Songstress on a roll

Sunidhi Chauhan
Till a few years ago, Sunidhi Chauhan was known as a feisty singer who sang only item numbers. Then she was known for her soft, soul-stirring tracks like Le chale (My brother Nikhil) and Bhaage re Man mera (Chameli).

And just when you thought you could slot her as a typical female playback singer crooning romantic numbers, she gives super hit, peppy numbers like Shut up and Bounce (Dostana), Lucky Boy (Bachna Ae Haseenon), Beedi Jalaile (Omkara) and the title track of Cash.

So what exactly is her mettle, you may ask?
"Versatility," says the singer. "I have sung almost all kinds of songs. At the beginning of my career I sang only item numbers and peppy dance tracks. It was Sonu Nigam who told me that I should strive towards being versatile and sing soft numbers too. I practiced diligently and today I'm singing softer, sentimental romantic songs than ever before."

The singer, who first shot to fame after crooning Ruki Ruki si zindagi from Mast, has sung various genres for almost all music composers. "I like to experiment and I'm always on the lookout for something different. If you remember, the title track of Bhoot was neither a soft track nor an item number."

Childhood dreams
The artist's tryst with music started from childhood. She grew up listening to stalwarts like Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhonsle. What started as a hobby, soon turned into a passion. She won Meri Aawaz Suno, a national music talent hunt show, and was flooded with Bollywood offers.

Big break
At the age of 11, she got her first break from music director Aadesh Srivastav. Later, Sonu Nigam introduced her to Sandeep Chowta, who was composing music for Ram Gopal Varma's Mast.

Sunidhi recalls the experience vividly, "I was 15 at that time. I was very excited, in fact I was dying to go the mike. It was great fun. In fact, after I sang the song, I cried since I couldn't believe that I had actually sung for a film. I couldn't sleep for two nights out of sheer excitement."

Future plans
The 24-year-old, who has sung in almost all languages, enjoys listening to hard rock, pop, R&B, soul and jazz and admire Beyonce Knowles, Alicia Keys and Paul Simons. Right now, though she's busy with her film projects, she is keen on pursuing her dream project - an international album.

And yes, though she would like to be remembered as a versatile singer, she would hate it if she's known as an artiste who can sing only in a typical style. We are not complaining! Meanwhile, we can't wait to hear what this lovely songstress has in store for us in the near future.

Freudian slip:

Music: Life

Rhythm: Soul

Passion: Music

Dream destination: Koh Tao in Thailand

Turn ons: Great video, nice fragrance

Turn offs: Liars

Five things that you can't do without: CDs, music, mobile phone, car and a good workout.

idiva.com January 6, 2009