Jonita Gandhi’s debut playback track had a Chennai link; it featured in the 2013 Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Chennai Express.
Today, Jonita is a much sought-after singer in Tamil cinema, having forged successful collaborations with music composers AR Rahman and Anirudh among others. Last week, she had Chennai’s music aficionados in awe during her performance at Phoenix Marketcity, a gig that saw her croon her Tamil hits such as ‘Arabic Huthu’ and ‘Hey Amigo’.
“Over the years, I have been singing many Tamil tracks. I’ve always got a warm welcome here,” says the Canadian playback singer of Indian descent.
Jonita Gandhi burst into the music scene 10 years ago, when she put out an acoustic cover of the popular ‘Pani Da Rang’ track from Vicky Donor, a rendition that attracted the attention of many, including celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan. Though she subsequently bagged a few Hindi numbers, 2014’s ‘Mental Manadhil’ from O Kadhal Kanmani was her introduction to Tamil, a language she would go on to love, and Tamil cinema, an industry she would closely associate with. “That was nerve-wracking,” she admits, recalling that recording. It was not just her first song in Tamil, but also her first for AR Rahman, a composer she grew up listening to. “He made me feel comfortable. He encouraged me to sing some of the words a little stylistically, and allowed me to put a bit of my personality in the track.”
Singer Jonita Gandhi during a recent concert at Phoenix Marketcity in Chennai | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
She does that till date. In her recent performance at the audio launch of Vijay’s Varisu, Jonita shook a leg along with composer Thaman for the ‘Jimmiki Ponnu’ track. “I actually started dancing when I was four, but took to singing only when I was seven. So yes, the performer in me was always there, but it was a matter of confidence and experience to do all that on stage,” says Jonita.
While she is still not confident enough to have entire conversations in Tamil, Jonita is getting there: she wrote a couple of lines in Tamil in Hindi track ‘Current Laga Re’ (Cirkus) recently, and has also worked on ‘Hey Enna Parva’, a one-minute independent track. “I haven’t actually been great with languages, but I developed it along the way, because a lot of people had trust on me. It was more like a discovery, as I realised I have a good ear to spot the different sounds,” says Jonita, who is a constant colloborator with Anirudh in most of his albums. “His (Anirudh) music is so varied, so I know that when I go to his studio, I’m going to be doing something very different from my previous song. I did a soulful song like ‘Ore Oru’ (Kolamaavu Kokila), and then, did a fast song like like ‘Private Party’ (Don). He really understands his audiences, and that’s why he is able to create such big hits,” explains Jonita, who has also starred in a yet-to-release Tamil film titled Walking Talking Strawberry Icecream.
