Shirley Setia is a social media sensation and singer. She made her Bollywood debut as an actor with Sabbir Khan’s directorial Nikamma. The singer is already a popular name among the youth as she keeps treating her followers with her renditions of famous Bollywood songs. Belonging from Auckland, New Zealand.
Shirley Setia runs a YouTube channel that has garnered much attention and love from the viewers in a very short span of time. Her YouTube channel has over 2 million subscribers and 18 million views. She has gained over 3 million followers on Facebook and 2 million followers on Instagram.
Women Fitness India joins the youth sensation as she pens down her journey and love for music!
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Shirley, you are a well-known face today with millions of followers from around the globe, how has the journey been from the time you took part in a T-Series contest to an actress today?
Ms.Shirley Setia
I wouldn’t say that the journey has been easy. The contest was held in 2013 and it’s been quite a long time since then; almost 7 years now. That was when I still lived in New Zealand and was still studying. It’s been a roller coaster ride, I’ve had to face so many different challenges throughout my entire journey so far. Everything that I’m doing is so new and I doubted myself every step of the way. I don’t feel like I’ve achieved so much, because I have so much more left to achieve and I want to keep doing good work.
The biggest challenge I faced was when I wanted to shift to India and I had to convince my parents to let me move to Mumbai and that wasn’t easy because I don’t have any family in Mumbai and they had to send me to a new place with new people, a place they didn’t know anything about; they knew nothing about the industry because they’re not from the industry. No one from my family knows anyone in Bollywood.
It was very different, very difficult to convince them to let me come. I was able to do that after years of convincing and they gave me a time limit; that I can come here for a certain period of time, I have to stay here and see if something works out. Eventually, they realised that I was working and I was able to do the things that I set out to do. I wanted to focus on original songs and that’s where the entire shift took place; where the thought for acting was reignited in my mind. When I was shooting for Koi Vi Nahi, my director Robbie Singh actually suggested that I act; he’s like your expressions are so good, why don’t you try for movies?
I’d always wanted to become an actor and when that thought came from a director, it really stayed with me and that’s when I took this more seriously. I realised that this is something that I’ve always wanted to do and if I can work towards making that happen, I definitely should. I was already giving auditions, but I decided to take this further and that’s when I decided to go and study acting at the NYFA and I went there for a few months to study acting.
I realised that acting is what makes me happy and my teachers and professors in NYFA were extremely supportive and they encouraged me to just keep at it.
That really stayed back with me and that’s when I decided, that when I came back to Mumbai, I’d fully give it my all and do as many auditions as I can. I’ve given so many auditions where things have not worked out as well as I’d hoped, but I just see it as a learning experience.
There’s always something to learn from every audition that you do and every meeting that you go for. I just look at the brighter things in life and I know for a fact, that I have worked really hard for this and to be where I am right now.
I’m extremely grateful that I have this as well and I’m extremely grateful to my parents and also to my fans, I wouldn’t be what I am today without them.
FULL INTERVIEW ON NEXT PAGE!
This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar, President womenfitness.org and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2020 Women Fitness Org
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Did you have a chance to train in music? What has been the selling point for your music?
Ms. Shirley Setia:
I haven’t had a chance to train in music yet. That is something I’d love to explore, I’d love to do some vocal training or training for pronunciations. That’s a requirement for a singer and an actor to have your pronunciations be correct. When I’d initially started off I was young and was still learning as I went, I didn’t know the details of the craft until very recently when I did Maska, where we had a vocal coach on set.
She actually really helped us with the Parsi dialect used and she also helped us understand the intricate details of pronunciations and even my director Neeraj Udhwani was very particular about my pronunciations, especially English pronunciations because he didn’t want my accent to be heard. Now, I feel like my English accent has been de-accented a little bit, because of working day and night on my character in Maska.
It’s been really good and it’s been amazing. I’m absolutely for training for the craft that you’re in. But training can also sometimes mean learning and getting better with time and experience. In terms of music, I’ve not had a chance to train in music yet, but what has worked with my music has been the relatability factor. When I sing or when I make a song, I completely and fully relate to it, I believe in it and I feel the song. I feel the emotions when I sing it and that’s something I believe the audience connects with.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Who is your favourite singer and inspiration to start singing? 5 tips to be a good performer.
