Married at a tender age of 18 years and later divorced with three children to take care of, Kanika Kapoor found her true love in music. She used her circumstances not as an excuse but rather as her strength to come out of her marriage most beautifully and carved an identity for herself. Kanika got divorced in the year 2012 and there has been no looking back since then. Her three children are her biggest support system and she is embracing motherhood like never before. She has proved that she is more than just a pretty face and a lethal combination of beauty, brains and a soulful voice. We all have enjoyed her peppy renditions like Baby doll, Chittiyaan kalaiyaan, Premika, Lovely and Kamlee, Beat pe booty and her most recent Da da dasse, needless to say that these hit numbers truly are some of the most entertaining songs in Bollywood.
THE BEGINNING OF A NEVER ENDING JOURNEY
Kanika Kapoor’s life truly changed after the song “Babydoll” and the ball began to roll after that very song. It was just after that song that she took Bollywood by storm and charmed the music lovers with her melodious voice.
“They say that the journey is the destination and I truly believe in this statement. For me, it all started when Jugni went viral and it still is and that itself exemplifies the power of that song and what it did for my career”, says the singer. It turned out that Ekta Kapoor loved her first song ‘Jugni’ and offered her Baby Doll and the rest they say rest is history!
DEALING WITH THE SOCIETY
Having survived the hypocrisy and the Indian mentality which people have about single Indian mothers, Kanika Kapoor has come out stronger than ever before.
She believes that she has learnt a lot over the years and has faced some uncomfortable circumstances as well in terms of dealing with the preconceived notions about being single and ambitious. “Keeping in mind the people and hypocrites, the question when I separated and started off independently was always “Log kya kahengey? In India if you’re single and you’re successful you’re surely doing something wrong”, says the singer.
THE BALANCING ACT
Kanika is not just a talented singer but also a great multi-tasker. We often wonder how can people take out time for something else if they have a full time career, which is demanding and also media centric at the same time, but Kanika proves it wrong.
She loves being a mother and for her it’s all about maintaining a healthy balance between work and family.
“It’s never tiresome to do something that I really love. I love being a mother and performing my duties as a mother and a singer are equally important to me. When I have a day off or a weeks time I take my kids out for a vacation or prefer spending time with them at home and this works perfectly fine for me”, says the talented singer.
SINGING FOR A LIVE AUDIENCE
What she loves the most about singing for a live audience is the energy and enthusiasm she witnesses when she performs. Also, this gives her a sense of confidence that the audience puts their trust in her voice. She says, “Believe it or not, performing to a live audience is the most exhilarating, stress busting and exciting feeling ever and I really respect the stage. Its a great feeling to perform for the people who give you so much love positivity and confidence in return”.
HER TAKE ON PAY PARITY IN THE INDUSTRY
What we heard from many artists in the industry is that pay parity exists but looking at the level of awareness, it is time for the artists to not settle for less. When we asked Kanika if she has faced pay parity in the industry, she said, “women empowerment is on an all time high and people are being more aware of the strengths of a woman and I completely support that. When it comes to pay parity between male and female singers, I’ve personally not experienced any such inequality”.
An inspirational message to all upcoming singers, she says, “embrace your fears and failures because that’s something, which will help you grow. I’ve practiced this personally and I believe embracing your fears is being on the right path to success. If something is going wrong even after you put in your efforts, do not feel disheartened; learn from your failures and mistakes and most importantly, do not give up. Make this your policy and you’ll definitely go places”.
• Three things, which define you:
Patience, Determination and of-course my voice
• Three things, which you treasure the most in your life:
My three kids
• One thing that you want to change about Bollywood:
Mindset of the people in Bollywood
• Kanika Kapoor is incomplete without:
Music
• If not a singer you would’ve been:
Photographer
• Favorite part of being a singer:
The immense love that I receive
• Favorite part of the day:
When I’m home with my kids
• Your all time Inspiration:
My mother and my guru.
