Utsavi Jha is just getting started in Bollywood
Written by: Deepa Somasunderam
@utsavijhamusic
The singer-songwriter was part of the all-star cast in Gulmohar.
Welcome to our latest series, Emerge. We are spotlighting creative peeps who are from Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. Creating in every language you can possibly imagine, we want to highlight these international tastemakers. We are talking to them about their career journeys, beauty secrets and wellness tips.
We’re not even half way through 2023 yet and Utsavi Jha has already had her Bollywood debut. She was part of the all-star cast in Gulmohar with Sharmila Tagore, Manoj Bajpayee, Simran, Suraj Sharma and Amol Palekar. Her first Bollywood movie, Jha also recorded Woh Ghar for the film, her playback singing debut.
And Jha’s star only keeps rising with her music career. In 2022, her single Saanjh became a hit, with 620,000 plus streams so far and being featured in Spotify’s best of playlists. A romantic ballad, Jha’s smooth vocals and intimate lyrics really resounded with listeners. Jha was also featured at the Bacardi NH7 Weekender 2022 in Pune.
We caught up with Jha to talk about her year so far, the inspiration behind her hit singles and her beauty and wellness tips.
Utsavi, such a pleasure to meet you! How is life at the moment?
Hi Deepa, pleasure to meet you too :) At the moment, quite exciting- replete with anticipation, excitement and nerves. My latest song was released a 2 months ago and my movie came out too. So, exciting times! But at the same time, I'm getting some time to catch my breath and spend time with friends and family. So that's been great too.
You’ve had a lot of success these last few years with a number of popular singles. What has this experience been like for you and how long have you been working towards this?
Thank you, that's very kind of you! It's been very satisfying, rewarding and heartening. I am grateful that I'm able to translate the sounds in my head to songs.
It's also been very challenging too, but nothing beats the creative satisfaction and contentment. I started releasing original music in November 2020 with my debut song Amsterdam and followed it up with several songs over the course of 2021, 2022 and 2023. They established their own listener-base which I am so delighted by.
However, I've been pursuing music actively since 2018 and have been writing and singing sporadically since I was in school. I even trained in western vocals and semi-classical vocal in the process. Releasing the first song is extremely nerve-wracking because nobody is ever attuned to rejection or embarrassment. But doing that frees you of all inhibitions.
So frankly, I'm happy that I've been enjoying the ride, and engaging kind listeners with my music who are finding a sense of originality and relatability in them. It's a long journey ahead, I have so much to give and so many plans and songs to bring to fruition. But, I'm grateful for everything that's coming my way.
What are some of the challenges you faced as an independent artist in India?
I think people in the music industry, especially in the indie scene, have a herd mentality or a bandwagon mindset. Breaking these walls has been hard. Peoples' personal biases come into the picture and sometimes it's not just about the music.
“I think people in the music industry, especially in the indie scene, have a herd mentality or a bandwagon mindset. Breaking these walls has been hard. Peoples’ personal biases come into the picture and sometimes it’s not just about the music. ”
I also fund my music myself entirely so it gets tough to meet music production, video, logistical costs for the many many projects I'm working on. Especially when I am only working part-time. I am the artist, cast, crew, social media manager, publicist and everything. So doing everything single handedly can be exhausting but I have to in order to assure quality and speed.
Apart from that, just reaching more people and getting them interested in non-commercial music was challenging. There are low days when I question what I am doing. But you get up the next day and restart. The sooner we get used to that cycle, the better it will be.
Having said that, I've also been the luckiest girl because I've found help from some incredibly kind, generous and patient musicians in the industry who have always helped me, given advice or shared resources whenever I've reached out. So while it's been a challenging ride, knowing my friends, family and industry mentors are in my corner keeps me going.
Tell us about your latest single Rijhaaun?
I am fortunate to have people in my life who love me and go out of their way to make me happy. It’s overwhelming, in good ways, and I wanted to do something to make them feel loved and happy in return. So, I wrote Rijhaaun for all those special people to express my desire to do something that would entertain them and make them smile. Just the way magic tricks make us happy and bring out the child in us.
While this is the original interpretation of the song, I also like to interpret Rijhaaun as a serenade for a special someone, with the intention to do something to catch & hold their attention, and make them smile just the way magic tricks do. I wanted a jazz treatment for the song with saxophone particularly. I don't know how, but I just knew that was the soundscape- grounding calmness of piano and jazz but the playfulness and uniqueness of jazz too.
And my producer Manav managed to harness that sound perfectly with all his heart! Now, I'm simply hoping the song reaches more and more people.
Saanjh was a big success! What inspired it and did you expect this response?
Saanjh was my second Hindi single that I released in 2022. However, it was the very first Hindi song I wrote in 2020.
While writing and after it was written, I knew I had created something special. It was born from my love for the world 'saanjh' and my desire to manifest permanent love for myself. I wanted to make a song to listen to for when I'll be in love. I used to sing it on my Instagram live and it had become a favourite with everyone who heard it. So I knew I had to do a good job with it.
The process of finding the right music producer and then actually readying it was painstakingly long. However, I stretched above and beyond what I could because I knew I needed to do it justice.
And while I knew this was the response it should get and more, I didn't expect anything as things in this industry are so unpredictable. So to see the love it is getting feels incredible and relieving.
