27 November,2009 10:47 AM IST | | Urmimala Banerjee
She's barely 25 but she already has three National Awards in her kitty, the most recent being for her solo 'Yeh Ishq Hai' from Jab We Met. She's also one of the most successful singers to come out of a television talent hunt. Shreya Ghoshal get her talking about her romantic voice:
Awards galore
Well, I never pursued singing to bag awards or receive commercial applause. I love singing before a live audience and that's what makes me feel complete. The applause from a direct audience makes me feel like a queen. However, awards do give you a sense of achievement and motivate you to grow more as an artist.
A romantic voice
Hahaha... I can't understand why people constantly speak about the romantic quality in my voice. I have never made a conscious effort to sing with an extra romantic effect. But, I do enjoy love songs, as I am a romantic person. As far as Bollywood music is concerned, I love the romanticism in Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhonsale's voice. They are my inspirations. As a singer, I don't select my songs and I have been lucky to have some superb romantic numbers under my belt.u00a0
Artists I love
I listen to a lot of international music right from rock, pop, jazz to country. Abba, Carpenters, John Denver and Bob Dylan are some of my favourites. Among the recent numbers, I like songs of Dido, Coldplay and Rihanna. Amongst Indian composers I love Shankar Mahadevan and AR Rahman, simply for their mind-blowing range of compositions. My dream is to sit in a studio with Celine Dion just to watch her record. She's my idol.u00a0
Apart from music
I am a big movie buff and watch a lot of Hollywood and Bollywood movies. Reading is one of my favourite pastimes. I enjoy reading novels of English and American authors. I want to go on a nice trekking holiday but that never materialises. Besides, I like to cook for family and friends.u00a0
