Jonita Gandhi

Music was always there on the side. I used to come home from school during weekends and perform at events.

You've got to realise that your journey is your own and if you're trying to do something just because someone else has done it, it's probably not going to work out. Focus on your own path instead.

I decided to pursue singing full-time right after I graduated from university.

Right after I graduated, I toured with Sonu Niigaam for his 'Klose To My Heart' tour across North America. Shortly after that I visited India to explore.

I combine western and Indian styles when I sing. I think it makes me unique, and being different can help propel you in the Hindi film industry.

I take pride in both my Indian heritage and Canadian upbringing, and I bring that out in my music.

My father might not admit it, but he built a studio for me in our house so that I could practice. Music played a crucial role in his hard times and that is what inspires me.

Dancing was my ultimate passion but as I grew up, seeing my father who is a musician himself, I got inspired and after 11, it gradually became a passion.

It's always helpful to have a unique voice like a USP because there's so much competition.

Growing up in Canada, I always felt that the film industry was far away, and getting to sing a duet with the legendary SPB, and that too for an SRK film, it felt unreal.

I always knew I wanted to be a singer, but to establish a firm backup plan, it was important for me to first complete my education.

I would say that 'Kahaan hoon main' rather than being philosophical is very spiritual. It is about a girl who is facing new experiences which make her question aspects of her life and journey. It is a song about inner reflection and self-realisation, which are themes that everyone can relate to.

I could not do much to prepare before I recorded for 'Highway,' because I didn't really even know what I was being called to sing.

Female artistes have to put themselves out there and take as much control of their own music as they can.

Even at home, there were always old Hindi songs - those of Rafi, R.D. Burman, Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle - and 90s Bollywood music by Shreya Ghoshal and Sonu Nigam - playing. I grew up listening to them.

I used to record my song videos, all covers, on my phone and post them.

I want to sing something that I have written from scratch. How cool would that be.

I always make sure to seek the inputs of the composer or lyricist in order to achieve an authentic pronunciation.

For longevity in the industry, you need to create a reason for people to choose you over others, you need to be irreplaceable and one of a kind.

A lot of people think that if they imitate the style of someone very successful then they would get more opportunities, which is never true.

The more music I do, the more I want to do.

I am where I am because of YouTube.

Music has got me to see so much of India, so many new faces.

People would assume I can't sing without listening to me at all and think that I wouldn't be able to do it.

I work really hard, it helps me.

I'm a huge fan of Anirudh's music. He is extremely versatile and the fact that we're both diverse in our musical exposure makes it easy to work together.

I find it interesting when different styles of music are fused together effortlessly to create something new and wonderful.

Performing to famous Bollywood tracks is always an appealing opportunity as that plays an essential role in defining our culture. And when you think of India, you think of Bollywood!

I love colours and I definitely won't go anywhere on Diwali without a bindi!

I like doing fusion looks for Diwali, especially putting together ethnic looks that are comfortable. For instance, I like wearing nice kurtis with denims or crop tops with lehenga skirts. Something that is easy, breezy and festive.

I don't make anything myself, but I do enjoy Diwali sweets.

I've grown up always having a gig on or around Diwali because it's a time when everyone in the community in Toronto got together to celebrate.

I had a great time recording 'Mera Jee Karda' because I don't often get to sing in Punjabi, and I really like to sing in the range and genre of the song.

Vanity metrics can be discouraging especially since it's really easy for projects with large budgets to loads of money on marketing and ad buys.

I try my best to stay focussed on quality over quantity when it comes to everything related to my work, including the numbers online.

Every singer comes from a different background and has something special to contribute, regardless of whether they're a native speaker of the language they're singing in or not.

As cliche as it sounds, there's a reason why people always say that music has no language; it transcends language barriers.

Singing in Tamil is always challenging but really fun.

Somebody shows me the difference between pronounciation, I can hear the difference.

I feel really lucky that I got the opportunity to work with Bappi Da. His reign over the disco era in Bollywood will never be forgotten.

I think with so many languages in India, it helps in taking music beyond one particular language.

Even though I have a degree in business administration, deep down I wanted to be a singer.

My passion to be a singer eventually led me to pack my bags and come to India.

Even though I was raised in Canada, Bollywood has always been dear to me because I used to sing mostly Hindi songs at shows.

Music will always have an audience, no matter how many artists there are.

We're from Delhi and I've grown up surrounded by my parents and relatives speaking Punjabi at home.

Although my surname often confuses people into thinking I'm Gujarati, my family is Punjabi.

I started performing with my dad's band when I was quite young and participated in singing competitions as well. By the time I got to the university, I was performing at international events.

The only language I feel I'm perfectly fluent in is English. It's the language I grew up studying, thinking in and the one I'm most comfortable in when expressing myself. My Hindi is also quite good, but outside English and Hindi, I wouldn't consider myself to be fluent in any other language.

I choose to do different songs for different reasons and I measure their success accordingly.