MUMBAI: Disciple of Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan, Neha Bhasin is an Indian pop star who was a part of India’s first ever girls’ band Viva. Born on 18 November 1982, the Delhi born Neha won her first singing competition singing Mariah Carey's  ‘Hero’ when she was just nine. She has sung for ‘Gunday’, ‘Pyaar Impossible’, ‘Force’, ‘Mere Brother Ki Dulhan’, apart from lending her voice to a number of Telugu, Marathi, Tamil and Punjabi tracks. Radioandmusic.com got a chance to have a quick interaction with this pop star recently.

Tell us something about your singing style.                                   

I can adapt to very diverse singing styles but a very distinctive voice. People say it's my texture that is unique. Sandeep Chowta was the first one to say during my pop star auditions that I have a husky voice. I started out singing only pop/rock but today I can sing anything I put my mind to.

Did you ever plan to be a pop star?

Yes, I wanted to be a pop star from age of nine. It's all I dreamt of. Michael Jackson and many artistes of the 90s were a constant source of inspiration for what would become my reality in 2002 when I became a part of Viva and got the opportunity to live my dream. I didn’t have a plan though. I just knew it was going to happen for me. All the while, I toiled over my vocals and dancing skills.

You have put out your seventh folk single called ‘Nai Jaana’. Is there anything new coming up?

'Nai Jaana' is a beautiful old folk Punjabi melody and I have grown up listening to my mother and elders sing it at family weddings. This is a folk appreciation project and the point is to reinvent the legacy and bring the purity of the music to the younger crowd with a modern twist. The videos are always metaphoric and very glamorous because that’s me. Yes, there will be many more.

Are you working on any commercial projects that you can talk about?

'Sultan' will have a beautiful song by me. I have sung for 'Aankhein 2' as well. There are a few other films in which you will hear my voice this year. I am working on some original singles too.

How do you feel about the changes in the Bollywood music scene?

Everybody in this industry has their own crowd they like to promote and work with. Besides talent, today it’s important to be a self-sufficient unit too. It’s not a place for lazy people. No one will make your career for you any more. You have got to do it yourself. So it’s a good time and a strange time.

What advice would you like to give young musicians who are in the same business?

I am not great at lectures but I followed my heart always and will do. So that is my only advice. It's very easy to get lost in the crowd. Work on your art and let no one deny you that.

You have been in this industry for more than a decade now. How would you describe the journey?

My journey has been a mad tour of Disneyland. Many rides, many colours and I can’t wait to see what life has in store for me. I am ready for it all. I still feel like a new artiste.