Rainbow Girl

Tell us about your musical journey. How has the industry treated you so far?

The people that I’ve worked with so far have been really supportive and it’s been a learning experience for me so far, and I’m sure it’s always going to be.

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Your song, Dilbar, was the first Hindi language song to enter the Billboard Top Ten, how does it feel to have achieved this breakthrough at such a young age?

Dilbar was my second playback, and this was a huge milestone, I felt really proud that it was on the Billboard Top Ten. Of course, there were other artists like Neha ma’am and Nora who greatly contributed to the success of the song, and Tanishk Bagchi, who made the remake.

While singing the song, did you expect it to be such a huge hit?

I think we all knew it in a way that as soon as it released, it would be a rage because the track that was done by Tanishk Bagchi was a bomb. I was very lucky to have sung it, and it featured Nora, so it had to do well.

Since everything is going digital, how do you perceive YouTube as a platform for singers to showcase their talent?

I think my career is because of YouTube. What more can I say, I believe that it’s an amazing platform to showcase your talent.

You started your career with slow numbers and eventually sang more quirky songs, are you comfortable with all genres?

I am a very inquisitive person, I love the versatility and I always listening to different artists and genres, I think experimentation keeps me motivated.

You have a prominent presence on social media where you connect with the audience quite effortlessly, how important do you think it is for singers to maintain this relationship?

I think the relationship with people who like your songs is very important. It’s a very honest relationship and I love interacting with people whenever they tell me that they like the way I sing or they like the songs. I feel incredibly grateful to have these people in my life.

What does Dhvani enjoy more - making singles or playback singing for movies?

I think I enjoy both, but I’m a little partial to singing for myself and doing the videos because that’s my ultimate goal. I’ve always wanted to be a pop icon and that’s the path I want to follow but I enjoy playback singing too.

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room. Your father works with T-series and a considerable number of your songs have been with the same label. In a time when nepotism is talked about so openly, how did you cope up with the matter?

I started my career off with Sony, it was a playback called Ishtehaar and after that, I moved to T-Series as they signed me after Leja. Talking about the elephant in the room, my father does work at T-Series and of course, I’m grateful that I am his daughter, and that he can create opportunities for me, but ultimately I think I’m the one facing the mic. He can’t sing for me and even when he tries to create opportunities for me he’s never ever told anyone that you have to make her sing this song, he always said that if you think she can add to your song only then make her sing. I’m always grateful for the opportunities that I have had, but past a point, my talent had to do the talking. We achieved several milestones with my songs, and I think in a way the audience has now accepted me for my skills, and that nepotism can’t really help anymore.

Your song Ishare Tere was highly successful. How has working with Guru Randhawa impacted your career as a singer?

I think doing Ishare Tere with Guru was a great first step in what I wanted to eventually get into. He was really supportive of getting me on board with Ishare Tere. It definitely gave my career a boost and people started to know who I was, which had to then be followed up with my own songs, but it was a great opportunity for me to start off my career.

Who is your favourite singer and would like to collaborate with soon?

I love Charlie Puth and I hope one day I get to do a collaboration with him, but in India, I think I’m a huge A.R. Rahman fan and I want to sing for him at least once in my life. I’m also really happy with the people I’ve collaborated with so far.

From the November-December 2019 issue of FHM India.