When I’m on stage, nothing else matters; it’s me and the music: Shruti Pathak

Shruti Pathak made her entry into Bollywood back in 2008 with the hit song Mar Jawaan in Fashion. Since then, her journey has been an uphill ride, with recognition and accolades coming her way from all corners of the world. “When I’m on stage, it’s like nothing else exists, it’s just me and the music,” the singer known for her husky voice says. In an exclusive chat with us, she speaks about her first ever performance, the fame that followed and more.

‘Nothing else really matters when I am on the stage’ I think once you’re on stage, the world shuts off. It’s the same when I’m in a recording studio singing. I remember I’ve performed at a concert with a broken leg. When I am on stage nothing else matters. Because it’s just you and your music and your audience, and you go all out.
‘My dad was my biggest cheerleader’I knew in grade three that I wanted to be a singer, and my biggest supporter in my journey was my dad. He used to make me listen to different genres of music and was my greatest cheerleader. My dad passed away ten days before the release of my first song. I disappeared from the industry for about two months after that, and when I came back, I learned that the song was a huge hit. I feel it was my dad’s blessing that he gave me through music.

‘We used to create experiences, now it’s all about creating content’ When we started out, there was no social media, but now, it is all about portraying an image through social media. Fans who are following you want to see more of you and what you do in your daily life. There is a massive pressure of being accessible 24/7, which wasn’t there earlier. We were not creating content, we were creating music, we were creating experiences through live music. Now, it’s more about the social content.
‘Anyone sitting at home can post a nasty comment online’ Unfettered access on social media allows anybody sitting in the comfort of their homes to pass any comment, which is nasty. Yes, social media is important, and this is how the world is functioning now, but I think it’s kind of taking away from the genuineness of how we are as artists and human beings. So, I try to keep myself grounded and as far away as possible from getting sucked into this.
‘Misusing technology to make money should be banned’If used in the correct manner, artificial intelligence can really be helpful and beneficial in many ways. We can and we must make better use of the technology that we, ourselves, have created. However, unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case lately. It’s been abused by people who don’t even need to pay for it; you can just go to a site and create anything that you want.