I am a complete Bollywood music maniac: Sukriti

The Kakar sisters’ medleys are a hit with audiences but this is the first time that 21-year-old Sukriti is attempting Bollywood by embarking into the terrain of mainstream music with her debut song Pehli Baar from Dil Dhadakne Do.
Sukriti speaks to Bombay Times about the thrill of working with Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, the ‘undressing’ brief Zoya Akhtar gave her and how she is an absolute Bollywood music maniac.Excerpts.
How do you feel about the reception to your debut?
The day Pehli Baar released, I woke up to my microblogging site account flooded with messages. This doesn’t generally happen. The kind of love I have received for this song is overwhelming. It is making me giddy with happiness. I couldn’t have asked for a better debut. I had recorded many songs but for this one to come out first is an absolute treat. I am grateful to Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy to give me the coolest love song ever.
What do you think gives Pehli Baar its cool quotient?
I am not being biased but the song is so unusually lovable. It is offbeat, yet the typical Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy classic romantic rock number.
Tell us how you landed the song.
I got the song about a year-and-a-half back and I never got to re-record the whole thing again. I remember going to Purple Haze which is Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s studios. Ehsaan and Loy had called me for a jingle recording. I just wanted to go there and give my best shot because I look up to them and their music. The recording went pretty well and at the end of it, Shankar Sir came and asked me if I could record this one song. We recorded it the next day and back then, it was just a scratch. I had no idea it was for Dil Dhadakne Do. When I saw the lyrics sheet, I realised it’s for Anushka Sharma and Ranveer Singh. The song was in my space, the kind of singing I have been influenced by all along — pop-rock and classic rock. After a year, I got to know that the song has made it to the final check and that’s it, it became my debut song.
Was the wait frustrating?
In the last one year, my sister has had two songs. When I sung this song, I was 19. But this industry is so uncertain. When you record you don’t know when it’s going to come out. I had my fair share of thoughts but it was all worth it.
How was it recording with Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy in your very first song?
I was trembling when I went there. When it is someone like Shankar Sir coaching you, it is a dream. I was intimidated thinking about how it would turn out. But the atmosphere they create is fun. They give you freedom to experiment. It is the best bet for a musician to be allowed to be as creative as possible.
What was the brief they gave you?
My brief was to be flirty and teasing. This was a song where actors and artistes were simply expected to have fun. It was all natural with negligible lip-sync. Zoya (Akhtar) was in the studio during recording and she gave a few rushes. She explained how Ranveer will be in the navy uniform and there will be a lot of undressing happening.
Your contemporary punk voice quite suits Anushka’s vivacious personality. Do you agree?
Somewhere it is our grunginess rolled in together. My voice was really liked in this register because it is low. Once you hear the song a few times, it grows on you. I am happy I could sing for her. She gave me this giant hug when I told her how much I adore her.
You seem more into Western music. Do you prefer it over Bollywood music?
I am a complete Bollywood music maniac. I am well-versed with Bollywood songs. I am a 90s kid but I still prefer listening to Kishore Kumar and RD Burman. Their songs are never going to age. My parents have brought us up on the pedigree of Lataji and Ashaji. Whenever we sisters are jamming, we always begin with one old song.
Are you more inclined towards rock and pop?
I want to be a versatile singer. I am waiting to discover my fortes and flaws. Normally, the first song defines you but I am open to singing everything else.
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WATCH: Dil Dhadakne Do Official Trailer