'I came to Mumbai with my pocket money': Priya Dubey

When Priya Dubey sang the scratch for Zee Music's Meethi Meethi for the movie Suspense, she didn't expect it to be selected. She'd heard that another singer was meant to croon it but later found out that director Ajay Yadav and music composer Asif Iqbal liked her voice an called her for the final recording. Another surprise was when it turned out to be a duet with Shahid Mallya, popular for Ikk Kudi and Chitta Ve in Udta Punjab (2016), Radha in Jab Harry Met Sejal (2017) and Daryaa in Manmarziyaan (2018). “I never expected that I will debut as a playback singer with a popular singer like Shahid. It was such a great experience,” Priya enthuses, adding, “In the final recording, I was super excited and a bit nervous, too.”

Starting young

The young vocalist, who hails from Gwalior, started learning music when she was just five as a follower of her father, who she says was a good singer. “He was my inspiration,” she states, “He realised I was grasping music well and I could do better if I learnt it. So, he requested Dr Neelima Sharma to train me.” Calling music as her passion since she was a child, Priya participated in many singing competitions at national, state as well as district levels and won a few, too. “But I never thought that one day I will come to Mumbai and this city will give me my musical identity,” she points out.

Finding her own way

Priya's doubt was owing to her father's demise and her family seeing bleak days financially. “Hailing from a middle-class family, I came to Mumbai with my pocket money to fulfil my dream. Before coming here, I promised my mom that her daughter will become a playback singer soon,” she says that she is proud that she stayed true to her word and managed everything by herself.

In a day's work

Now, she's been enjoying playback singing as well as performances. “You get to learn many things in live recording as well as live shows; it’s all about connecting with the audience,” she explains. Currently, Priya, who has performed live with Tochi Raina, Dev Negi, Mohammad Irfan, Krishna Beura and many more, has Bollywood projects as well as jingles lined up. “I am also working on my singles,” the singer concludes.