She’s an absolute livewire. A force of nature, who touches hearts wherever her voice travels.
Self-taught singer-actor Manasi Scott is the only performer who was invited, with her band, at Priyanka Chopra’s wedding to Nick Jonas – and she had Nick singing with her on stage in minutes. But then, the Mumbai-based singer always strikes a first: she had 179 back-to-back live concerts from her home during the lockdown, in only 145 days and is the only Indian artiste to have featured on the cover of The Week.
With playback songs in Hindi and Tamil in her repertoire, and over 1.2 million fans following her on Facebook, Manasi Scott is busier than the proverbial bee – singing across genres including Sufi, folk, Bollywood, Punjabi, EDM, rock, retro, disco, and more.
A national level basketball player, a fauji kid, Manasi has starred in movies including Jhootha hi Sahi (where she made her debut opposite John Abraham) , Bhaag Johnny, Snehithiye, Raakilipattu,…and has sung super tracks including the unforgettable Pappu Can’t Dance Saala. She is busy configuring her video podcast, enjoying the fan base her niche Himalayan skin care brand Mana is gathering, and knitting social media to her immense popularity as she threads across a cross section of age groups in her growing fandom.
Excerpts from a conversation:
What’s your state of mind right now?
Forever happy.
How has your journey been so far?
Interesting. A rollercoaster. Honestly, multiple journeys have happened. Which one are you talking about?
How about your journey in the world of music?
This is the youngest I have ever felt, connecting with fans worldwide – those who have an attention span of a minute. It has been a fabulous ride so far: I have produced my own albums and videos, done successful world tours, worked with the biggest DJs internationally. Right now, I am navigating waters to make music be heard on social media.
An honest opinion.
We are celebrating mediocrity. Social media is making us lose talent, forget the magic of music because there is a greater premium being placed on being famous, than on being good at your art.
What now?
Working on songs, Hindi and English. I am recording in a very raw format, and have parallel projects running. I have always been a very visual artiste, focussing on videos, but honestly, audios stand the test of time. A song is a forever-commodity, it earns recognition for life.
What is your biggest currency?
Live shows.
What does your Riyaz involve?
Spiritual breaths. Blowing the shankh. I can do this for 30 seconds now, building up my breath resilience. I believe everyone can sing: some like Adele, some like Sonu Nigam. It is about honouring your voice and your body. Respect your throat chakra.
A piece of advice?
Turn up for someone you care for. Show support, be in their corner: it means a lot.
A secret desire.
I want to make enough money to be able to buy a stage in any part of the world I want, and simply sing aloud. I know when I sing, I move the world.
If not a singer, what would you have been?
A pilot.
What is your biggest learning in life?
Live in the present, the past doesn’t matter. You must have no conversations with your past. Focus on today: you are a new version.
Shilpi Madan for DH Wknd
