Achi news desk-
Neeti Mohan emerged victorious in a music talent show nearly twenty years ago, beating a sea of ​​aspiring singers and embarking on a journey to stardom as a pop sensation. Teaming up with her fellow winners – Jimmy Felix, Sanjeet Haldipur, and Asuda Sharma – Naiti formed the band Aasma, releasing one chart-topper after another, including the popular track ‘Chandu Ke Chacha’. Fast forward to today, Neeti is standing tall with a booming solo career marked by a string of hits like ‘Ishq Wala Love’, ‘Jiya Re’, ‘Sau Aasmaan’, ‘Meri Jaan’, a testament to her continued musical success. courage.
The singer was part of the latest edition of Royal Stag BoomBox which also featured other popular artists like Badshah, Nikhita Gandhi, Armaan Malik, Ikka and more. Neeti Mohan who has collaborated with the platform in the past spoke exclusively about the concept of merging hip-hop with Bollywood music, her musical journey and more.
Here are the sections:
Royal Stag Boombox has created a unique combination of Bollywood and hip-hop. What drew you to this project and what can fans expect from your participation this year?
Royal Stag Boombox is a new sound and it is the sound of the new generation, and for me connecting with the youth is very exciting. Because there are more possibilities with youth, and there is always something that you, as a musician, challenge yourself and go out to do something else that you haven’t done. Like, for example, for me, I’ve never done a collaboration with a hip-hop artist, and as a Bollywood singer, it’s like Melody meets hip-hop, and I think for me it was very exciting in season 1, and I’m very, very excited to be a part of season 2 of Royal as well Stag Boombox, because it’s just the connection with the youth, with the music, with their energy, and also with so many artists. It’s such an amazing festival, I’m really looking forward to it. The project brings together artists from diverse musical backgrounds.
What was it like collaborating with other Royal Stag Boombox artists and how did those interactions influence your contributions?
I always look forward to collaborating with different artists, and if it’s in Bollywood, I’ve almost worked with everyone, and this time with Royal Stag Boombox, the opportunity was very exciting and it was to collaborate with a hip-hop artist, and last year I collaborated and did a song called Imtihaan with EPR and it was So amazing, we met together in the studio, we jammed, and we tried different combinations of how to sing the song and he composed it, and I think that’s an exciting part for any singer, to be able to try different genres of music and it excites me.
Interest in the hip-hop genre has grown tremendously among Indian listeners in recent years. Do you feel as a genre it has influenced Bollywood music as a whole? what are your thoughts
Well, yes, hip-hop has really reached our country on an even deeper level, I would say. It is not only curbed in the metro cities. So I think our youth relate to that and I think that’s what’s exciting for people to hear. So, I really feel that a lot of Bollywood songs are also inspired and they use that sound because it’s the sound of the youth and the youth connect with it, and when people surf to that music, it’s really nice.
Royal Stag aims to bring unforgettable experiences to the youth of India. What message do you hope they take away from your shows and music?
I think it’s just about making every moment great, and that’s what the Royal Stag Boombox is
And that’s what the festival is about, which just makes everything so beautiful and
Live in this moment and enjoy it. So for me, when I sing, I like it when the audience
Sing along with me and I feel their love and I want to give them lots of love and music. So, just that you never forget it, it’s a memory etched forever, that’s what I want to give to the audience tonight.
How was your experience as part of the pop group Aasma and winning V’s channel
Are pop stars shaping your career in the music industry?
It changed my life. I never expected a reality show to make a girl from Delhi move in
Mumbai, and today when I look back, it’s almost, you know, like many years now that I’ve been singing in films and it’s been my dream, to be able to do it, and I’m able to do it and I’m really grateful, I love it, and I’m really grateful to Asma
You mentioned in an interview how you want to perform with AR Rahman and this
came true. Can you elaborate on that experience and how it influenced your career?
Since my childhood, when I was in boarding school, I always used to sneak my Walkman with a few batteries and some of his audio tapes, and I would always listen to his music over and over again and it would come back because it was a very new sound and I really connected to it, and I think the youth connect to a newer sound. So, when I was in school, I was very connected to AR Rahman Sir’s music and even to Tamil music, and I don’t speak the language. So I think it really left a deep impression on me in terms of musicality, and I thought that if it’s music, then I want to make music. So, I’m really lucky to be a part of his live concerts and I’ve become a part of that and I’ve sung a few songs for him in the studio and recently I performed with him at the opening ceremony of the IPL in Chennai. So whenever I’m around him, I feel like he’s like a mentor, always guiding me and I just feel like I’ve grown A lot as a person and as a musician underneath.
