Do you remember the first moment in your childhood when you realised music wasn’t just something you listened to, but something you wanted to live with? What was little Shruti like discovering her voice?
Ever since I can remember, I always wanted to pursue music as a career. I grew up in a home where my father listened to ghazals and classical music, so music automatically had a very special place in my life. That environment made me fall in love with music very naturally, and it also made it easy to pursue it without having to convince my parents.
We’re a family of teachers and professors, so education was extremely important. My parents only said, “Finish your graduation and then the world is your oyster.” I even went on to complete my master’s in psychology, but music was something I could never compromise on or let go of.
Before the world knew you for songs like ‘Mar Jawaan’ or ‘Tujhe Bhula Diya’, what was the turning-point moment when you felt—‘Okay, Bollywood is happening for me’? Any unexpected twists or funny behind-the-scenes memories from that early hustle?
Not many people know this, but before the big film songs, I actually sang a lot of remixes. Back then we didn’t call them ‘recreations’—they were simply ‘remixes’. That was a whole cultural phase in itself!
My first-ever recording was Lekhe Pehla Pehla Pyar for an album called the Baby Doll series. After that, I did many remix tracks before my first real film break finally came with Mar Jawaan from Fashion.
That song completely changed my life. It was like a floodgate opening—everything that followed in my career was thanks to Mar Jawaan. I truly owe everything to that song.
Honestly, that moment came just before Mar Jawaan. I had been singing remixes, plus small bits for TV and ads. And then I met Salim–Sulaiman.
They were testing my voice for a Gujarati musical theatre project. Salim Merchant asked me to do a variation in the lower octave—and that’s when he discovered the true texture of my voice.
Until then I wasn’t fully aware of how my tone behaved on the mic, or how different vocal textures could change everything. He taught me how to throw my voice correctly and enhance my tone.
That discovery eventually led him to bring me on board for Mar Jawaan. That’s when it clicked for me that my voice had something unique.
You’ve worked with incredible music creators like Vishal–Shekhar and now collaborated with Anvita Dutt as lyricist for ‘Hum Dono’. Which collaboration in your journey so far has shaped you the most, personally or professionally, and why?
As an artist, you must constantly evolve, and I’ve been fortunate to work with such diverse composers—Salim–Sulaiman, Vishal–Shekhar, Amit Trivedi and many more.
Each has a unique style, and their processes of working are all very different.
With some—like in Hum Dono or Tujhe Bhula Diya—I was even part of the conceptualisation. With Salim–Sulaiman, I mostly worked on songs that were already structured.
These different processes teach you a lot. They make you quicker, more alert, and help you grow. People don’t realise how challenging it is to meet a song for the first time and record it within minutes, emoting at 100% without rehearsing for days.
Every collaboration has shaped me in a different way.
If we rewound your life as a film script, what would be the one surprising chapter—outside music—that your fans would never expect but you’d love to share?
I love travelling. It grounds me, reconnects me with life, and gives me time with myself. Music is my life, but it’s also my profession, and travelling keeps me connected to the real world, to nature, and to who I am beyond the stage and microphone.
What is one of your favourite songs from your own work?
Naturally, Mar Jawaan, because it gave me everything.
But another very special song is Rasiya. Though the film didn’t do very well, the song lived on and remains close to my heart. It was raga-based, a solo performance, and I got to explore my vocal range and classical training.
It’s also extremely emotional for me because it was the last song I ever sang in front of my father. So it carries a very deep personal memory.
Tell us about ‘Hum Dono’—the sweetness, the naughtiness, the part you resonated with most while singing it.
Hum Dono brings back the freshness of a slightly earlier era of Bollywood music. The whole album has that vibe. The song itself feels fuzzy, romantic, like the warmth of new love—like the spring season.
It’s shot beautifully too. During the recording, Kartik Aaryan was present, and after hearing the opening ad-lib he suggested we make an acoustic version as well because the melody is so strong.
Even though that version didn’t happen, the song has incredible recall value—and that’s probably why it’s already trending.
To me, the song feels like a warm hug on a cold night.
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