'Always wanted to be an independent artist'

Akasa Singh became a household name soon after the release of her first Bollywood song 'Kheech Meri Photo' from the 2016 Bollywood movie Sanam Teri Kasam. And since then, there has been no looking back for her. The 25-year-old singer started her career with Mika Singh where she was the only girl in a band of 10 male members. Thereafter, she was seen as a contestant in 'India's Raw Star' which further added to her fame.

However, the 'Kheech Meri Photo' singer feels that she has not achieved all this stardom and success overnight. "I started performing when I was 17, and it took 7-8 years of constant struggle and hard work to reach where I am today."

Unveiling the reality behind a celebrity's life, Akasa further adds, "It appears to be lavish and smooth from a distance. It seems like I have achieved a lot in my life, I have become a celebrity. But to be honest, the struggle behind it, that constant effort cannot be seen or told."

Performing with other singers in the initial phase of her career, Singh is now an independent artist. And her mantra for success is – "This is what I want, this is what I will do" and this is what keeps her going.

Akasa says that apart from the opportunities she is getting in Bollywood, she is even focussing on her independent music as she believes that it helps her expand her horizons.

Keeping up the popularity and expectations of her fans, Akasa released a duet with Ricky Martin titled 'Vene Pe Ca' in the year 2017. The singer also has a mashup of Ed Sheeran's 'Shape of you' and Badsha's 'Mercy' to her credit along with a cover version of 'Zara Zara'.

And finally what made her a sensation was debut pop single 'Thug Ranjha', which was uploaded on Youtube in May 2018. The music video crossed 27mn + views within a month and became the most watched Indian video worldwide on YouTube.

YouTube helped the singer become a social media sensation, but only in the later stage career. She believes it is a good medium which provides opportunities and helps the hidden talent come out to the front. "I myself feel that YouTube helped me a lot, but only in the later stage. I uploaded a video of my song and got appreciated for it. But I think many people get it a lot easier, and they don't know how to value it afterward."

Akasa is just 25 and has become a sensation among youth, but she likes to believe that she has not reached the 'stardom' point yet. "I think there is a long way to go, higher space to attain."

Sharing her experience of working with Vishal and Shekhar in the song 'Aithey aa', Akasa tells Millennium Post that it was a fun experience and they are coolest music directors on the face of the earth.

It is her second Bollywood number, but she has generally been associated with peppy numbers in the past too. Does that bother her? "One song gets popular, so the composers and audience label you in that category. They create an image of yours and you are given work in that genre. This is the reason I have been always called for the peppy numbers. Though, as an artist, I do not want to be stereotyped. I am here to explore, I want my voice to be heard in a different kind of music."