Shibani Kashyap has been in the music industry for almost 30 years, yet the singer says she feels she is “only getting started.” Best known for Bollywood songs like Sajna Aa Bhi Jaa and Zinda Hoon Main, Shibani is also an established independent artiste who was publicly praised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for her performance of Dama Dam Mast Qalandar.

In an exclusive email interview, the well-known singer tells indianexpress.com about her journey, her music, why Bollywood is just an important chapter in her career, and the secrets to a healthy voice.

Read the edited excerpts below:

Q. Soundscapes of India, with which you have been closely associated, is back with its third edition. What, in your view, is the need for a platform like this to discover and create opportunities for emerging artists?

Shibani Kashyap: When I started, very few platforms created a direct bridge between independent artists and the people who could actually take their music forward. There was immense talent, but talent alone doesn’t guarantee that you will be heard. That is why Soundscapes of India matters. It creates a space where artists can perform, be discovered, meet festival programmers, labels and touring professionals, and potentially take their music to audiences they may never have reached on their own.

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For regional and independent musicians, this access can be transformative. Sometimes an artist doesn’t need more talent; they simply need the right door to open. And platforms like SOI can be that door.

Q. What does the idea of The Joy of Discovery mean to you as an artist, and what are you looking forward to discovering through Season 3?

Shibani Kashyap: For me, discovery is the reason I am still excited about music after almost three decades. I still love hearing a sound I’ve never heard before, discovering an artist who completely surprises me, or listening to someone combine influences in a way I would never have imagined. You never really graduate from being a student of music. At Season 3, I want to be surprised. I want to hear voices from different parts of India, different traditions and different generations. Because the moment you stop discovering, you stop evolving.

Q. Soundscapes of India — an IPRS initiative — brings together artists from different genres, regions and musical traditions. What excites you most about putting such diverse voices in the same space?

Shibani Kashyap: Some of the most beautiful music happens when different worlds collide. My own journey has never belonged to just one genre. I’ve explored Sufi, pop, rock, Bollywood, independent music and live performance, so I naturally love artists who refuse to fit into one box. When different musicians come together, they don’t just exchange music. They exchange perspectives. One artist can make another rethink a melody, a rhythm, a lyric or even the way they see their own art. And that’s the beauty of India’s music landscape. We don’t have one sound. We have thousands of sounds waiting to be discovered.

 

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Q. From 1998 (Ho Gayi Hai Mohabbat...) to 2026, how has your musical journey been?

Shibani Kashyap: It’s been almost three decades, but I don’t look at it as one long career. I look at it as many different chapters of a beautiful musical life. In 1998, when I recorded Ho Gayi Hai Mohabbat, independent pop was still finding its place in India. From there came Bollywood, jingles, live performances and my own independent music. There were highs, challenges, unexpected turns and moments I could never have planned. But one thing never changed: my curiosity.

Music didn’t become my career. Music became my way of life. And even after all these years, I still feel like I’m only getting started.

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Q. Your Bollywood songs—Sajna Aa Bhi Jaa, Zinda Hoon Main—were loved by fans, yet they didn’t hear as much from you on the big screen as they might have liked. What kept you away?

Shibani Kashyap: I wouldn’t really say I stayed away from Bollywood. I’ve always seen myself primarily as an independent artist who also worked in Bollywood, rather than someone whose entire identity was built around playback singing. I loved singing for films, but I also wanted to write, compose and perform my own music. Playback gives you the opportunity to interpret someone else’s vision. Independent music gives you the freedom to say, “This is what I want to say, and this is how I want it to sound.”

For me, Bollywood was an important chapter, but it was never meant to be the entire book.

Q. What is the biggest career lesson you learnt from the film industry? Also, did you ever feel typecast?

Shibani Kashyap: Patience. The film industry teaches you that not everything happens when you want it to. You learn to distinguish between what you can control and what you simply have to allow to unfold. Yes, there were moments when I felt associated with a particular sound, especially after Sajna Aa Bhi Jaa connected with audiences.

But I didn’t want one successful sound to become my identity. As an artist, I believe you should keep surprising people, but more importantly, you should keep surprising yourself. Because the moment you become comfortable being predictable, you stop discovering what else you are capable of.

