Talented, vivacious, young and a complete Calcutta girl at heart, singer Nikhita Gandhi has been on a roll with many hits in her kitty from last year and also made a wildcard entry into the dance reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa this year. The singer collaborated with t2 for an out-of-the-box wedding mood board that blends quirk and utility and reflects her energy. The shoot was followed by a quick chat.
Hi Nikhita, Happy New Year! What would you say were the highs and lows of 2023?
2023 was quite a high, to be honest and I don’t think I can look back and feel any lows. The year had started with a bang... it started with songs of Shehzada with Pritam da, then Tere pyaar mein, my single Pyaar mein pagal happened, then end of the year we had superhits from Anirudh and Sallu bhai’s (Salman Khan) Tiger 3 so it's been a year of highs. The highest of the high was High hukku and it literally was the note on which I ended the year — on a high, a word that’s there in the song. (Laughs) I am very grateful for 2023.
You did a very fun bridal shoot for t2. Tell us about your fave look among all the changes.
(Thinks) I think, I wanted to do a fashion editorial shoot and who better than t2, who has the best collaborations. Tavishi (Kanoria of Citrine) and I are childhood friends and she has a fabulous collection, so one of the looks we did with my mom’s blazer, we had a yellow lehnga and lots of jewellery that would be my fave as it was very interesting.
Music and style are both creative. What's your personal style statement?
I completely agree as I believe that my canvas goes beyond music and it goes onto my clothes and other ways as I express myself as an artist. I love being fashionable, I love being comfortable with the right amount of pizazz. My personal style is bold, a little bit quirky and all the elements of my personality. I love wearing sneakers, blazers, anti-fit jackets, blazers and a lot of my fashion is anti-fit jerseys and blazers, that stem from my personality.
With all the running around during the shaadi season, the outfits should be comfortable yet stylish! If you believe in this, you are going to dig this co-ords look that Nikhita wore from label Evra. The beautiful pastel outfit features wide-legged pants and a short kurta with puffed full sleeves. Jewellery by Citrine and Dior shades completed the look
The essence of the shoot was fun and not the conventional bridal. Personally, what kind of a bride will you be someday?
(Smiles) To be honest, I was trying to be a bridesmaid in the shoot! It was a bridal editorial but when you do a wedding, it’s about whether you are the bride or sister or somebody attending the wedding, so I wanted to capture outfit options for them. I don’t think I am conventional (smiles), I like doing things differently. If I am to be a bride someday (blushes) I don’t think it is going to be conventional. But I am pretty sure you are going to see sneakers under the elaborate lehngas.
Talking about weddings, when it comes to colour palette, destination and music, how would your dream wedding be?
I love pastels and muted tones, to be honest. I went to a wedding where the decorations were just white flowers and muted gold dupatta and it looked so pristine. Even though I am an oomph kind of person, I love muted tones... the more basic, the more elegant it looks to me. I have never given so much thought about the destination or if I will have a destination wedding but I am the type of person who would do a registry and then throw a party! (Laughs) Music and aura-wise I love live instrumental performances for a very subtle and elegant environment.
Nikhita Gandhi looked glamourous and bubbly in this denimmeets-desi look. She styled her own ripped denims with a heavily embroidered jacket with a silk blouse and organza overlay from label Stotram. Kohled eyes, nude make-up and chunky black boots added a touch of edgy to this fun look
There have been so many celebrity weddings setting trends and going viral, which was your fave?
The things that appeal to me are subtle ones, like Alia Bhatt’s make-up at her wedding that was no make-up, which was so beautiful. Natural and nude is like the new thing! Then Deepika and Ranveer’s wedding images and the subtle grandeur to me were very appealing.
From Ghar in Harry Met Sejal to High hukku, how do you look back? Who and what do you attribute your success to?
Since you mentioned Ghar, I would say the versatility speaks for itself. I owe my success and journey to so many amazing artists, Pritam (Chakraborty) da has been a very predominant part of my music career. Before him, the reason I am doing music is A.R. Rahman sir; he had given me opportunities; my first few projects were all with him. Then the second music director I ever worked with was Anirudh when I was living in Chennai and I was in college and in 2023 we saw a resurgence of that collaboration and that was very exciting for me. Ordinary person was one of my biggest songs of 2023 that superseded a lot of my Bollywood songs. It is so amazing to see the Tamil industry and the fan following is so amazing. Hats off to Ani, his journey has been so commendable.
That aside, collaborations that I have done... with Badshah actually led me to High hukku and collaboration with King... so it’s so many people that I am grateful for, to be honest.
2023 has been a year of lots of original songs and many hits. Which songs would you pick as your top hits of 2023 and why?
I am not good at picking favourites (laughs) but there have been a lot of milestone songs. I think I’ll say Ordinary person. I will keep it very high in my regard as I said before. An English song in a theme of Tamil film has superseded all my other 2023 songs and I think that is really commendable and badass. Tere pyaar mein has been a very big song for me. Then I would pick High hukku and Leke Prabhu ka naam.
Tell us something which your fans don’t know about you.
Most people who meet me feel I am like put-together, shelled-up kind of a person but I am a very emotional person, I cry very easily, I am very vulnerable. I put my heart into everything. When I write, I go through a very cathartic process and that’s the vulnerable side of me. So I don’t know if my fans know that about me.
For a sneakerhead like Nikhita, a lehnga with sneakers was a must. Blending delicate feminine touch with the peach fuzz shade, also Pantone’s Color of 2024, Nikhita wore a beautiful ensemble from Basanti Ke Kapde and styled her hair in curls. The matchy and comfortable peach kicks add the quirk factor to this look
Which actor do you think suits your voice the best? And who would you like to lend your voice to?
I would say objectively Kiara Advani, Katrina (Kaif) and to an extent Deepika Padukone suit my voice but then some of my iconic songs... like Tere pyaar mein was with Shraddha Kapoor and it looked fabulous! It’s very hard to say actually...
This look was a clear favourite of Nikhita where she styled her mother’s vintage emerald blazer for a retro look that she teamed with a vibrant lehnga from Kalki Fashion and lots of jewellery from Citrine
Lastly, tell us about your upcoming projects. What are you looking forward to in 2024?
A lot of music, music features, TV shows. The year started with this adorable song, Jiya jaise and then another international collab coming up in spring!
Styling: Nikhita Gandhi and Tavishi Kanoria
Location: Citrine Multi Designer Store, Uniworth Centre, 70A Shakespeare Sarani