KOCHI: She started her career by posting cover songs on YouTube and Instagram, and her soulful voice quickly captivated audiences. Haniya Nafisa has now made a mark as a playback singer, and carved a niche for herself in the music industry.
Haniya, who hails from Kannur and is currently based in Kochi, has sung in films such as Adi and Most Eligible Bachelor. She has also dabbled in acting, with roles in the Tamil films Connect and the upcoming O’ Baby.
TNIE catches up for a quick chat.
How do you juggle acting and singing?
In both cases, I’m very emotionally involved, to the point that I feel overwhelmed by the work that I’m doing. When it comes to singing, I sing because I get too emotional. Acting was not a cakewalk, as I was new to it – I still am. For a sad scene, I think about things or songs that make me sad. The same technique is applied to happy scenes.
How was the filming experience for O’ Baby different from that of Connect?
I’m glad that both films are entirely different genres. For O’ Baby, the shoot was supposed to be for 25 days, but it went up to 60 days. It was a huge film, and very eventful. It was more family-oriented, a thriller, and had a lot going on emotionally. The crew was large, too. Even the scenes, day after day, got really different.
Whereas in Connect, we just had a single location and a beach shoot. The majority of the shoot was done in a single house. For O’ Baby, we had to go from one location to the other. I had time to concentrate on the acting part in Connect, and I had something new to do every day in O’ Baby.
With music, filming, making content, and travelling all over for it, how do you manage to get some ‘me time’?
Work comes in waves, and I choose only projects that make me happy and do not exhaust me. Working with music is always ‘me time’. Acting is something I have to put in a lot more work on. Lately, I’ve been finding it difficult, as I try out new things, and new art. When it gets exhausting, I just sit down and sing for myself.
What next?
A few originals are on the way. I have a Malayalam original coming up. I did it with one of my favourite musicians of all time, and I’m really happy that he was up for it too. I’m thrilled, and will be announcing it soon.
Any advice for those starting out in music?
Your goal is your goal. Even when you have role models, your goals can be way different. And your path is going to be really different. Comparison or attempts to emulate could make you exhausted. Enjoy the journey. If you do that, it’s just going to be a piece of cake. Always remember to do it for yourself – every single day.