Jonita Gandhi: I feel insecure even now

This year marks her decade-long-journey in Hindi film music and Jonita Gandhi says “the industry has taught me a lot”. The singer says she’s learnt “to be patient and how to stick to my own path”. Work-wise, this year has been a fruitful one for Gandhi, with over 16 releases across languages to her credit so far. However, the What Jhumka? (Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani) hitmaker admits that she feels “insecure even now”. She explains, “It's a tough industry and the competition is quite fierce. So, as artistes, we all have our good days and bad days. Being an outsider in this industry, I think I understood quite early on that I should learn to manage my expectations and take nothing for granted. Throughout the ups and downs I still am learning how to stabilise my mental health, work hard and stay positive. It's definitely a difficult task.”

Ask Gandhi, who turned 34 earlier this week and celebrated her birthday by “visiting the Ranthambore National Park (Rajasthan)”, if she ever fears going overboard with multiple releases in a year and she admits that “I've started to worry more now than before about over-saturating my listeners”. Talking about taking on quality projects and not running after quantity, she adds, “In the last few years, I’ve become more picky about the projects I choose to be part of. Since my motivation is to have a lasting legacy, I am starting to prioritise quality over quantity.”

While your work does the talking, Gandhi feels it’s also important for artistes to be seen to stay relevant as far as Bollywood is concerned, and social media really helps with that: “With the shelf life being so short for newcomers now, out of sight, out of mind still applies. It's important to stay active and connected with your followers on social media to keep them engaged and interested in your music.”