In Conversation with Shweta Subram as Editor-in-Chief of D Fashion Magazine.

Shweta Subram : Singer, Songwriter & Performer par excellence!

Shweta Subram is an Award-winning and highly accomplished Indo-canadian vocalist. She is a highly talented Bollywood and Kollywood playback singer. Born in Dubai, and raised in Canada, Shweta is a high energy performer. She is the voice behind the trending song Jalebi Baby. She is a very versatile Music Artist based out of Dubai.

Shweta made her Bollywood debut with Ayushmann Khurrana starrer Hawaizaada. Her song, Dil-E-Nadaan from the movie was widely appreciated. She has performed alongside music maestros Salim-Sulaiman at the IIFA Awards in Toronto. Shweta has also shared the stage with the Indian PM Narendra Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper while singing the National Anthem of India. She became the youngest Indian to perform at the esteemed Carnegie Hall with The Piano Guys. She has done many cover versions of Bollywood songs and original compositions as well, and is a proud recipient of multiple awards. She has done over 200 concerts all over the world. Her YouTube videos have received almost 20 million views. With stunning looks and an impactful voice set to take over the globe, Shweta Subram continues to win hearts by her exceptional talent and melodious voice.

Sonal Chhibber, an Award-Winning Writer from D Fashion Magazine had a chance to catch up with the talented Singer, as she spoke about her musical journey so far and her future plans; wherein they had a candid question-answer session. So here are some rapid fire questions and answers for the viewers world-wide to read and enjoy!

D Fashion : Shweta, you are a famous Indo-Canadian Singer, Songwriter & Performer. Tell us more about yourself & your background.

Shweta : I was born and grew up in Dubai up until my primitive teenage years. My parents are of South Indian origin. My dad from Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu and my mom from Mangalore, Karnataka. I never imagined becoming a singer growing up. Being an only child, my parents were very determined to make me an all-rounder. So they got me involved in multiple activities like learning carnatic music, bharatnatyam dancing, drawing and Bal-vihar (spiritual classes). My mom specially was keen that I learn singing, but only as a hobby. I would despise going to classes as kid as it took away from my playing time. After we moved to Canada, I participated in a North American wide singing competition organized by Sangam Kala Group and won it. That changed it all and as they say..the rest is history!

D Fashion: When did your love for music arise? How you decided to choose this as your professional career?

Shweta : I used to always enjoy music. I remember as a child at home, my parents would play all kinds of music (Bhajans, Carnatic, Bollywood – a huge spectrum). I always took singing as a hobby and used to sing for cultural events and school programs. It’s when I started winning awards at the national level, I realized that I can make a career out of this. A couple of turning moments in my life were when I won the North American singing talent hunt by Sangam Kala Group, when I was invited by Salim-Sulaiman to perform with them at IIFA Awards in Toronto and when I made my Bollywood playbk debut with Ayushman Khurranna for the movie ‘Hawaizaada’ with the song ‘Dil-E-Nadaan’.

D Fashion : You have performed at the IIFAs with Salim-Sulaiman. What was the experience like?

Shweta : Amazing! Unbelievable Salim-Sulaiman’s management had reached out to me a week prior to IIFA and wanted me to be part of the music release of Salim-Sulaiman’s then upcoming movie ‘Azaan’ with the song Khuda Ke Liye. The launch was happening on the IIFA stage and they wanted me to sing the song Khuda Ke Liye. It was such an ecstatic moment to be performing on that huge platform and have Shah Rukh Khan, Karan Johar, Hema Malini in the audience. I was on cloud 9!

D Fashion : You have such a unique voice which breathes fresh life & melody into your songs. So, who inspires you?

Shweta : I believe I have gained inspiration over the years from my gurus and many different legendary artists such as Asha Bhosle, Lata Mangeshkar, and Sonu Nigam. I am in awe of the level of discipline and commitment they put towards their art. These artists have set an incredibly high standard of excellence and I strive to better my singing and style every day. I am blessed to have been gifted with a unique tonal quality. Thanks to the divine!

D Fashion : How would you define good music?

Shweta : Anything that has an emotional connect with the audience to me is defined as good music. It has to touch the soul and also a track that I feel like re-visiting over and over again. Good music also teaches me lot. As a student of music, I believe that closely listening to Mozart, A.R.Rahman and other brilliant composers can teach one a lot (chord structure, melody and how to make complex music sound simple! )

D Fashion : Jalebi baby is a song loved by pretty much everyone. Please share some special memories of singing such a catchy song?

Shweta : In Sept 2020, my friend Maithali Sagar mentioned Tesherr to me. I reached out to him as I had enjoyed his production. Tesherr was working on his original ‘Jalebi Baby’ and was looking for a female voice to sing the hook of the song. My voice matched the genre and requirements and although I was in Dubai, I managed to record my vocals immediately and send them to him. Thank you, technology! A month following that, Jalebi Baby was released during Diwali with raving reviews from the audience. Numerous dance covers and insta reels have been made on this song and the views continue to grow. Happy to be the female vocalist of the viral ‘Jalebi Baby’.

D Fashion : You’ve sung female vocals for many duets on stage and in songs. So, what do you find the most challenging about singing iconic songs in your own style?

Shweta : Sometimes I find it a little challenging to match up to the scales of the original songs. Everybody is born with a certain vocal range. There is nothing to be ashamed about. We all have our own styles. But the audiences have been listening to the songs for years and have those songs engrained in their minds. So it's up to me on how to appease to my listeners while I am singing a well-known song in my scale and style. And luckily, I see the audiences opening up to experimentation with iconic songs.

D Fashion : What are the changes that you have seen in the music industry over the years and especially at a platform like YouTube?

Shweta : The growing Social media culture has made the gap between aspiring artists and music industry lesse. There are so many platforms and apps apart from YouTube and these platforms are constantly evolving. Artists need to learn how to use them to their advantage. The only downside is that audiences are now inundated by content so staying active and appealing to audiences has become tougher. Positives are that lot of cross-collaborations are possible and more amazing music is being made by day with the range of talent coming together.

D Fashion : What are your future goals and upcoming projects which our viewers can look forward to?

Shweta : My future goals are to create and compose more amazing music! I would love to collaborate with musicians and fellow singers globally. Also, hoping to do more playback in different languages in the near-future (after having done playback in Tamil and Hindi).

I am working on a cover with playback singer, Abhay Jodhpurkar (Do Dil Mil Rahe Hain) and also a Tamil single, my own song, Rasigha.

D Fashion : Any words of wisdom for the aspiring singers & your fans who idolize you and want to foray into Singing? Shweta : There’s plethora of content and singers out there! The biggest challenge one can face is to stand out! My words of wisdom for aspiring singers would be is to stand out..be original! Use your unique personality to create your own style. Diversify your style by listening to different genres of music. One can learn a lot from listening. In fact, this was the best advice I got from Sonu Nigam. It has helped me grow significantly.

By SONAL CHHIBBER

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sonal Chhibber is an Indian-born and Dubai-based Author, an award winning Writer, Digital Content Creator, Model, Lifestyle Blogger, Fashionista and a sassy Social Media Influencer.