Jonita Gandhi is back with a sonorous number, Megha Re Megha

Canadian playback singer Jonita Gandhi, who rock the Bollywood music scene last year with the popular track Current Laga Re in the film Cirkus, is back with Megha Re Megha, a part of the background score of the Hindi version of Ponniyin Selvan 2, otherwise known as PS2. "It’s a short but beautiful classically inspired number and I’m grateful to have sung it," tells the young singer.

The song written by Gulzar has been composed by AR Rahman and co-sung by Antara Nandy. We speak to the spunky crooner about the same.  

You are one of the indie singers who made it famous through YouTube, how much has the scene changed for indie artistes since you started off at 17?

When I began my journey on YouTube covering popular songs, I had no idea how large of a platform it would become for artists. Over the past couple of years, the general audience has started accepting and consuming non-film music more, connecting over social media during the pandemic. We are seeing independent artists getting more opportunities and notability equivalent to their playback contemporaries. 

Straddling between indie and Bollywood, which world do you find more fascinating?

I enjoy both! As a playback singer, it’s a little like being a voice actor while singing. We get to embody the character and emotion required for the film, scene or situation. The freedom of experimentation in non-film music is liberating and exciting as well.

How has the experience as a singer been in all these years?

It’s been incredible! I’ve learned so much about myself, not only as a musician, but also as a human. I learn new things every day, working with different kinds of people. A lot of my job requires people skills, so I’m always growing in more ways than one. Some of the lessons I’ve picked up along the way are to be self-dependent and proactive.

What inspires you as a musician?

Stories and people inspire me. Music is a lot about vibes and expressing experiences and emotions that are real because we’ve lived them.