For singer Akasa Singh, the studio is her “happy place”, that brings her a moment of calm amid the constant bustle of projects — which has her collaborating with everyone from Sachin-Jigar to Puerto Rican heartthrob, Ricky Martin.
With 70,000 Instagram followers and a big-ticket contract with Sony Music India, it’s easy to forget that her story started not too long ago, with a YouTube cover that landed her on India’s Raw Star . “Both Raw Star and MTV’s Angels of Rock let me be myself on national television. It allowed me to connect with fans, especially young girls, and put me on the industry’s radar,” Singh says.
Staying true
The show had her diving into the deep end, taking the stage with Bollywood singer Mika at just 18 years old. She calls the four years she spent with the singer’s band her “training ground,” second only to the riyaz that her father, a singer himself, insisted on during her growing years.
“I grew up appreciating music and while I’d really like to sing for myself in the independent circle, Bollywood has always been part of my ideal journey,” she says. Singh didn’t have to wait long, landing the blockbuster, Kheech Meri Photo from 2016’s Sanam Teri Kasam, and a slew of independent projects with some of playback’s biggest names.
Her latest party anthem, Pop the Bottle , has her rocking to the beat with singer-composer duo Vishal-Shekhar and rapper Badshah, and amassing almost 25 lakh views in just two months. With zero auto-tune, she represents the rare group of vocalists who can still blow the audience away with a live performance. “I’ve always stood by the thought that the true test of a singer’s potential is how they perform live on stage. An honest artist should be able to sing equally well on stage as he or she does in the studio,” says the 25-year-old. In fact, it is this integrity to her art that has her constantly travelling with a live band.
Latin advantage
With a vocal range that has reminded fans of Sunidhi Chauhan’s early days, Singh’s distinct timbre got her an opportunity that’s quite groundbreaking — to become the first Indian singer to collaborate with popular pop icon Ricky Martin on his track, Vente Pa Ca .
Only a few months old, the track has topped Saavn, the digital music distributor, leaving Singh reeling. “I’ve sung the Hindi bits in the track and it’s been amazing to incorporate a part of my culture into such a big project,” she recounts, adding it’s a dream venture that still has her pinching herself and is “an amazing start to a wonderful career”.
Singh returns to home ground with her newest single, a peppy mashup of Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You and rapper Badshah’s Mercy . “The single fuses English and rap with genres that represent my Punjabi roots. It’s slightly different than what I’ve done before; I’m acting in this one as well as singing,” she explains. With a special appearance by her pet terrier, Treble, the cover gives fans a glimpse into Akasa Singh, the girl-next-door.
She calls YouTube her “creative playground,” a space that allows her to experiment with a plethora of new ideas and thoughts. “I’m so excited to be able to portray my style as an independent artist. This cover is my way of saying thank you — to my fans, and to myself.”
