Not many people know that before she became a bonafide popstar, Priyanka Chopra Jonas had sung a song for her film Pyaar Impossible! (2010). Unfortunately, the track that she had crooned for music composers Salim and Sulaiman Merchant never saw the light of the day.

Salim says, “It all began when we were making the music for Pyaar Impossible! (2010). Priyanka’s character in the film was called Alisha and we had a song by that name. I told the director, Jugal Hansraj, that Priyanka sings, so let’s get her to sing this song in the film. When we told her that we wanted her to sing for the film, she was sweet and recorded it. However, she wasn’t comfortable with the recording and told me that it would be nice if we could get another singer for it. I couldn’t understand why she felt like that because she had sung pretty well.”

He continues, “On the day of the film’s premiere, I broached the topic with Priyanka and asked about the song. She said, ‘I am glad you are asked me. I am cut out to do something bigger; an international album. I don’t want to feature as a singer in a Bollywood film’. A few months later, I got a call from an international music label as their team was in town and wanted to meet us. I had earlier done a Lady Gaga remix for them. They told me that they were looking for an Indian singer, who can make the cut internationally. They had done their research and were looking at a few names, which included Priyanka, so I messaged her. We practised a popular English song at my studio and I organised a meeting where she sang before them. Priyanka knew what she wanted. She had the inclination and the intent to go international and that’s how her recording career began. A different phase in her career kickstarted from there and the basic foundation of it all was set right here in my studio in Mumbai.”