Many of us would remember her as the lanky girl with a curly crop making the most of her win in Channel V Pop Stars, through the "Chandu ke Chacha" music video. For a short while in 2004, that particular number by Neeti Mohan's band Aasma became an anthem for college kids.
She was a teenager then and from there on her journey has been more than versatile. The Delhi girl has had some super hit numbers like "Jiya Re" and "Ishqwala Love" to her credit, apart from being among the chosen few who travels the world performing live shows with AR Rahman. However, it's in 2015 with Bombay Velvet that she has truly arrived. For someone who grew up on Hindustani classical music and old Hindi numbers, being the voice of swanky '60s night club was almost a culture shock for Mohan.
However, thanks to director Anurag Kashyap and composer Amit Trivedi, Bombay Velvet she says has made her discover music in ways she never thought she could.
How did you bag Bombay Velvet?
Honestly, I still don't know how that happened. The first time I met Amit [Trivedi] he said he has seen me on MTV Unplugged with Rahman sir and I was the voice he's looking for, for Rosy's (Anushka Sharma) character. I felt like a huge ball had been dropped on my head! But somehow, both, Amit and Anurag were sure I could deliver what they wanted and I felt I must live up to that expectation.
Was it easy familiarising yourself with jazz, since it's among the toughest genres for a singer?
Oh it wasn't easy at all. Jazz requires a lot more than just having a good voice. First of all, I had to familiarise myself with the western classical genre itself. Amit and I would sit and listen to everyone from Frank Sinatra to Louis Armstrong, and Lila Simon to Ella Fitzgerald. We watched at least a dozen musicals including Cabaret, Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, among others. I even went back and heard Geeta Dutt songs to understand the era. I observed these singers, not just for their voices, but also their expression and body language that I had to imbibe to be able to own the songs in Bombay Velvet. Anurag told me that I was the voice of this one woman the whole of Bombay was crazy about. The crème de la crème of the city came to listen to her and I had to really seduce them with my voice like Rosy would.
How did you and Amit work towards creating the atmosphere the '60s inside a closed studio?
Amit actually went to the extent of creating a real live jazz club for me at Yashraj Studios for one of the songs "Mohabbat Buri Bemari". He asked me to ditch my jeans, wear a gown and come to recording that day. When I walked into the studio it was lit with candles, a few assistant directors and our lyricist Amitabh Bhattacharya were playing audience and faking black tea for rum! There was an old classic playing on the TV set. They created the world for me and all I was expected was to perform.
Did that help since you have always been a live performer?
Absolutely. In films these days you don't get to sing songs that are so high on octave and emotion. Bombay Velvet is filled with such music. Amit is so organic that working with him made me see so many sides to my own voice. People talk about method acting right, for me this was method singing. For this song "Dhadham Dhadam" Anurag and Amit literally locked me up in a room and asked me to feel the pain of someone who's going through a break-up. I was perspiring and breathless by the end of the song. I ran a fever after that song and you can almost hear the tear in my voice towards the end.
Did you get a chance to interact with Anushka, since she was the face of your voice?
Yes, we went to Sri Lanka so I could watch her shoot. As personalities we are both very vibrant. I watched how she took her lines, and she'd come watch me during recordings to understand a singer's body language. She was so thorough with my voice that she even knew where I was breathing in between a song. When I watched the film I almost forgot that it was me singing and not her!
You started off as a pop artist, was playback always on your mind?
I don't come from a musical family, but I was a natural when it came to music. I was always ready to go on stage and perform. I learnt Hindustani classical for 10 years and after pop stars I did not want to look back. In 2012 I was doing a lot of when shows when Vishal and Shekhar called me to test my voice for "Ishqwala Love". All they said was the voice has to sound fresh, yet sensuous. They loved what I recorded and I've had a chance to work with so many stalwarts including Rahman sir in Ranjhanaa and Jab Tak Hai Jaan. I sing in about six languages now and I enjoy studio sessions as much as the stage.
Will you approach music differently now after Bombay Velvet?
I have been exposed to a world of sound that I had never explored before. With Bombay Velvet, my growth and understanding of a song has gone to another level. I don't think about words and melodies anymore because the spirit of a song is way beyond that. It's a journey every singer does and should go through.
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