'I was happy just to be nominated'

From the Bombay sabhas to the Dolby Theatre, veteran Carnatic singer Bombay Jayashri has surely come a long way. Her signature silk sari and down-to-earth nature can make anyone at ease while talking to her. The singer was here to launch the first Carnatic Children’s Choir and describes Bangalore as one of her favourite places.

For the children in the choir, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be trained by a singer like Bombay Jayashri. However, the singer tells Metrolife that it was she who ended up learning more than she bargained for, from the young of pool of talent in Bangalore.

“This has been one City where I have always been open to trying out anything new without thinking twice. Starting a choir in Carnatic music was an idea I was toying with for a long time. I knew that Bangalore would be open to an idea like this. But when I started interacting and training these youngsters, my meaning and the way I would look at music changed and that’s something I didn’t expect at all,” she says.

Ever since she was nominated for the ‘original song’ in ‘Life of Pi’ at the Oscars, one would assume that her career would have taken a whole new turn. But it has been just the opposite for the singer, who says that life has been pretty much the same since then. “Except now, many keep referring to me as Oscar-nominated Bombay Jayashri,” she laughs.

But the experience of being present at the Oscars, among the creme-de-la-creme of Hollywood, was like a childhood dream come true for Jayashri.

“Being there with Meryl Streep or even Stephen Spielberg and a whole pool of talent was very exciting as these are the people I grew up watching and admiring,” she recollects.

The pressure of winning the Oscar was something she felt ever since the nominations were announced. “At that point of time, I just wanted to get the entire Oscar thing over with because suddenly, there was this pressure and people started looking at me in a different light. I just wanted to get back to my normal life,” she adds.

When her name was not announced as the winner, she did feel a tad disappointed. “It would have been nice to win but then again, I was happy just to be nominated. I had heard Adele’s song and it was wonderful,” she adds.

Now, Jayashri is glad that her life has gone back to normal. She is back to doing what she loves the most –– singing. Be it in movies or concerts, Jayashri enjoys it all. So can we expect more Hollywood projects from her? “I haven’t signed any Hollywood projects as of now. I want to wait for something good and exciting before I sign anything,” she concludes.