‘Keep writing, practising and improving to find success…’

She is a musical powerhouse, coming from an Indian, Italian, and Maltese background, growing up in Sydney, and moving to London at a young age to pursue music. Singer Celina Sharma’s notes blend Western pop and R&B with south Asian melodies and rhythms. Her track ‘Nach Mera Hero’ featured on the soundtrack for ‘Marvel’s Eternals’ (2021), and her collaboration with singer Sonu Nigam in ‘Centre of Peace’ has won her a chartbuster.Shilpi Madan caught up with her for this chat.How has moving across these different cultural environments influenced the sonic choices you make in the studio?Moving between so many different places has definitely shaped the way I hear and make music. I grew up in Sydney with Indian, Italian, and Maltese influences around me through family, food, language and the music my relatives listened to. Then, moving to London at 16 to pursue music full-time introduced me to a completely new scene, new collaborators and a different kind of creative energy.I feel very lucky that I can move between different worlds in my music. Some songs lean more into contemporary pop and R&B, while others bring in south Asian instrumentation or references to my heritage. For me, it is about staying true to the emotion of the song and allowing those cultural influences to live naturally inside the music.How was working with Sonu Nigam in ‘Centre of Peace’?It was an incredible experience. He is someone whose voice and music I grew up listening to, so the idea of collaborating with him did not feel real at first. In the studio, he was warm, professional and focused on the song. He brought a level of emotional depth and vocal control that is rare, and it pushed me to raise my own performance.‘Centre of Peace’ is one of the most personal songs I have released. It started as a reflection on my relationship with God, as an English record, and later developed into a cross-generational, cross-cultural duet. Recording it in Mumbai and working with traditional Indian instrumentation made the whole process even more meaningful.The response so far has been humbling. People from different generations and backgrounds have connected with the song, and I have received messages from listeners who say it has brought them comfort or helped them through a tough moment. For me, that is the most important thing — when a song can soothe someone or make them feel less alone.How do you decide when to track mainstream pop or lean heavily into traditional south Asian sounds?I think it depends on what the song is trying to say and how it feels in its early stages. Sometimes a melody or lyric comes to me that already has a certain cultural colour, and I follow that instinct. With ‘Centre of Peace’, for example, the Indian dimension felt beneficial because of the song’s spiritual and personal meaning.What can listeners expect from your upcoming EP, and what does this project mean to you as an artiste?My sophomore EP, ‘Chapter 2’, is a five-track project that feels like the most honest and introspective work I have done so far. It explores themes like distance, family, faith, grief, ambition, and identity.Sonically, the EP consists of ballads with big vocals and live instrumentation, but it is not tied to one specific genre. I wanted each song to feel like its own world while still belonging to the same emotional journey.What do your typical lyric writing and melody building process look like? Do you usually start with guitar riffs, vocal hooks or beat production?Sometimes, a melody comes to me first — just a hummed idea or a vocal hook. Other times, I start with a lyric or a concept that I want to explore, and the melody grows around that.What’s next?I am excited to keep exploring different sounds and collaborations. I would love to work with more artistes from India and other parts of the world, and continue finding ways to bring my Indian, Italian, Maltese, and Australian-British influences into my music.What has been your biggest learning?Success is not linear. There will be highs and lows, moments of excitement and moments of doubt. A viral song or a big opportunity does not guarantee everything will be easy from then on. What matters most is consistency, resilience, and staying true to yourself.Pearl of wisdom…Focus on your craft first. Social media, algorithms and trends can help people discover you, but your music and your authenticity are what will make them stay. Keep writing, practising and improving, even when it feels slow or uncertain.Building a career in music takes time, and there will be setbacks along the way. Trust the process, surround yourself with supportive people, and remember why you started making music in the first place. If you love what you do and keep showing up, opportunities will come.

Source: Deccan Herald