Single Magic

Music is what makes Shalmali Kholgade happiest. "Bollywood just happened to me," says the singer, who has built quite a reputation in the last 4 years. Yet, she doesn't look at singing as 'work'. "I go to work in a studio, perhaps try something new or learn something new. And eventually if that ends up becoming a hit song, it's a bonus," she says.

Kholgade speaks about her affinity for English music, saying that she draws inspiration to write her songs from artistes like Amy Winehouse, Beyoncé and John Mayer. When asked about recent international artistes performing in India, Kholgade says, "It thrills me to know that international artistes view India as a market to do their shows."

The vocalist is basking in her recent Bollywood release 'Single rehne de' from Simran as the song has topped the charts. The song was composed by her all-time favourites Sachin and Jigar, and Shalmali says it took only two hours for them to compose the song, from scratch. "I kid you not, they only had one line… 'naach cutie', and the song was made in a matter of two hours. We had so much fun while making that song. We were eating healthy chakna but were also under a lot of stress as people had to leave within two hours. This can happen only with Sachin Jigar," says the singer.

Kholgade says she admires Kangana Ranaut, the lead in Simran, both as an actor and as a person. "She is one of the finest mainstream Bollywood actors that we have. I have been following her work very closely since Tanu Weds Manu and Queen." She says lending her voice for someone whom she idolises was a thrilling experience.

Talking about her future projects, Kholgadhe reveals, "I want to make an independent album or a single. Actually, I am sitting on an English single right now. It's been in the production stage for almost six months." BOI