“I wish to sing for A. R. Rahman sir” – Rupali Jagga

The world discovered the magnificent voice of Rupali Jagga when she participated in reality shows like ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa’ and ‘Indian Pro Music League’. The singer, who had been undergoing training in Indian classical music since the age of four, left an indelible impact with her performances in these reality shows. In the recent times, Rupali has lent her voice to some notable songs in Hindi films including ‘Jogan (‘Good Luck Jerry’) and ‘Tere Bin Jeena Kya’ (‘Operation Romeo’). ‘Chumma’, a song that she rendered for the Rajkummar Rao and Triptii Dimti starrer ‘Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video’ along with Pawan Singh, Rupesh Mishra and Mansa Jimmy, has emerged as a massive hit.

In this interview, Rupali speaks about her latest hits, underrated songs, journey in music, singing for M. M. Kreem, collaborating with Sachin – Jigar, the experience of participating in music reality shows, the joy of performing live, wish to work with A. R Rahman and more.

‘Chumma’ has emerged as your biggest hit as a playback singer. Interestingly, the track was recorded just a week before the release of the film. How was the experience of lending your voice to this song?

Things come your way when you least expect them to. Just a week before the film’s release, Jigar sir called me and said, “There is a song. If you are in town, come over.” I was in the gym at the time. I immediately left for the studio in my gym clothes. I went there and he played the song to me. I finished recording the song in twenty minutes. I had no expectations. I did not know what the fate of the song would be like. Since the film was a few days away from its release, I was not sure if they would incorporate it. One day before the release of the song, Jigar sir said that my voice has been approved. It was wonderful lending my voice to Triptii who is the national crush of the country. I am happy to see the song doing so well on streaming platforms.

Did Pawan Singh and you record the track together?

No, he had recorded the song before me. A few other female vocalists had tried out the song. When I gave it a try, they thought my voice suited it very well. I feel blessed to have been given the opportunity to sing this song.

This was your first collaboration with Sachin – Jigar.

Yes! I have been doing live shows with them for a while. However, this was the first time I collaborated with them on a film song.

‘Tere Bin Jeena Kya’ from ‘Operation Romeo’ is one of the finest melodies one has heard in the recent times. It was composed by M. M. Kreem, written by Manoj Muntashir and you co-sung it with Vishal Mishra. How did this song happen?

M. M. Kreem sir is a legend. Singing for him is a huge honour for any singer. Manoj Muntashir sir recommended me for the song and I will be forever grateful to him for that. Vishal Mishra is one of the best singers and composers we have today. Since I was working with such a wonderful team, I felt a sense of responsibility and wanted to give my best. ‘Tere Bin Jeena Kya’ will always be a special song in my discography.

One of the significant songs you have sung is the very underrated ‘Jogan’ from the Jahnvi Kapoor starrer ‘Good Luck Jerry’. The song was composed by Parag Chhabra and written by Raj Shekhar.

Parag is a very good friend. He saw some of my videos on Instagram and asked me to dub this song. It is a very different kind of song. It had an indie-folk vibe to it. I feel my voice works very well for such songs. Having said that, I would like to sing all kinds of songs and showcase my versatility as a singer.

You started learning classical music at the age of four from your guru, Nidhi Narang. Do you think your training in classical music gave you a good foundation in classical music?

I come from a generation which used to give a lot of importance to learning. I learnt Indian classical music for fourteen years from Nidhi Narang ma’am. When I was a child, I used to live in Saharanpur. I used to travel to Ambala by train to learn music. If that foundation was not there, I would have not been confident as a singer. My dad has been my biggest supporter. He has always supported me. I want to tell the younger generation they should consistently work towards honing their craft and not lose patience. A lot of youngsters today get drawn to shortcuts. They should remember that shortcuts do not help in the long run. If you want to pursue a career in music, it is very important to make efforts towards learning it properly.

You started participating in reality shows from a very young age. As a child, you participated in shows like ‘Bhajan Samrat’, ‘Chak De Bachche’ and ‘Chhote Ustaad’. In the later years, one saw you as a participant in shows like ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa’ and ‘Indian Pro Music League’. Do you think participating in these reality shows lead you to getting opportunities as an artist?

All the reality shows I participated in helped me in my growth as an artist. I got a lot of name and fame after Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. It has been eight years since I participated in the show but people still remember my performances. TV gives you face value. Back then, TV had a much higher viewership. That helped people, who participated in reality shows at that time, reach out to a wider audience.

Your YouTube channel has close to half a million subscribers. You upload cover versions of popular songs on it regularly. Do you plan to release some original songs independently in the near future?

Yes, I will be doing that soon. There is creative freedom in making independent music. You can compose and write your own songs. You can create the kind of music that comes straight from your heart. You can release and market the music with the help of a marketing company. I think playback singing is as important as making music independently. When you sing for a composer, you learn a lot. You realize how good your grasping power is. You have to be in their shoes and think how they are thinking.

Between live shows and studio recordings, what do you prefer more?

I love to be on the stage. It is very important to me. I can’t live without going on the stage for more than a month. While I don’t want to pick one over the other, I can’t deny the fact that I love the experience of being on stage.

Do you have a music director on your wishlist?

I wish to sing for A. R. Rahman sir. It has been a long-standing dream. I am manifesting it. Hopefully, I will get to sing one or two songs for him by next year. I have performed in front of him in the Indian Pro Music League. He loved my performance. I want to be a part of his music sessions and learn from him.

What are you doing next?

There is a lot in the pipeline. I recorded a couple of songs for films but unless they come out, I wouldn’t be able to talk about them. I am also working towards creating music that I will be releasing independently.