Ipsitaa: I’d love to play around with my western training and influences in a traditionally Indian space

Yo Yo Honey Singh is on cloud nine today. After launching Hommie Dilliwala with a special number in Sanjay Gupta's upcoming film, Mumbai Saga, the Punjabi popstar and singer has put the spotlight on singer Ipsitaa, a newcomer who is a trained vocalist with an extremely strong academic background. He launched her first official single, First Kiss today, that literally talks about a girl's experience of kissing someone for the first time. Here's what Ipsitaa had to say about her official launch, her love for music and more. Excerpts:
It's a big day for you. Your single First Kiss is out. What are your thoughts right now?
I couldn’t be more excited! A lot of people have worked very hard on this song. This music video is a product of the diligence of the choreography, costume, direction, production and post-production teams alike. I hope that this song lives up to people’s expectations and gives them a reason to smile and dance and enjoy the holiday season especially in the current scenario that has posed an unprecedented amount of stress and anxiety in all our lives. I feel lucky, I feel grateful, I feel hopeful.
Education has played a huge part in your life. You've pursued some really complex subjects, which is applause-worthy. As a certified public figure now, how you plan to put all that knowledge to use?
Unfortunately, we are always told to choose and stick to one interest only. I have always found that belief limiting. I instead like to believe that we are all limitless, with an infinite potential to do good in many ways. I majored in two disciplines, economics and psychology, and I am specialising in behavioural science. So essentially, I study human behaviour 24x7 and I don’t think that that’s ever irrelevant. Applications of behavioural science bleed into all spheres of human life. My seemingly disparate interests actually merge seamlessly and the more I look, the more common threads I identify. I’m excited to blend the academic and creative worlds together in my own unique way.
As someone who has travelled a lot throughout her life, how much do you think it has impacted your knowledge and understanding of life and how much of it have you put into the music that you create?
I have lived in over 10 cities so far and I’ve been blessed to have the opportunity to travel so much. I’ve met and known and befriended people from all walks of life and in a way, it feels like I’ve lived much longer than I have -- perhaps that’s why I always feel like I’m older than I am! Moving around at a young age teaches you to develop the strength to constantly reinvent and adapt. With every new move, you redefine who you are, learn what you identify with the most, and understand who you want to become. As you make and lose friends, you learn the importance of maintaining meaningful relationships. I think that all the moving around really made me a resilient person and taught me to communicate my emotions and feelings in a better way. I remember I started writing poems at 11, when switching schools, and how therapeutic I had found the process to be. Many years later, I still take to writing as a
means to understand and interpret my emotions and to heal. I hope to translate some of my experiences into songs that help others heal as well.
Yo Yo Honey Singh equates launching you to introducing a Formula One driver to the normal roads. When he discovered you, he also knew that you had a couple of things pipelined, that you have trained for Opera and classical vocals. How do you find singing for the mainstream?
Although I had some training in Indian classical music while growing up, I wish to learn a lot more! I find it interesting how there are many evolving trends in the music industry in India and I’d love to play around with my western training/influence in a traditionally Indian space.
An as independent music artiste, what sort of things do you like to create, listen to, and sing?
I listen to a wide variety of genres and songs but I’m currently listening to a lot of R&B and Christmas music. I like to sing Broadway, western classical, and pop songs and I’m currently experimenting with creating jazz-inspired songs.
Who is or are your favourite artistes?
I have many! I admire Sara Bareilles for her songwriting talent-- She Used to Be Mine and Gravity are two of my all time favourite tracks. I also love Michael Buble, especially in the Christmas season; I’ve always looked up to him for his ability to emote beautifully. Some women in music I adore are Beyonce for her work ethic and dedication to the craft, Celine Dione and Adele for their vocal power, and H.E.R for her songwriting prowess.