Priyanka Chopra has taken sizeable strides in the world of international music since she began her journey two years ago. And with each new song that she records, PC has so far struck the right chord. Her latest track — I Can’t Make You Love Me — will be featured in a US ad campaign and will run nationwide in America through the end of May.
The US ad campaign sees Priyanka in august company, with the likes of Nicki Minaj, Pharrell, will.I.am and Lil Wayne, having featured in earlier commercials.
Her song, released first on April 30, has amassed a million views in a short span. However, the reason the actress is on a high currently is because she is still getting amazing reactions to her first live performance in India, which took place at a club in Mumbai a few days ago.
Says she, “I had just landed in Mumbai on the day of my live performance. I didn’t have time to rehearse in India, so I did it in Los Angeles. And though I’m a very confident girl on most occasions, I was really, really scared because it was my first live performance. I had a whole choreography routine ready when I got to Blue Frog. I was supposed to sing, pull the mike very stylishly and dance.
“And guess what? When I saw so many people — there was the press — I just froze. My mother, my coach, my team and so many people were sitting out there. And when the lights came on, I had to start singing. And for a few seconds, I couldn’t find my voice. I forgot my steps. There was one step I had practiced that I would do and then go forward to pull out the mic.
“It was meant to look really cool, like a rockstar. But as luck would have it, the mic got stuck. It was really funny. Of course, these minor blips and hiccups apart, when I sang the first time and everyone demanded an encore, my nervousness disappeared. I sang again. And between the first two times that I sang my track, I felt relieved. I said to myself, ‘Well, that wasn’t so bad’. The second time around, I sang a lot more confidently. When someone said that was cool and asked me to sing without the track also, I was game.”
Ecstatic over the numerous compliments that came her way, the actress says, “I think I will do more live performances. It is a new phase in my life. I have always sung since I was a kid. I have sung on stage too. But doing shows and singing professionally is a different ball game.”
PC recalls how friends like Farhan Akhtar and Vishal Dadlani, who also perform live, had told her that the experience was wild. Says she, “Farhan told me that once I start singing on stage, everything else will pale in comparison. Vishal had also said something similar. He said nothing else will compare in terms of performing arts. I am someone who is very big on performances in the movies and concerts, etc, so I wondered how something can be bigger and better than what I have already done.
“But let me tell you, after the live performance that night; I understood what Farhan and Vishal were talking about. Even my father had told me that when you sing in front of an audience, it’s totally pure. It was his dream for me to sing live. He once said, ‘Beta, you are so good in the creative space, but you have not touched the greatest feeling of them all, which is singing’. He told me it is the closest thing to God. It is so pure and created entirely by you. I missed him like crazy that evening. Hopefully, this is the start of a really beautiful journey.”