Saanjh has really got me the reach and bigger listenership that I was waiting for. The immensely moving DMs from people saying it helps them cope with life, the appreciation, the streams- it's all been a dream and I only hope it grows tenfold! Also, kudos to team Spotify especially for helping me reach more ears!
What made you create a music video for Chanchal Mann? You also featured in it yourself - what was that like?
I have wanted to create music videos for all my songs- because I want yet another medium of communication to convey my feelings. Many plans didn't materialise. So much of work doesn't see the light of the day - another challenge I face as an independent artist with limited funding and strong creative ideas. But they're in the works.
Luckily, Chanchal Mann materialised. I know it was a song that was relatable to people in a certain age group and that it would be nice to create something visual for a sentiment that makes people go "awww." I decided to act in it because I wanted to express the song with another medium of expression. I wrote it, composed it and sung it too. So I wanted me to complete the entire process and communicate it all. I was acting for the very first time so nerve-wracking for sure, but a lot of fun and a learning process. I worked with a great team so I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
Your stripped down version of Manmaani is so beautiful. Is that how you usually compose songs for the first time? Tell us about your creative process.
Thank you so much! That's usually how the foremost demos of my songs sound! Mostly on keys, sometimes on the guitar. But they're very stripped down.
I have always relied on my thoughts and what I'm feeling to guide me when I sit to compose with an instrument. I simply close my eyes, focus on what I want to say and let my mind and the instrument take me where they want to go.
Once I get something to play around with, I keep building and refining it further until I have something more solid to build on. But I think a lot, spend a lot of time by myself, note down a lot of thoughts and really do rely on what sounds and feelings do to me.
Congrats on Gulmohar! What was it like working with Simran, Manoj Bajpayee and Sharmila Tagore? What a cast!
@disneyplushotstar
Thank you so much!! I agree, WHAT A CAST!! My amazing director Rahul Chitella envisioned and managed to get these absolute legends that you mentioned and more in one frame.
A year later, I'm still in disbelief that I actually got to act with, meet & interact with, and still stay in touch with these legends. I truly think they're as successful as they are because of how kind and nice they are as people. It was and, I'm sure, will be one of the most memorable, enriching, teachable and moving experiences of my life.
As a debutant, I was very nervous because everything was very new for me. But for me to have ended the shoot falling in love with the craft of acting and respecting the whole process much more says something about the cast, crew, team and the story.
@utsavijhamusic Utsavi with Sharmila Tagore
There are so many anecdotes, memories, teachings and days of tears, joy and laughter to share. Because it is a family drama, it was vital for my director that we all gelled on set and after. And hence, everybody was welcoming towards each other. Especially the senior-most actors that you mentioned. They guided us, treated us with care and just made sure we were having a good time. I learned so much from everyone in the project, and made so many amazing friends. We truly became one big family on set and I am so grateful!
Are there any musicians you admire and would love to work with?
Oh several!!! I have been inspired by and learnt from so many Indian and International musicians! In India, I would love to work with Shankar Ehsaan Loy, AR Rahman, Amit Trivedi.
In the Indie scene, I'd love to collaborate with Ankur Tewari, When Chai Met Toast, Tejas Menon and more.
Internationally. I would love to work with Sara Bareilles, Gregory Alan Isakov, Harry Styles, John Mayer, Alex Turner, top of my mind. The list is endless, I'd love to work with as many people as I can!
Your eye makeup is always on point. What’s your favourite kajal and other eye makeup products?
Thank you!! I am proud of how I can always wing it- be it things in life or my eyeliner, hahah! I use Lakmé Eyeconic Kajal and Colorbar eyeliner pen for my eyes. I always try to put on eyeliner to define my eyes.
You also love lipsticks! What are your favourite lipstick/lipgloss products?
I do! I love a good lip balm/lip gloss that stays on for a long time and moisturises my lips.
Shabana Latif, a very talented and established make-up artist and a dear friend introduced me to this Ayurvedic lip balm brand called Sadhev that I now love. It has a great taste, lovely fragrance and a dewy tint. She also gave me a lovely lip gloss that also doubles up as cheek balm to add a burst of colour to my face.
What inspires your fashion choices when you choose outfits for your music videos and performances?
@utsavijhamusic
I just get a visual of the pose and outfit I want for them. It's really about what the song makes me feel. Most of the time, my outfits in them have been delicate, elegant and pretty. And that's worked out pretty well.
But when I do have to choose consciously, I think my style is very simple and classic yet experimental. I like turtlenecks, skirts and dresses. But I'm always about comfort first.
And moreover, my elder sibling Sonam Jha is an amazing fashion designer who takes care of my styling for important shoots or shows with great flair. For example- she styled me for my NH7 Weekender performance. I really trust her vision for me.
What is your wellness routine? How do you relax, wind-down and centre yourself after a stressful day?
I’m very mindful of what I eat, drink and do. Although I did veer off course in the last one year, I resumed my strive for wellness this year by working out and being more mindful of what I eat.
I also maintain a journal of my daily life, special occasions and feelings. I unwind by catching up on movies and talking to friends and family about my day or important events in my life.
On a slightly crazy note, I also find crying from time to time very cathartic, therapeutic and relieving. As does taking stress naps to start fresh.
