‘High notes are my favourite’ is how playback singer Sukriti Kakar captions her one of the social media pictures. Born in a musical clan, where elder sister Akriti is already an established singer, Sukriti is also finding her way to reach the top in the music world each passing day. Just before a gig at hard rock cafe in Mumbai TMM caught up exclusively with Sukriti Kakar and talked about her debut, similarities with twin sister Prakriti as well as her tricks of dealing with competition. Excerpts:
Sukriti Kakar, Do you remember your first break?
I don’t know from where to start, but yes I have had a crazy beginning and that’s the reason I still feel so grounded. I was 16, at that time it was about going to college, then going for the auditions. I used to sing for ad jingles like Parle G and Sunsilk. So, I started my career in singing with a lot of background scores, a lot of chorus and advertising jingles. My first big break which gave me recognition was ‘Paheli baar’ starring Anushka Sharma and Ranveer Singh from the film ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’. Before that, I sang for four movies.
For a singer it’s an ongoing journey, no matter how many hit songs you deliver, you are already looking forward to the next song. You take one step at a time; word of mouth also helps to make a song popular. I am singing since 2016, so you can call me four years old. There is a lot going on now and this year is going to be super fun.
Sukriti Kakar, You song ‘Mujhsay hogi shuruaat’ with Shankar Mahadevan, had a social message on dealing with corruption. What are the other social causes that are close to your heart?
Women empowerment in general, I think everyone has understood its importance. It’s good to see that everybody is opening their minds. I strongly feel that women do have a voice and I support it
wholeheartedly. I think we must work together for the cause. I also believe music is the answer to
everything, if you have a message to be conveyed, then music is the best way to project it across.
How different are you from your sister Prakriti?
Oh, we are very different(laughs)! I think when people meet us then they realise we both are so unlike
each other. We are two different individuals, even personality wise we are different, though we are
twins and were born on the same date. The way we deal with situations is totally different. Still, we are best of friends, our voices are different, styles are unique, even our height is different (laughs). People still get confused, constant identity crisis you see.
With time things have changed a lot in the music industry. How do you cope up with the competition?
The only mantra is to always keep yourself inspired. As an artist, you must keep on thinking about what I am doing next. I listen to everything that my contemporaries are doing. I am very aware and proactive in knowing in what the music industry is up to. I think grabbing inspiration and information from everyone is very important. I need to constantly be inspired, that’s my mantra. I would also say that riyaz is very important for an artist.
Your latest single with your sister Prakriti ‘Sudhar ja’ is about betrayal. Have you ever dealt with it in your personal life?
Not exactly a personal experience, but as an individual, we are always surrounded by friends. A lot of
people had similar experiences in their lives, so we just thought it would be nice to put a song together and have people to relate to it. We shot in Dubai for two days and were very fortunate enough to have the best team together and it was a super smooth experience. The location was fabulous and we had a dance team with us for the project. I and Prakriti had a ball shooting ‘Sudhar ja’.
How has elder sister Akriti Kakar’s backing helped your musical career?
Akriti is like a 24/7 support system. Obviously, she is the elder sister so while growing up I had seen her musical journey, the struggles and learning. She is always like a guardian, she tells us what to do, what not to do. She has always been there!
By: Nilesh Rao
The post A Path of Her Own – Sukriti Kakar appeared first on TMM.