Ms. Shirley Setia
My all-time favourite singer has been KK, I love his songs. I feel like he is someone who puts in a lot of soul in his songs and that’s why I tried to follow that kind of path. My inspirations to start singing came from just listening to music, that has always been a part of my family, my parents love listening to old music. However, no one in my family really sings or has taken up music or entertainment professionally.
I used to just sing for myself and it used to be something that I used to do like I’d just hum along to a song that was playing, I used to and still really love doing that. I just tried to do my own version of a song that I really loved, which was Tum Hi Ho. I didn’t know it would reach out to so many people. I’m extremely grateful that it did though. I’m also still learning the tips to be a good performer because with every experience you learn something new.
The things I have learned are to be confident, be yourself and that’s not just when you’re performing, we should all embrace ourselves and our individuality because that’s what makes us different from each other. Believe in yourself, especially when you’re performing or on stage, just enjoying the moment is very important.
Sometimes, you can have a bad day but when you listening to the crowd singing the song with you is absolutely magical. It’s just important to live the moment as it is and when it happens.
I also drink a lot of warm water while I’m performing, you’ll always see me sipping warm water on stage. Just enjoying yourself is very important and when you enjoy yourself the audience also enjoys a lot more. The vibe just translates.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Women Fitness India is a health and fitness portal, Share input on your diet and fitness regime?
Ms.Shirley Setia
I don’t have a set regime that I follow, but I do eat in smaller portions throughout the day. I eat everything, but I eat in smaller portions. I do try avoiding sweets because I get a sore throat when I eat sweets and that’s always a problem I face while recording. I have not had ice cream in years, that’s something I’ve completely given up on. I love dancing, you’ll see me dancing and that’s how I’m burning my calories.
I do home workouts whenever possible and whenever it suits my time. A lot of easy home exercises like planks or squats. Also, this pandemic and this entire lockdown have made us all realise how important our mental health also is. It’s as important as our physical health, so I’ve been trying to meditate whenever possible.
I’m trying to get into it and it’s been good for me. Meditation is very difficult, it’s tough to just focus on something and to not let other thoughts bother you. It’s quite important to take care of our minds as well.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Forbes magazine’s Rob Cain wrote a feature on you and your future goals recently in which he stated that you are “Bollywood’s Next Big Singing Sensation Just Might Be This Tiny Kiwi”, how does it feel to be the youth sensation and to be recognized by such great portals? The best compliment you ever received.
Ms. Shirley Setia
I remember when I read the article on Forbes and honestly, it was extremely overwhelming and I’ll always be very grateful to him for writing such beautiful words for me.
Everything that he wrote and everything that people say and all the love and support I receive from my fans is extremely motivating and it’s something that pushes me every single time to keep doing better work. I want to work harder as a return gift for all the love I receive.
I still feel that I have a lot to achieve, I’m just getting started. I’m just finding my ground because as soon as I shifted here I was doing a couple of singles, but I’ve gotten into acting now, it’s an entirely new space and I want to be able to do both. I still want to be able to act, I also want to be able to sing.
I am slowly achieving that balance and I know it’ll happen, but I feel like this is just the beginning and I have a lot to do. It does make a huge difference to know that so many people are supporting you and will love you and I’m extremely thankful to all my fans who call themselves #TeamShirley, I love them so much, their love is truly unconditional for me and it’s because of all that I receive from them that I’m able to give back.
Ms.Namita Nayyar
You are also set to make your Bollywood debut with “Nikkamma”, share your experience on the first day at sets?
Ms.Shirley Setia:
Nikamma is my Bollywood debut and the first day on set was actually super fun, we started off with a song and that was my first ever experience of doing a proper Bollywood number. All my inner memories of when I watched films in a cinema as a kid, even as a teenager when I used to watch Bollywood movies.
Just that feeling of, wow this is going to be me soon, it was quite an experience and it was just really fun, the entire team was super fun. I just had a really good time shooting, I can’t speak a lot about Nikamma yet but whenever I’m able to talk more, I’d love to chat more about it with you guys.
Ms.Namita Nayyar:
Your YouTube the channel is full of melody and positive vibes, it also gives viewers and your fans an insight into your life, which is your favourite video on your YouTube channel
Ms.Shirley Setia:
I try and maintain a very positive outlook on my channel and my fans do get a little bit of an insight into my life but I’ve tried to keep that work and life balance going on. I’m trying to maintain it in a way, wherein my there’s a little bit of separation so that when I’m not working it should feel like I’m not working, it shouldn’t always feel like that I have these things left to do for my video.
