Just chill and focus on the craft: Nikhita Gandhi

Singer Nikhita Gandhi has carved a unique space for herself across Bollywood, independent music and live performances. In this conversation, she speaks about standing up for fellow artists, dealing with social media toxicity, the joy of connecting with fans, and why she prefers to focus on her craft rather than industry politics. Excerpts... You recently spoke out in support of rapper Badshah during a period of intense online criticism. What made you take that stand?I felt very strongly about the situation because, first and foremost, art is subjective. I watched the original video and honestly didn't feel there was anything wrong with it. There is far more suggestive and vulgar content out there that doesn't attract the same level of outrage, so I found myself asking, why this? As an artist, I don't usually comment on religion or politics because those are deeply personal beliefs and choices. But when it comes to supporting art and artists, I feel we as a creative community should stand together. I also think Badshah handled the entire situation with a lot of grace. Social media can be particularly harsh on female performers. How have you learnt to deal with trolling and online judgment? Like every artist — and especially every female artist — I've faced trolling and inappropriate comments online. Most of the time, I ignore them. If I come across hate speech, I report it where necessary. As you said, a lot of it is simply toxic noise, and the key word there is "noise." It's usually quite obvious what's constructive criticism and what's not. My approach is to ignore the noise and address it only when I feel it's necessary. When I do respond, I often use humour because it's one of the most effective ways to disarm people hiding behind faceless accounts. Most of the time, they're cowards, and humour takes away the power they think they have. You've worked across film music, independent projects and live performances. Do you think groupism exists within the music industry? I'm actually somebody who lives under a rock (laughs), so I don't spend much time observing whether groupism exists or not. I think it's human nature for people to form closer associations with certain individuals, and I'm sure that happens in every industry, including music. But I don't let it define me or affect the way I work. I prefer to make my own judgments about people. If someone tells me, "This person is like that" or "That person is like this," I don't let it shape my perception. I like to form my own opinions because most opinions are subjective. There is beauty in everybody, and artists are often very complicated people. The best approach is to stay open-minded, be objective, and focus on the craft. Just chill and do the work. Your recent IPL performance generated tremendous excitement among fans. What has been your most memorable fan interaction? Live concerts are absolutely the best. There's nothing that compares to performing in front of a live audience and sharing that collective energy. The IPL performance was especially memorable because I didn't expect the crowd to be so excited. People had come to watch a cricket match, and I was there simply to entertain them before the game started. Afterwards, my Instagram was flooded with tags and shares. When I finished performing, the audience behind me was screaming my name and asking for selfies. It was incredible.I've had many fan interactions that were wonderfully bizarre in the best possible way. At my NIKIVERSE concerts, there are a few iconic accessories — my "Burj Khalifa" belt and my handmade "Niki" cap. At almost every show, someone asks about them. At one concert, a girl standing right in front was almost in tears, pleading for the belt. She kept shouting, "Please give me your belt, I really want it!" So I threw it to her. She was overjoyed, taking pictures with it immediately. Later, she found me after the concert just to thank me. The fact that I made her day, made my day. That's what makes all of this so rewarding. Fame often creates emotional bonds between artists and audiences. Have you ever had a fan interaction that crossed a line or made you uncomfortable? That's a heavy question. Honestly, I haven't experienced any interactions that made me feel unsafe or seriously uncomfortable. The word "uncomfortable" can mean many things. I get awkward whenever people compliment me, so by that definition I've been uncomfortable many times! (laughs) But thankfully, I've never faced anything that felt threatening or inappropriate. Mostly, I just get embarrassed by the amount of love and appreciation people show me. It's an incredibly humbling experience, and I'm grateful for it.