How did Dance Ke Legend happen?
I met Meet Brothers through a friend at their studio. When I met them, it didn't feel like we were meeting for the first time. They are very humble and down to earth people. I found them to be quite the friendly sort. I was asked to try out a couple of their compositions. A few weeks later, I was called to their studio to sing Dance Ke Legend for the remake of Hero. It's a duet with the composers themselves so I was on familiar territory. I had a fun time singing the song with Harmeet and Manmeet. The song goes well with the film and the choreography too.

What is your equation with Meet Brothers?
It's been a year since I have known the two prolific singers and composers. I was glad to work with them and would love to do more work with the duo. Their humility is what I like the most about both of them. I am so glad they chose me to sing this song. I performed for the first time at Hard Rock Café with Meet Brothers and it was an experience to remember.

How has your journey in Bollywood been so far?
I am glad to be a part of the film fraternity in its 100th year by singing Ram Chahe Leela (Ram Leela) for which I will always be grateful to Sanjay Leela Bhansali. I am trying to sing several genres. Songs like Dance Ke Legend, the title track of Carry On Maratha and Gaddar (Punjabi song) with Harbhajan Mann. There are many regional as well as Bollywood songs in the pipeline. I would definitely want to work more in Bollywood music. I want to sing and explore all kinds of numbers, meet different people and learn from them.

Tell us about your family.
I hail from a family in Baroda. Everyone has always been inclined towards music. My father was an employee of the Indian Railways and loves to sing. My mother is a folk singer. It took over three years after being part of a reality show to land a big song like Ram Chahe Leela. Fortunately, I have had a family that has always stood by me. From a very young young age, they've taken time off their work to take me to singing contests. When I figured in the top rankings of the show, everyone expected me to immediately get a lot of work. But I knew this struggle would be hard and I needed patience although veteran singers and film stars like Bipasha Basu and Preity Zinta had said they wanted me to sing for them. I did have many live shows in the interim with the best names from the music industry. In between, I heard taunts from people for three years after Indian Idol, where they used to point how someone has landed a film song, while I didn't. I'm fortunate that I got a big break at a young age with Ram Chahe Leela and another song now like Dance Ke Legend.

How important are looks for singers today?
We need to look our best when we're singing on stage, but it also depends on where you're performing live. If you're performing at a religious function, you'd be wearing an anarkali or a ghagra, while a college event requires you to be dressed more western. I was to perform at a college function and had thought I'll wear leather pants, a leather jacket and boots. When I got there, I realised I didn't have my leather pants with me. I then decided to team up my leather jacket with shorts from my nightwear! Thankfully, it worked.