I should have a little bit of that balance and that’s what I’m trying to keep and maintain, I don’t know how it’s going to happen or how it’ll shape up in the future but let’s see. I don’t think I can choose a favourite video on my channel, I do a lot of different content on my channel and initially, I used to do only covers and then I drifted to originals, I also did some originals with speed records and I’ve done a couple of songs with T-Series and I’ve also done Jab Koi Baat with Venus.
I also do a lot of dance content on my channel cause I love dancing, I also do a little bit of Q&A, I’ve also done a makeup videos, which is something I might explore more because I love makeup too. I feel like through all these little aspects people are learning more about me and about the things that I like to do because there’s more to me than just music.
All of these little things are also a huge part of my life. It’s really nice to be able to express and do what you like doing and put it out on YouTube, but it’s not always rosy. Everyone won’t like your content and there’s always a lot of trolls online and on social media.
The important part is to believe in yourself and your content and if you like it and are doing it for yourself, whatever the trolls say should not matter to you. Sometimes you do feel bad, but you have to look at the bigger picture and see why you were doing in the first place.
You realise it was never for those trolls, it’s always been for yourself or your fans, the people who love your work. It’s been really good and I actually like everything that I post.
Ms.Namita Nayyar:
You are an inspiration for many young aspiring singers, motivation quote you live by
Ms.Shirley Setia:
That’s very sweet, thank you so much. It means a lot when people tell me they’re inspired by my work and it’s extremely sweet. I feel like I am still learning and I feel like I have just begun and to be able to have that kind of an impact on anyone, even if it’s one person. If I’m making a person smile, I feel that satisfaction from my job.
One thing that I have lived by and I still do and I remind myself of till this day is to just go with the flow. Sometimes we do have a lot of things planned, everybody had a lot of things planned for 2020 but everyone’s plans are all over the place and everything has been stopped because of this pandemic. You just have to learn to go with the flow and as and when anything happens it’ll all be for the good.
This time that we’re getting now is also important for us to self reflect, to spend that time with family, whenever or however it’s possible. It is also extremely to just improve our way of life as well. Just going with the flow has been the quote that I live by.
Ms.Namita Nayyar
5 foods you love to eat.
Ms.Shirley Setia:
I love biryani, pizza, sushi, street food like Pani puri and bhindi.
Ms Namita Nayyar:
Women Fitness turns 21 years old this August please share a message for our subscribers/readers.
Ms.Shirley Setia:
Congratulations on this milestone achievement! 21 years is a long time. The message I’d like to pass on is that this is the time for everyone to concentrate on their mental health. The world around us seems like a really bleak place right now and that takes a toll on all of us, we all feel lost and dispirited and a little hopeless. That’s a natural reaction, don’t be so hard on yourself. I’d encourage you all to think positively and realise that there are brighter days ahead. Every cloud has a silver lining and the fact that you’re healthy and happy is something to celebrate. I’d also encourage people to be cautious and stay home. As individuals, there isn’t much we can do to stop the virus, except stay home and I encourage you all to do that. We’ll fight this together and come out stronger!
Ms Namita Nayyar:
How did you celebrate your birthday this year, looking at the present health scenario?
Ms.Shirley Setia:
My birthday this year was lowkey, because of our current situation. My friends organised a birthday video call at midnight and that’s how I brought in my day. This lockdown has made me really appreciative of the smaller things in life and getting to celebrate my birthday with my loved ones is definitely something I will cherish always.
Ms.Namita Nayyar:
Skin & Hair routine you follow to look the best?
Ms.Shirley Setia:
For my skin routine, I have a pretty straightforward one which I follow. Every time I’m wearing makeup, I make sure that I remove everything before I go to sleep and I use a cleanser and toner, I’ll use serum too if it’s available. I end my routine with moisturizing.
I have a very straightforward regime that I always follow and I feel like I’ve learned to stay and stick with products that I know don’t break me out. My skin changes with climate and it does react to the air quality but as long as I stick to my regime my skin stays as clear as possible.
As far as hair is concerned, I try to oil my hair whenever possible, my mum tells me to keep oiling it. I don’t oil it as much as I should. I just use a good shampoo and conditioner and wash it every 3 days, whenever my hair or scalp starts feeling a little oily, I’ll wash my hair.
Follow Shirley Setia’s Journey:
This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar, President womenfitness.org and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2020 Women Fitness Org