She's changing.. and how! Sunidhi Chauhan, has of late, undergone something of a reinvention. She looks rejuvenated and her recent Bollywood tracks have more force, more sass, spunk and fire than she ever has had. Same goes for her more softer romantic or traditional tracks. For someone who's been 19-odd years in the business, she's still young at heart, but is eager to share the experience she's gleaned over the years. As she readies to coach her choices on India's The Voice on &TV. You can catch her in action starting June 6, Saturdays and Sundays at 9 pm.
Excerpts...
The show is big on blind auditions. What will make you turn your chair?
That is definitely going to be the feel in the voice, the honesty, the purity of the voice which is not affected by external factors. If we listen to a few musicians we follow, we sometimes begin to sound like them, that's natural, it happens. But there are very few who still come out as themselves - they sing others' songs but like themselves. That's gonna attract me more.
What are you looking for?
I don't know what kind of voice I'm looking for, but definitely something which touches your heart immediately. Ultimately, it is the voice and the way he or she sings, you know? It should connect with people immediately. SInging and polishing will keep happening during the show. But it should be t voice where something happens to you.
You've also been a participant on a competition before. How will you help them grow, now that you're a judge?
my plan is to give a lot of love and spread all the experience I've had in the past 19 years of my career. Whatever I know, whatever I've done, I want to share. Music is all about spreading. Ultimately, we should let music happen on its own and not make too much effort for it. I think that's what real artists and musicians are about. We don't compete with each other. We don't have that feeling, then you make better music. They should be able to rise and shine, whether they win the competition or not because they will have several opportunities to shine in life anyway, so I'm going to prepare them for that.
Will there be original music or singles coming out of the show, like it happens in international versions?
I don't think that's there in the Indian format, but I will be doing that off the show anyway with them.
What is your equation with the other coaches?
Shaan and Mika have a love-hate relationship. Mika and I have a love-hate relationship. Himesh, though, will come across at his most vulnerable though.
Do they bully you or is it the other way around?
No one dares bully me!
What if you select one contestant, but the contestant chooses another judge. How would you react?
If more than one of us (Coaches) hit the button and turns the chair, then it is the singer's choice to choose the coach that he/she likes. So, in that case if the singer goes to the other coach, I will definitely feel bad since I would like to have the best singers in my team.
What can the selected contestants expect when they choose to be on your team?
I think they expect almost everything from me whether it is singing, performance, style or vibe. And I am sure they know that I have a little bit of everything that they are wanting to imbibe in them.
Will we see your husband Hitesh Sonik as a guest mentor on the show?
As of now, I don't know but may be when I am preparing for the Battle round. I will ask if he is free to help me
