She ’ s a live-wire , she ’ s a triple threat , she ’ s the full package , we caught up with the singing sensation Jonita Gandhi this month and here ’ s our conversation made up of mirth , modesty , vigour , vision and passion , just like the music maestro herself .
First things first , you ’ ve given some amazing hits from ‘ Na Na ’ to ‘ 4 AM ’ and of course ‘ Doctor ’ movie in Tamil has released , and your Chellama song is out . What did you love the most ?
I loved the fact that despite the pandemic , I could still work remotely , otherwise these amazing songs wouldn ’ t have seen the light of day . During the pandemic , every industry took quite a big hit and I just felt blessed and excited about the fact that I could continue to create music , and collaborate with people virtually . I even did a song with Merchant Records called ‘ Gallaan Teriyan ’ which was a collab with Raj Pandit and Salim-Sulaiman . We shot the video for that song completely remotely . I shot my portions in Los Angeles and Raj shot his portions in Mumbai . I ’ m thrilled that we were able to continue entertaining people with our music when they needed it most .
How did the production process of all these tracks happen ?
It was a challenge . I remember for the ‘ Na Na ’ shoot with Mickey Singh , it took place in Los Angeles and during the dance rehearsals I was wearing a mask . It was really scary to be around people and to be on sets during the pandemic , but we ensured that people got tested and we all tried to be as safe as we could be . We did what we could even though the process was elaborate at times - we had a lot more than usual to worry about , like quarantine schedules and things like that . We probably could have shot the video remotely too but we wanted to make sure we had choreography , and that we had Mickey and I in the same frame . It did require a little extra time because of the COVID restrictions , but it was all worth in the end .
Though recording has always been something that could be done remotely , the pandemic has opened up the general perspective around it and more and more people got comfortable doing recording sessions virtually , especially in the film recording circuit . I ’ m really glad I was already set up with a proper home recording system to be able to submit studio quality recordings for these tracks .
How important is it for a musician to be classically trained according to you ? I have trained very vaguely and sparsely . I wouldn ’ t consider myself a trained musician . I ’ ve done lessons in Hindustani classical , and learnt the basics as well in Western Classical Music . When I went to university , for my elective courses I picked up a bit by taking music courses . I learned art songs , which are kind of like Opera , and a different way for me to exercise my vocal skills .
I think it ’ s very important to have the training . I don ’ t think it ’ s absolutely essential , but it is something that I wish I had more of , especially now that I ’ ve been in this industry for around eight years and I ’ ve dabbled in a lot of different genres . A lot of people say that sometimes classical music can restrict how creative you can be in terms of cross-genre collaborations ; that it can put you in a box . I ’ ve been trying to be versatile , to keep things fresh and to keep learning . And that ’ s the best way to learn - we have to keep listening to music as much as possible . That being said , if you do have the resources and time to take training , I do recommend it because it ’ s an asset to have that foundation .
So , we know you have a home band and that your father is also a hobby musician , so could you tell us how did your father introduce you to music and how did this home band come into being ?
He has been playing music for his whole life . He played guitar in his college band , and he sang too . Music has played a very important role in his life .
Growing up , my brother and I were exposed to music since we were born . The younger you ’ re exposed to something , the more ingrained it becomes in your being . I think because of that , I fell in love with music and I think it happened secretly . Initially , I was extremely shy . I would run away when my dad would ask me to sing in front of guests . Eventually , I think because of the perseverance of my parents , I began opening up and I fell in love with singing and performing . From a very young age , I knew that music was going to be a big part of my life .
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