’90s pop sensation Shweta Shetty is back and how! The diva has now come up with the disco version of the hit song ‘Jalne Mein Hai Mazaa’ and has been receiving rave reviews for the same. In an exclusive interview with ETimes, the singer opens up about all the love she has been receiving from the audience, her unique look in the video, being a style icon and more. Excerpts…

How does it feel to be still connected to your fans after so many years?
I am so elated for all the love and the support from not only people from the entertainment industry but also from fans and well-wishers. It has just been a really exhilarating experience. I am still reeling. I was having sleepless nights before this but now all my tension has been vented out. I must have driven my producer insane; he himself was on tenterhooks as to how this would be accepted. We are very relieved and happy that the song has been accepted. We are always going to have people who would say, ‘Arrey yaar bahut bold hai’ but I have never really been bothered about what such people have to say. Even ‘Deewane Toh Deewane Hai’, in the beginning was banned by so many channels. According to them, it was wild for a woman to go in the room with three men. But there has really been a lot more positive feedback than the negative ones. I am really thrilled.

What made you come up with the disco version of your popular ’90s hit ‘Jalne Mein Hai Mazaa’?
‘Jalne Mein Hai Mazaa’ has always been very close to my heart. I wanted to do a video on the song back in 1984 but we released ‘Bekaraar’ which was way ahead of its time at that point. When I make up my mind about something, I always fulfill it even if sometimes it takes 26 years to realise that dream. I love ‘Jalne Mein Hai Mazaa’ and a lot of people do. Addy S and I were clear from the beginning that as our entire country has gone through a lot in the past year, and we wanted to bring back the happy vibes of the ’90s. I wanted to do disco and get that era back again. I think it was a time when artists flourished; we had our rightful place under the sun. I just wanted people to dance and forget the past. I am happy that we were able to bring a little bit of happiness into people’s lives.

Your looks have been one of the most unique and eye-catching factors of your music videos. What goes into creating them?
I think it comes naturally to me. I have also been very lucky to have worked with people like Ken Ghosh. I have done most of my videos with him and I love him to bits. Ken is somebody who has absolutely no ego. When we sit together and discuss the looks, I tell him I want to wear a suit or want to do this with my hair or that, and he always has the patience to listen to me and do things that make me happy. According to him, you have to be comfortable as an artist.

Even for this song, I had a particular look in mind. Obviously, it was a disco song so the look was going to be a little over-the-top. I didn’t want the usual bell bottoms and bobby tops; that’s very predictable. I wanted to mix that with the ’20s that we are living in. India has become open to many things. I do yoga so I wear tights and shorts, so, it is not nudity. I don’t feel shy about my body; nobody should. I felt very comfortable in what I was wearing.

I have got so many compliments for my look in the song. Earlier, when people asked me what my look is going to be like, I told them I am thinking of wearing hot pants. They all had their eyes wide open in shock. They told me not to do that. I told them that times have changed. We don’t live in an era where you are not allowed to air on a TV channel because of what you are wearing. I have seen those instances where we were uninvited because of what we were wearing. According to them, we would have been bad influencers for children. For the song, I wanted this look and I got it. I am happy with the response I have got so far.

Apart from being a pop sensation, you have also been a style icon. Who inspires you?
I have always shied away from all these titles that are given to us very sweetly. I am very humbled by that. I have always called myself an artist first. For me, the most important thing is to connect with the audience, the love for my job, the talent that God has given me. I think style is something that you develop over the years. It is being comfortable with what you are wearing. I feel good about what I wear is because I am very serious about my fitness, not just the physical but the mental part too. That is what yoga is all about. Things just come very naturally to me. It is a comfort zone that you reach with time, through the years. Sometimes you end up making blunders and become the worst dressed celebrity of the year.