Kolkata girl Nikhita Gandhi’s heart always beats for her city. A chat with the singer who is on fire with recent hits like Barbaadiyaan, Jugnu and Naaja.
What does this Kolkata girl miss the most about her city?
Oh, bhnarer cha! Whenever I am in Kolkata, my to-do list will invariably include bhnarer cha. Of course, I miss my family when I am outside, but the food list is super important! Chingri malaikari is a must and so is posto and biulir dal.
It’s been a flood of big hits for you over the last few months. You have, of course, consistently churned out hits ever since the beginning of your career. But would you count this phase as your best so far?
I would like to say that I am really grateful for this journey. This is a career that chose me. I feel really responsible towards all the opportunities that I have been given. I feel that it’s my responsibility to make the best of it and contribute towards the industry. Since the first lockdown, I really started working on my non-film career as well, my own compositions and stuff. I want the audience to listen to Nikhita the artiste as a whole. I have had a lot of amazing hits in the last one year.
I don’t know if this is the best phase for me because right from the beginning, even in college, I had the opportunity to sing for Rahman sir (A.R. Rahman) even without thinking that I would be a playback singer. What’s changed, of course, is that now I am concentrating equally on my independent music along with playback singing.
How would you analyse your strengths and weaknesses as a singer?
I am not very analytical, I am not someone who studies my flaws or even that of others. I love being intuitive, and absorbing things around me without being analytical. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not. I think it’s my biggest strength as well as my biggest weakness that I don’t analyse or study my path. That’s who I am, I take life as it comes.
What does a Nikhita Gandhi song now mean to an audience? What are the key elements they expect from a song featuring you?
That’s a good question. Now that I have sung a bunch of songs, people do associate a niche quality with my songs and my voice. Initially, I was boxed and the idea was, ‘Western-style song hain toh Nikhita ko bulaao’. But now that I have sung in so many genres, composers trust me with their songs. They like that I am me and trust the kind of flavour I bring to a song. I don’t know what that flavour is, but now people are more open to how I interpret music, which may not be as traditional. Like Qaafirana (from Kedarnath) is very Indian, but I have sung it in my own way and it’s been loved. I think what people expect from me is originality.
You have also been pretty consistent with your work in Bengali. Why is it important for you to work where you belong and in a way stay in touch with your roots?
So much of my personality and who I am in every way is Kolkata. Growing up, this city gave me so much exposure to art and culture and contributed to the free-spirited human being that I am. I will always say ‘yes’ to work in the Bangla industry because it’s a big part of who I am. But I began my career with the Tamil film industry, with Rahman sir. I still sing in the southern languages, whether it’s Tamil or Telugu.
What are the Top 3 songs on your playlist now?
Rosalía is an artiste I listen to a lot, I like her song called Bagdad. I like Hiatus Kaiyote’s Fingerprints. I also listen to a lot of Alina Baraz.
A recent song, Indian or international, that you love and wish you had sung?
I don’t wish to sing anyone else’s song. But I really loved At My Worst, which I actually ended up singing with Pink Sweats. I was very kicked that I got to sing a version of that song with the original artiste. And then there is this really cool upcoming singer called Siddhant Bhosle who sang Din aur raatein and I ended up doing another version of that as well with him.