Most of us know her as the gorgeous lady who sang ‘Pareshaan’, but when ETimes reached out to her, we knew she’s much more than being gifted with a mesmerising voice. Shalmali, the Indian playback singer who made a rave mark with her debut with ‘Pareshaan’ has indeed come a long way. She has a story to tell, a journey to be known, and dreams that inspire every artist all over the world.

With her first album coming up, Shalmali engaged with us for an endearing conversation, where she opened up about her challenges, dealing with her mental health, social media negativity, and how she plans on to support independent artists and multilingual music in the country.

We don’t really hear much of you in Bollywood now…

It’s not up to me; it’s all in the hands of the music director, or the producers of a certain film. I am not very inclined myself to sing in films, as much as I am to build my independent career. I’d rather prefer to sing and act for my independent music. So you will actually know whether you really like me, or just that voice over another person’s composition. I really think that in India, Bollywood is just so well marketed. There’s so much money being pumped to ensure that the music from a film reaches every nook and corner of the country and the world actually, that there is no escaping it. I am working on my album right now, which is basically pages out of my life. The songs are from the different phases of my life that have affected me and driven me to write lyrics and melodies, and to meet musicians, get it into a room and make music.

What are the challenges you are currently facing?

I think the biggest challenge is living up to your own benchmark. I’ve set a certain benchmark of what I sound like, and the magic that I can bring to a song. It’s a challenge that keeps lurking around at the back of my mind making me deliver my best so as to meet that benchmark. I am also at a place where I have to go with the flow, which makes me restless and anxious. It’s all new because I haven’t put out an album before. There are a lot of deliverables for it that I have taken it upon myself to get stressed about. Being in the entertainment industry, there definitely has to be a system for you to deal with it.

Share some fond memories from your time in the industry…

My fondest memory was of not knowing what I was stepping into when I went to record ‘Pareshaan’, the first song I ever sang for a film. To be in the same room with Amit Trivedi for my recording is something I really cherish. Other than that, discovering this whole new world of playback singing was amazing for me. And I think it’s commendable even of even Yashraj Films to take that risk going with someone new to sing for a big film. Kausar Munir (the lyricist) and Habib Faisal ji (director) were extremely kind and supportive of me.

Were you ever replaced?

All the time. I call it ‘auditing voices’ now. And I think it’s a very big learning for any artist to be able to sing anything that is pitched to them, if they want to sing it. There have been plenty of songs that I’ve sampled for plenty of composers where my voice has been replaced. I believe what the composer has in mind for the song is above all else, and above our egos. There have been plenty of songs I’ve sampled for composers only to have my voice replaced later.

How do you deal with the competition?

It’s true that there was a lot of competition when I started out but I never felt the pressure of being in this ‘competition’. Maybe, I don’t want to call it a competition and instead call it the availability of talent. It’s so amazing to know that today anyone can access that talent, whether it is a voice that hasn’t been heard in a film song, or a voice that is completely fresh. I have my own sound and I have faith in what I can bring to a song. Although I am not doing as much Bollywood playback singing now, I don’t see it as a setback. People immediately recognise my voice, which also helps me focus on my songwriting and compositions.

How do you manage your mental health?

I don’t know how to comment on this right now because lately, I have been feeling something that I had never felt before. I just can’t relax in my head and I couldn’t share this with everyone. It is difficult. I’m experiencing anxiety, pressure, and restlessness at this point. I do work out a lot and go for runs, gymming, and weight training, but it’s not enough. Being motivated, feeling good, and creative, is also not enough. Meditation is something I would intend to do soon because no matter how much you exercise, meditation can help calm nerves, and deal with the pressures of this industry.

I’m sure a lot of people are very, very overwhelmed in their own lives. And it is important to just check in on yourself to see if everything is fine and take stock of things. Sometimes we can deal with it ourselves by checking in with our dear ones or checking in with ourselves. But sometimes you need professional help, and that’s completely okay too.

How do you deal with trolls and negativity on social media?

Rude comments do hurt you, even when they come from a random stranger. I’ve been trying to scream this from mountain tops since so long that just let people be. There are a lot of things out there that I don’t like and it doesn’t matter if I raise my voice.I feel like a lot of things on social media are like that, where you can just keep quiet about it. On some days, when I can’t muster the courage to overlook hate comments, I delete them because I don’t want to ever see them again. You can’t expect the world to be ideal and centered around everyone unanimously and be sensitive, caring, and compassionate.

If it wasn’t for music, what would have been doing right now?

I am really passionate about acting and dancing, so, I would have been dancing a lot in my life.

One thing that you want to change in the music industry…

I generally feel that if we have more support and encouragement for independent music, even by the big composers, it will help independent artists get the stamp of big composers. To bring indie music at par with film music, if not more, will really be a beautiful change to be brought about in the music industry.’

One mantra that keeps you going…

Change is the only constant. Sometimes it does pull me back in that that I feel I don’t need to get so excited or rejoice because it can also change. I think I live by that.

What is your focus as an artist in 2021 and how you want to promote independent artists and multilingual music in India?

I’m actually looking to really work on my songwriting, to help complete other people’s songs, write a song myself to not sing it myself, but give it to another band or an artist to sing. And that is one of the many things that I’m doing this year. I’ve also collaborated with new artists and featured them on an episode on my social media. That’s been satisfying for me to know that I contributed in some way to their lives.

One message for aspiring singers…

Open your mind to everything else that your voice can do to help you build a sound that’s unique to you. So, alongside doing what you do best, keep trying to experiment with how your voice sounds and what your voice can do. And learn one instrument apart than singing–pick up a guitar, harmonium, keyboard, or flute–because it helps you think better and look at a voice better, because then you’re looking at a voice not from the song’s perspective, but as an instrumentalist, and that is a very, very interesting perspective to have on singing.