JOIN USMaking her own destiny
“I want to be remembered as a talented playback singer with classic songs to mycredit. The only thing I strive for is to create my own identity in the Hindi film music industry,” she says. And she has done just that. She mesmerised us with Mar jawa from Fashion (for which she earned a lot of nominations, including a Filmfare Award nomination), continues to do so, and has a string of hits in her kitty from films like Kurbaan, Anjaana Anjaani, Luck and Dev D. Interestingly, she also penned the hit song Payaliya for Dev D. Shruti Pathak is basking in her new-found success, but it hasn’t made her complacent. She feels that she has just begun her journey and still has a long way to go as a playback singer.
Shruti Pathak’s affair with music was destined. Pathak wanted to be a singer since childhood and to nurture her dream, she started learning music from her mentor, Divyang Thakur in Ahmedabad. “Learning classical music and religiously doing riyaz everyday was a priority for me as a child. I knew all this hard work would pay off eventually. After completing my graduation, I decided to move to Mumbai. Now, I am under the tutelage of Sunil Gurgaokarji,” says the dedicated singer.
She values the fame and adulation she enjoys today because she wasn’t blessed with it. Pathak had to struggle for years before securing a strong foothold in the industry. “The first song I sang was Leke Pehla Pehla Pyaar from the Baby Doll series that featured Deepal Shaw. I sang a few remix numbers after that but my first break was Mar jawa, which was offered to me three years after my first project. Those initial years of uncertainty were difficult,” she remembers. “But what makes me happy is the fact that I have created a niche for myself in the industry,” she adds.
Pathak is elated that she is now being considered by renowned music directors in the industry and has had the privilege to work with a few. “I feel blessed when music directors appreciate my unconventional voice and give me the opportunity to sing for their projects. In just a few years, I have got more than I could ask for. I have worked with musicians like Amit Trivedi, Salim Merchant and Vishal-Shekhar. I take this job very seriously and I want to prove myself every single time I enter a recording studio,” she avers.
She is also excited that she got the opportunity to be a part of Coke Studio. On this experimental music platform, she teamed up with Shafqat Amanat Ali and Paapon, a singer from Assam, who recently shot to fame with his song, Te Amo from Dum Maaro Dum. Understandably, she is quite excited about it. So what does she dream of now?
She answers instantly, “A private album. But, sadly, there is not much of a market left for private albums. There was a time when the music industry was brimming with pop artists, but today, there are hardly any non-film albums releasing. I am working on a few songs and I am hopeful that sometime soon, I will be ready with my new album,” she informs.
As for now, Shruti is busy singing for many upcoming Hindi films. With every song she sings in her soulful voice, she gets one step closer to being one of the most sought-after playback singers in Hindi cinema.