Rustic charm
Hers has been the young rustic voice that has for a few years stood out in a sea of young talent, all of whom sound quite the same. You know a Sona Mohapatra song within two seconds of her singing. With a voice that distinct comes the risk of being typecast, but in 2012, after years of riyaaz and collaborations, Sona got the ultimate validation of success — a song that went viral (a benchmark created over the past two years).
“Mujhe Kya Bechega Rupaiya reached out to millions and went viral on the Internet without any fancy video or carpet bomb promotions. I had known all along that it would. It had to, given its honesty, and I feel that I had been born to sing this song. I’ve got mails from people across the globe about how the song gives them the strength and energy to make a change, from women and surprisingly, also from men. It reaffirms my faith in the strength of music to reach out, tell a story and even influence change,” she says with the degree of confidence that her voice has every so often reflected.
Mujhe Kya Bechega… was iconic also because it reached out to a wide audience through the ground-breaking television show Satyamev Jayate and Sona’s association was beyond being an artist. “I was the executive producer handling the musical project. It was more than a full time occupation which totally took over my life at that stage. Multiple lyricists, unusual contexts for song writing, brainstorming sessions with Ram Sampath the composer and music producer, and the super committed, ‘into every little detail’ Aamir Khan at the helm.”
Ram and Sona are partners in their music production house, Omgrown Music. And being married to him has also been a hugely rewarding experience, both professionally and personally. “I hugely respect Ram for his commitment to his craft and the fact that he is truly a sophisticated and conceptual creative mind who has interests beyond just being a musician. There are highs and lows of course; being 24x7 with any one person and in a very high-pressure work environment comes with frayed nerves et al, especially when we tie-up for a project and are about to finish one. Having said that, I must add that we both also have our own independent lives and interests. I travel a lot, alone and also with my band while Ram is more of a homebody and that helps in creating a balance of sorts,” she says.
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