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Q. Being a singer requires a lot of hard work. Your profession often requires you to follow a certain lifestyle or give up specific habits. What rituals do you swear by?

Shibani Kashyap: For me, the voice is not just an instrument. It reflects how you live. Riyaaz is non-negotiable. I believe in warming up the voice, working on breath control, staying hydrated and giving the voice the respect it deserves. But vocal discipline is only one part. Yoga, breathing practices and mindfulness have also played an important role in helping me stay centred. And I think the biggest ritual is consistency. You cannot suddenly become prepared on the day of a performance. Your voice remembers everything you do when nobody is watching.

Q. When was the last time you had ice cream, tangy things, or even drank chilled water?

Shibani Kashyap: I think singers sometimes become so obsessed with protecting the voice that we forget we’re also human beings! I absolutely enjoy these things occasionally. For me, the key is balance, not deprivation. I don’t believe in living in fear of food. I believe in understanding your body, knowing what works for your voice and being disciplined when you have important performances. A healthy voice needs discipline, but a happy artist needs a little indulgence too.

Q. The industry is extremely unpredictable. Have challenging times ever affected your mental health?

Shibani Kashyap: Of course. Artists are human before they are artists. There have been uncertain phases, disappointments and moments when things didn’t move the way I wanted them to. But I’ve learnt that you cannot measure your worth by how busy your calendar is. The industry can give you applause one day and silence the next. If your sense of self depends entirely on that external validation, the journey becomes very difficult. I’ve learnt to come back to the music. When everything becomes uncertain, I ask myself one simple question: Do I still have something I want to create? If the answer is yes, I know the journey isn’t over.

 

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Q. Fitness and diet play a huge role in staying healthy. What is your daily routine like?

Shibani Kashyap: My routine revolves around discipline, movement, breath and music. I believe in staying physically active, practising yoga and breathing exercises, taking care of my nutrition, and, most importantly, giving myself enough space to mentally reset.

For a singer, breathing isn’t just about fitness. Breath is the foundation of the voice. And I think consistency is far more important than extremes. You don’t need to transform your life overnight. You need to make small healthy choices every single day.

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Q. How important is it for singers to have a career outside the industry?

Shibani Kashyap: I think it can be extremely valuable, particularly because the music industry is unpredictable. There can be periods when everything is happening and periods when things become quiet. Having another skill, passion or source of work can give you stability.

But there’s another benefit. When you experience life outside the music industry, you bring those experiences back into your music. Teaching, composing, mentoring, working with young people or simply exploring another field can give an artist new perspectives. And when you aren’t creating purely because you need to survive, you have greater freedom to create because you have something to say.

Q. What is the first thing you do when you wake up every day?

Shibani Kashyap: I like to begin my day without immediately letting the outside world in. I take a moment to breathe, centre myself, and connect with my thoughts before getting into the rush of the day. For me, mornings are about setting the energy rather than reacting to it. Before I give my voice to the world, I like to listen to myself first.

Q. If you got a chance to start over again, is there anything you would like to do differently?

Shibani Kashyap: Honestly, I don’t think I would want to erase the difficult parts. Every rejection, every wrong turn, every unexpected opportunity and every difficult phase taught me something that success alone could never have taught me. Would I make different choices? Perhaps.

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But I wouldn’t change the journey. Because the person I am today is a result of every version of me that came before. And I think that’s the beauty of life. You don’t get to rewrite the beginning, but you get to keep creating the next chapter.

Q. Has your professional journey turned out the way you had wanted or expected it to?

Shibani Kashyap: Not at all. And I’m grateful for that. Almost three decades ago, I couldn’t have predicted Bollywood, independent music, live performances, international collaborations, the artists I would meet or the places music would take me. The journey has constantly surprised me.

I started with dreams, but along the way, music gave me experiences I never knew I needed. And I don’t believe the journey is finished. There are still sounds I haven’t explored, stories I haven’t told and stages I haven’t stood on. After almost three decades, perhaps the most exciting thing is knowing that there is still so much left to discover.