MUMBAI : British pop stars Arzutra Garielle recently released her music album and it was well received amongst her fans. With family roots in India, the singer grew up in London listening to only Bollywood music and she explains how its one of the main reason she decided to be apart of the industry.
We chatted with the singer about her inspirations, her music and her close connection with Shreya Ghoshal etc...
1. You are inspired by singer Shreya Ghosal, which are your favourite songs from her bucket which you would love to cover?
If there is one singer I wish I could sound like, it has to be Shreya Ghoshal. I wrote a letter to her when I was young, I still have it. I was obsessed with her song ‘ Khayalon Mein ’ from Raaz 3 movie. I sang it daily for years. It seems like an easy song, but it really isn’t. In fact it’s only when you start singing Shreya Ghoshal songs that you realise they aren’t as easy as they sound.
2. You decided to sing songs in Hindi amongst all other languages, Why so?
I decided to sing in Hindi because I felt so drawn to the language and with the influence of Bollywood from a young age it was only natural that my own songs would be in Hindi. It has been a struggle. I am not going to pretend it was easy. But I did it and I am proud of the fact I have sung in the language spoken by my ancestors. I am British Born but my roots are Indian from my great grand parents.
3. Did you have an inclination towards Bollywood music from your childhood or is it something you grew up listening
I was surrounded by Bollywood music. It was in our home, in the car, in the clubs I went to during University, on the radio. Everywhere. My father watched more Bollywood movies than English movies. So the musical influence has been around me since I was born. The music was the only thing I could relate to. In fact I only knew of music to be Bollywood music. I never knew any other genre as no other music got played in my house. I only started listening to English mainstream music much later in life. However my preference would always be Indian music. Its funny. Hindi isn’t my language but I can relate to it in music. Its so weird.
4. Your recently released album was well accepted amongst your fans, what was your motivation behind it?
The motivation behind the album was to put myself out there as a serious artist. I was given the advice that to be taken seriously I should work towards an Album. I felt like it was the right advice because there’s certainly less people putting albums out. However I just go through life doing what I want. As soon as I decided I am doing an album, I worked hard towards it and never looked back.
5.There is so much been spoken about mental health right now, how important is mental health for you?
I recently shared my top 5 tips for lockdown on my you tube channel. I think it’s easy to think life is normal during lockdown when it really isn’t. I have had fights with my team members, my family and it’s because we are all frustrated. However one thing that helps me is to be grateful. Every day I choose 5 things I am grateful for and this sets my mood on a positive note for the day.
6. Pls share some activities that you indulge in to keep your mental health in check?
One of the things I faced a challenge with was that I ended up working twice as much. With little movement due to the lockdown, I made a habit to walk daily for 40 mins. For me walking is better than meditation. I have this buzz afterwards.
7. Any plans of moving to Mumbai to be closer to the music industry?
I would love to visit Mumbai again however I don’t see myself living there. It seems more like a place I see myself only visiting. Of course if Aamir Khan asked me to move there and sing for his movies I wouldn’t say no!
8. What is the best part of being a musician?
I love the creative side. Singing in the studio. Lately I have started loving the music video shoots more. I really can’t get enough of them. I am fortunate to work with some crazy video directors who are on the same wavelength as me. We just love creating. So you will be seeing lots of videos coming up from my side in due course. Stay tuned.
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