers and a multimedia showcase. It will flow through six chapters of songs from ‘pehli nazar’ to stages like ‘junoon’ and ‘judaai’. I am excited about pushing my boundaries as an artist, director and producer of a concept-based, brand-new live experience.