MUMBAI: The independent music community may not be as big as Bollywood, but it’s definitely growing and the latest addition to it is singer Ambili Menon. The singer is signed under Qyuki – a digital content company. The Qyuki team fell in love with Ambili’s voice soon after they came across her first cover song ‘Ya Ali’ from the movie ‘Gangster’.

The perfection in her voice is a result of many years of musical training. She began singing at 13. “We all get callings from somewhere, for me it was music. Initially, my parents did not take me so seriously but then I kept insisting on being a professional singer and that is when I started learning music,” said Ambili.

The singer's inspiration was none other than international singer Britney Spears. “I saw Britney spears first song ‘Baby One More Time’ that released when I was 13. Seeing a female artiste performing on stage with an energetic attitude inspired me. She gave me that first spark and I was like ‘oh my god’ I just decided to be like her.”

There was a time when Ambili wanted to given up on education for her passion, but her parents insisted and she completed her education. “I was a stubborn kid who wished to run away to be a singer, but my parents asserted me to complete my education. I am glad my parents told me this because now, whatever I am, all the confidence in me is all because of my education.”

A pop-music lover will, of course, love fast beat songs. She loves music like Hip-Hop, Rap, EDM, music that she can tap her feet on. But the only genre of music she dislikes is ‘metal’. Ambili finds it hard to listen to metal songs, as the vocalist sound different from the usual; she terms it ‘weird’. “They growl from their gut which I find very annoying,” stated the singer.

Singers these days are no more bound to singing. They have been exploring different aspects of song making and so, does Ambili. The singer loves the process of songwriting because it takes one into deeply condensed place and finds it meditative. International singer-songwriter Mariah Carey inspired her when it comes to lyrics writing.

Apart from singing and AR Rahman – who happens to be her favourite singer, music composer -- Ambili loves travelling and wishes to start her own travel blog someday. Being a Journalism student, she has always had a flare for writing. She finds the job of a travel blogger interesting, as one can travel to different places for work.