What were the odds that a Noida girl would end up singing about her own city? Fresh off the success of the Netflix series Tribhuvan Mishra CA Topper, Delhi-NCR girl Neha Karode sang the dapper ‘Noida Ka Superman’ song. The upbeat Hindi song encapsulates the theme of the hit OTT series centred around the Noida-based protagonist, Tribhuvan Mishra who transforms from a timid, shy, principled and idealist CA to becoming a bold, passionate and confident escort, eventually embroiled in controversies and crime. Karode ’s vocals draw a comical parallel between Mishra’s new persona and the heroism of Superman. “The experience of recording it was a lot of fun. I knew from the tone of the song that it was a sarcastic and comical one, which was very interesting. I have a deep voice but the composer Ram Sampath told me that I have to sound very girly — imagine singing ‘I’m a Barbie girl’. I had to channelise all the pop star energy!”, she says, opening our conversation in her velvety voice.
Emerging as a playback singer, Karode recently made waves with her collaboration with the iconic playback singer Kumar Sanu, recreating the timeless classic ‘Tujhe Dekha Toh Yeh Jaana Sanam’ which has garnered three million views on YouTube. Adding another feather to her cap, she has lent her voice to the electrifying ‘Oye Sun Be’ song in the newly-released Raima Sen and Vinay Pathak-starrer suspense-thriller film Aliya Basu Gayab Hai. The song with an Indie pop rhythm infused with Electronic Dance Music (EDM) and a fiery rap segment, pushed the singer to rap, a genre beyond her comfort zone of soft and mellifluous style as seen in ‘Jaadu and Teri Arzoo,’ and ‘Tu Aaram Hai.’ “When it came my way, the writers and composers asked me if I rap. It’s very different from the soft songs that I sing. I shared a demo with them and they liked it,” she tells TMS while discussing her steady climb to become an emerging playback singer and expanding her versatility.
The musical calling
Karode had a ‘very studious’ life at her home, in Noida. However, she was passionate about music from childhood, listening to late legend Lata Mangeshkar. “I am trained in Hindustani classical music starting at the age of 13. I ‘overtrained’ to the point that during my Class 12 board exams, I used to take music lessons from my teacher, stretching to four hours (laughs). It’s not a flex, but the music used to relax my mind and give me happiness,” she shares about her early days. Karode’s school years were spent participating in numerous music competitions and winning accolades. “After a point, my classmates used to tease me calling me ‘Bairi Piya’ as I often used to sing this melody from the movie Devdas,” she quips.
However, while deciding on a career, Karode was at a crossroads. “I heard from people that music is not the most sustainable profession and comes with a lot of uncertainty. I thought of not singularly focusing on it and opted for filmmaking as it incorporated music in some form.” The singer embarked on a photography and documentary career capturing stars like Deepika Padukone and Rajat Kapoor and making short films on artistes Himmat Shah and G R Iranna. Meanwhile, in a serendipitous moment in 2018, musician Jeet Gannguli heard a sample of her voice and called her to sing a Bengali song ‘Mon’ from the comedy film Jamai Badal. “It was a song with singer Jubin Nautiyal and I was on cloud nine! The first person who trusts you and gives you a break in the industry is very important and always memorable. It was Gannguli sir who acted as my mentor.”
Life and learnings
Over the last five years, Karode has bagged playbacks like ‘Likhna Mitana’ in Shahid Kapoor-starrer Bloody Daddy, ‘Oh Mama’ and ‘Rabbit’ in Ayushmann Khurrana-starrer Anek, ‘Tu Yaar Hai Wahi’ in The Viral Fever’s series Sisterhood and more. However, she has also faced days when no work came her way. The musician tells us how patience is key in dealing with such times. “Time is a big part of the music industry. Once you send out a voice sample to composers, they might immediately call you or may even take years to reach you! Even if your sample is approved, till its final release, it’s a long gestation period. You have to stay focused and patient,” says Karode, who believes in keeping herself busy by honing her talent. “My music is my catharsis. On days I don’t get work from others, I give myself work. It reduces the anxiety of solely relying on others. I practice, record my songs and shoot them. I am confident about putting it out,” she says.
The ‘Chhupan Chhupai’ singer feels that the power of the internet has democratised the music space. “Earlier only those artistes who were signed by a big music label were getting the push in the industry. But today, people can sit in any remote part of the country and upload their videos on social media and become a hit,” she says pointing to the ‘welcome change’. Currently penning a few songs on love and heartbreak, she hopes to convey complex yet universal emotions in simple words.