Could you walk us through your experience working with music composers like Vishal-Shahar, A.R. Rahman, Amit Trivedi in various Bollywood projects? How has each collaboration affected your musical journey?
I feel that every musical composer you just called, be it Vishal-Shahar, AR Rahman Sir, Amit Triody, Shankar-Ahsan-Levi, all these composers, Mithon, they are all an institution in themselves. When you go and record each song with them, There is so much to learn and explore, and you get excited with the song. Like my first song was Jiya Re, but Ishq Wala Love was released before that, so both songs, they as a vocalist made me sound very different, and they could imagine that it would sound good in my voice and that
It really excited me as a singer that “Wow, I have to try to sound different in every song,”
And I think if it’s tunes, like with Amit Trivedi, I loved doing the Bombay Velvet project. We explored Indian jazz, and yes, I think with all of them I really learned a lot and I really look forward to working with them again.
What challenges did you face in the industry and how did you overcome them?
Every career has a challenge and somewhere you have to figure out how to maneuver or
How to simply get better at your job. I feel like I’m focusing on how I can be better than yesterday
And how can I stay excited about my music all the time. So for me it’s exciting. but b
At the same time, there are challenges where, you know, sometimes the songs have very few lines for the girl, so the challenge is to still sound good on it and still make a mark on it, sometimes that’s a challenge.
From hits like Ishq Wala Love to the jazz tracks in Bombay Velvet, you have it
Show versatility in different genres. How do you adjust your voice to suit the mood and
Style of each song?
Well, I think listening is the key. You have to listen to the atmosphere of the song, the lyrics and listen
Instructions from the music director, the lyricist, the director of the film, then a kind of experiment and you find the right tone with the film director, with the music director, and then it works and you just keep doing your thing on the microphone.
Collaborating with different artists like Ayushmann Khurrana and Anirudh, how do you approach singing in languages ​​or styles that may be new to you, like Punjabi or Tamil?
I feel that music is beyond language and that’s what I learned when I was with Ar Rahman Sir, on tour. I had never sung in Tamil, but slowly I pushed myself. I used to confirm the words and the meaning and the pronunciation and then try to incorporate it into the song. So slowly I realized it. Well, I am a girl from Delhi, so Punjabi was not that difficult for me, but yes, southern languages ​​become a bit challenging, but I think over the years you get the hang of it, so it’s okay.
Your rendition of the song Tumhe Apna Banane Ka from Sadak in Hate Story 3 was praised for bringing out a different side of your voice. How do you explore and experiment with your vocal range in different projects?
As a vocalist, I always feel that I have to sound different in every song and that’s what I try to do so that I fit into the genre of the music, I fit into the melody to the point that it’s the song that’s talking and not really the artist. I think I surrender to the music composer. I say, “How do you want me to hear?” If they say, “Oh, very sensual,” “Oh, very hot,” “Oh, very cute,” then I just focus in that direction and I do it.
You were a mentor on several music reality shows. How do you approach guiding and nurturing young talents in the industry?
Reality shows are very important. I think that’s how I started my career, and for me, to be able to see the new talent, the young singers, the young singers, take center stage and showcase their talent is very endearing, I love it, and I love the dreams they have for themselves, Parents have dreams of their children making a mark in the music industry. So, I really like it. I want to support them because somewhere someone supported me and that’s how I got here, and I still have a long way to go. But I feel that if someone can give you a pat on the back already in the first step, that is when you need the most courage because you are very afraid, you feel that you do not know what is going to happen, there is so much uncertainty, and parents are insecure about children, what They will and how it will happen. So, I feel like if you can encourage them and tell them, just focus on the music and not the other stuff, I think if you can do that, half the battle is won. They can just be on the right path and learn more and become truly amazing artists.
In your collaborations with composers like Amaal Mallik and Pritam, how do you interpret their vision for a song and bring your own creative vision to the performance?
First, for me, getting instructions from the director is very important and a script and understanding what the song is about. If the song is about a celebration, then is it like a folk celebration or is it in a very fun area, is it a party song, is it a love song. So, I take instructions from them, and then once they tell me, that’s how you interpret it, and then it’s a little easier for me to add little things, and then if they approve it, we keep it.
