<p>Ester Noronha is an actor, singer, dancer and more. Her cover of ‘Despacito’ has recently crossed four million views making it the most popular Konkani song on YouTube. She looks back at how the project came to be. </p>.<p class="Question"><strong>What drove you to make a Konkani cover?</strong></p>.<p>I have been a lover of music since I was a child. I’ve been singing on stage from the age of eight. I was drawn towards Konkani and incorporating it into my work has always been a priority. The Konkani speaking population is quite small and I didn’t want that to hold the language back from making a mark. I wanted to find a way to make it current. The younger generation doesn’t relate to yesteryears Konkani music, it feels outdated to them. I looked at this cover as an opportunity to bring back a sense of pride in the language and the Konkan coast.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>Why Despacito?</strong></p>.<p>When I heard it for the first time, I really connected with it. I didn’t immediately think of making a cover until I was on set one day and I was listening to it.</p>.<p>The music video was playing in my head and I began to compare the visuals of Puerto Rico with the sights in Goa. They are similar in places and I thought what is it that we lack that we can’t make such a song. And I realized we have everything and I wanted to use this opportunity to show that Konkani is just as glamorous as any other language.</p>.<p>We see foreign languages like Spanish and French as exotic and beautiful. But we look down on our own languages. If being foreign is what makes a language beautiful, we forget that Konkani is foreign to many. I wanted to show that if portrayed in a glamorous way, my mother tongue is no less.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>How long did it take to bring it to life?</strong></p>.<p>I have experience in the field so the process wasn’t all that difficult. The translation took place in around three days, then recording finished in a day. Shooting was also not tough because of my film background. Anyone who I pitched the idea to was eager to come on board.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>Did you have any apprehensions?</strong></p>.<p>There were a lot of people who said recreating such a big song would lead to comparisons and I would become the butt of many jokes. And I said that it would only be a joke when it’s not up to the mark. I was set on not just creating a good product but something that could become a benchmark.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>Has the risk paid off?</strong></p>.<p>It’s definitely paid off. From the day it released people have accepted it with open arms. It ended up being the first Konkani song to hit a million views on YouTube and it happened within three months.</p>.<p>Now we have many songs which have crossed this milestone. The popularity of Konkani music is soaring.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>Any more covers in the pipeline?</strong></p>.<p>I’m not looking at covers for now but I’m making original music. The cover was a way of appreciating the talents of someone else but I am looking forward to making my own music. I already have a few singles ready which would have released if not for the pandemic.</p>
<p>Ester Noronha is an actor, singer, dancer and more. Her cover of ‘Despacito’ has recently crossed four million views making it the most popular Konkani song on YouTube. She looks back at how the project came to be. </p>.<p class="Question"><strong>What drove you to make a Konkani cover?</strong></p>.<p>I have been a lover of music since I was a child. I’ve been singing on stage from the age of eight. I was drawn towards Konkani and incorporating it into my work has always been a priority. The Konkani speaking population is quite small and I didn’t want that to hold the language back from making a mark. I wanted to find a way to make it current. The younger generation doesn’t relate to yesteryears Konkani music, it feels outdated to them. I looked at this cover as an opportunity to bring back a sense of pride in the language and the Konkan coast.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>Why Despacito?</strong></p>.<p>When I heard it for the first time, I really connected with it. I didn’t immediately think of making a cover until I was on set one day and I was listening to it.</p>.<p>The music video was playing in my head and I began to compare the visuals of Puerto Rico with the sights in Goa. They are similar in places and I thought what is it that we lack that we can’t make such a song. And I realized we have everything and I wanted to use this opportunity to show that Konkani is just as glamorous as any other language.</p>.<p>We see foreign languages like Spanish and French as exotic and beautiful. But we look down on our own languages. If being foreign is what makes a language beautiful, we forget that Konkani is foreign to many. I wanted to show that if portrayed in a glamorous way, my mother tongue is no less.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>How long did it take to bring it to life?</strong></p>.<p>I have experience in the field so the process wasn’t all that difficult. The translation took place in around three days, then recording finished in a day. Shooting was also not tough because of my film background. Anyone who I pitched the idea to was eager to come on board.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>Did you have any apprehensions?</strong></p>.<p>There were a lot of people who said recreating such a big song would lead to comparisons and I would become the butt of many jokes. And I said that it would only be a joke when it’s not up to the mark. I was set on not just creating a good product but something that could become a benchmark.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>Has the risk paid off?</strong></p>.<p>It’s definitely paid off. From the day it released people have accepted it with open arms. It ended up being the first Konkani song to hit a million views on YouTube and it happened within three months.</p>.<p>Now we have many songs which have crossed this milestone. The popularity of Konkani music is soaring.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>Any more covers in the pipeline?</strong></p>.<p>I’m not looking at covers for now but I’m making original music. The cover was a way of appreciating the talents of someone else but I am looking forward to making my own music. I already have a few singles ready which would have released if not for the pandemic.</p>
