With a voice to envy

Sunidhi  Chauhan is all set for her new reality show,  The Remix, on Amazon Prime Video, but what is more interesting in her life currently is raising her toddler, who is exactly one month and 24 days old. The singer, who is busy juggling life as a reality show judge, singer and mom,  says that she is enjoying this phase of her life. "God has given me in abundance and I am very happy with this new phase of my life as a mother. It's the ultimate gift that God has given me. My son is my energy. Right now,  my husband and I are still looking out for a name for him," says the Mast singer.  

However, she says that the realisation of motherhood has not sunk in as yet.    "It will affect me more when he grows up and starts schooling. Now, he just has his food and milk, so I am enjoying the process. The responsibilities will increase as he grows up."

Starting young

Sunidhi came to Mumbai and started singing professionally at the tender age of 11. "I sang my first solo song for the film Shastra in 1996. I have been lucky ever since. Music director Aadesh Shrivastava heard my voice and gave me my first break in Mast (1999). Life has been beautiful ever since. Times have changed and I flowed with the tide," says the singer.  

While many celebrities shy away from the camera during pregnancy, Sunidhi  Chauhan  not only flaunted her baby bump but also shot for  the promotional track of The  Remix. She will be judging the contestants along with music composer Amit Trivedi and DJ Nucleya. "I didn't plan to break the norm or set new records that I am pregnant. It's a part of life and if no one minds watching me, then why not shoot? My pregnancy went off well and I did it with gaps. I didn't follow any set of rules. Like every normal mother, even I    had mood swings and cravings, and I ate everything," she confesses.

Chauhan herself has been a product of reality shows titled Meri Awaaz Suno, in 1996,  hosted by Annu Kapoor.  However, Sunidhi says that The Remix is a different show. "There's a team of a    DJ, a singer and a producer.  They have to take up any Bollywood song, revisit it and change it entirely to the current times. We don't have a script on the show, everything is impromptu. Unlike other reality shows, our show will have no backstory nor any sad story. We don't ask the contestants about their background. We only listen to their music and rate them on the basis of their singing, music, and how innovatively they have presented the songs. There's no public voting on the show too. Such shows are trending successfully in Indonesia and Asia," she states.

While there has been a debate going on remixing    Bollywood classics, Sunidhi says she loves some of the remixes. "Some of the contestants have done a wonderful job with the remixes. It has been done tastefully. I enjoyed listening to some of the compositions where they added rap."

The singer says that she had a great time with her fellow judges on the show. "Fortunately, we were all on the same page. Though we are from different backgrounds, our discussions and decisions were always unanimous."    

The singer  says life's been good for her, so far. "I have had my share of ups and downs, like every human being.  I believe that one has to fight against the norm to find success.    I never let  negativity affect me. I have deleted all the bad experiences from my mind. Success, for me, is happiness. I don't look at failures.  I take it as a  challenge  and move ahead. The competitive spirit within me increases at every step. I am yet to find my best song. I am waiting for it, but at the same time, I hope it never comes, or else it will make things boring for me," she voices.

Peer inspiration

Despite being in a highly competitive industry, she says that she has never seen it as a threat. "I have always appreciated others and that gives me a lot of inspiration. If I like someone's work, I follow them, listen to their songs, and applaud them. I love it when they bring in their own style. I have never been insecure.  For me, my life is just  about music and how to better it each time."  

She goes on to add that the  music industry is going through the best of times now.    "There are a whole lot of female singers, female-oriented roles, female lyricists like Kausar Munir, Anvita Dutt, and there are female musicians too."

Amongst the current lot of singers, she likes Mahalaxmi    Iyer, Monali Thakur, Neeti Mohan, Shalmali Kholgade and Akriti Kakkar. "They are all popular and they have a strong fan base.    Their songs are a hit. The more the appreciation, the more work you get," adds  Sunidhi.

Besides singing,  Sunidhi  has a lot of plans for the year. Right now, she wants to explore acting. "I did a short film titled Playing Priya.  I want to act and I will definitely try it someday. Besides that, I    want to compose a few numbers. Apart from all this, I want to learn cooking so that I can feed my baby some good food. Right now, all I can cook up is some scrambled eggs," she confesses.

Other than singing, Sunidhi says her passion is to be fit. "I love to stay fit and that's my second love. I am planning to hit the gym with my baby when he grows up a bit," she concludes.