Songbird of a desi JONre!

Several awards for the Best Female Playback Singer sit proudly on her mantle. Recording with the two-time Oscar nominated A.R. Rahman has now become next to a routine too. At 27, it’s safe to say that Jonita Gandhi has created a space for herself in the music industry. After crooning for films like Chennai Express, Highway, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil and Dangal, she has now forayed into Sandalwood by singing Aalangisu Baa Nannanu for Apurva Kasaravalli’s Niruttara that released recently.

Having performed in Bengaluru a couple of times, Jonita has fond memories of the city. “With respect to music, Bengalureans are some of the most respectful, warm, open-minded and receptive people I’ve come across. The place itself is always buzzing with lovely weather, lovely people and a lovelier vibe,” she notes.

This seems to have reflected in her memories of creating her latest Sandalwood hit as well. “I have fond memories of recording this song. Niladri Kumar (the composer) is an amazing musician to work with. Since it was my first time singing a Kannada song, I was excited to take on the challenge. We were fortunate to have the lead actress Bhavana present to help me with my pronunciation and to understand the general feel of the song,” she adds.

Although she was brought up in Toronto, Hindi music was a constant, she tells us. “Old Hindi music often played and my dad would perform at events around Toronto for which he used to learn Bollywood tunes. My earliest memories were dancing to them when I was four,” she fondly recollects. Not many know that the bubbly lass also has a bachelor’s degree in health sciences and an honours in business administration from the Richard Ivery School of Business at the University of Western Ontario!

“My family was insistent that I study and have a good backup plan in place, but they were only too happy that I didn’t give up on chasing my dreams. I’ve always dreamt of being a singer and I cannot say I’d rather be doing anything else,” she smiles. Her journey has been quite colourful and working with AR Rahman on hits like Kahaan Hoon Main (Highway), Dil Chaspiya (Kochadaiiyaan) and Mental Manadhil (OK Kanmani) has only made it that much better.

“His process is very organic and I feel very involved in the song every time we record. He’s taught me to expand my boundaries and really experiment with my voice,” says an excited Jonita, whose ‘fresh’ sound finds artistes like Lata Mangeshkar and Christina Aguilera as influences.   

With over 4.5 million views on YouTube, 40,000 subscribers and almost two million followers on Facebook, Jonita’s social media game is strong. So is her stage presence – a packed schedule with performances across the world. But she believes it’s important to take time off as well.

“I can juggle on good days and consider watermelon feta salads my life,” she grins. “The rest has to include baths, watching Jimmy Fallon videos and perhaps unwinding with a good film,” she concludes, her eyes already on 2017.