If you’ve found yourself humming something you couldn’t quite place lately, there’s a good chance it was Jonita. From Sau Tarah Ke and The Breakup Song to Gilehriyaan, Lagdi Hai Thaai, and Allah Duhai Hai — she was already a fixture in Hindi cinema before most people knew her name. Then came Dil Ka Telephone, What Jhumka?, Vida Karo, and Main Tumhara, cementing her as one of Bollywood’s most reliable voices. Down south, she has been equally unstoppable — Mental Manadhil, Jimki Ponnu, Arabic Kuthu, and OMG Pilla are just a few stops on what is truly an endless list. And now, with Khasiyat from Chand Mera Dil and Tera Ho Jaun from HJTIHH freshly out, she shows no sign of slowing down. Effortlessly crossing boundaries that would trip most artists, Jonita is one of those rare voices who makes it all look easy. CE catches up with her, as she opens up on her back-to-back tracks, romantic songs and more.
Within the space of a single week, Jonita put out two releases — Khasiyat and Tera Ho Jaun — and she couldn’t be happier about it. She begins with an excitement, “It feels great! They’re both lovely yet different from one another. I’m grateful that listeners are getting to experience two very different shades of romance through these songs.”
Romance, it turns out, is a space Jonita feels deeply at home in — though she is quick to point out that there is far more to it than most people assume. “Romantic songs allow me to play the character of a hopeless romantic, haha. I love using my voice to express love… that’s honestly what it’s all about. A lot of people associate romantic music with just sweetness, but for me, there’s so much nuance in it — longing, comfort, hesitation, vulnerability, excitement. I actually enjoy exploring those subtle emotional layers in a song,” she expresses.
But romance wasn’t the only new territory Jonita explored recently. Her song Touch Buddy from Dacoit not only made waves but also marked her on-screen debut — a first that brought with it a very particular mix of emotions. “A mix of excitement and nervousness, honestly. Singing, dancing, and performing for the camera is something I’m completely at home with, but this time the context was new for me. I was playing a character through my performance and not really representing Jonita the artist as much as ‘Rani’ the character in the song,” she recalls. The experience, she says, was made easier by the people around her. She expresses, “I’m really grateful that I was surrounded by people who understood that and made me feel extremely comfortable. It ended up being a great learning experience and a lot of fun!”
The shift from studio to screen is not a small one, and Jonita describes the two as entirely different worlds of expression. “In the studio, everything is more internal — you’re focused on the sound and the emotion,” she explains, adding, “On camera, it’s about expressing that same emotion physically, through your body and face as well as your voice. It’s a very different kind of storytelling.”
And while a song shoot may look effortless from the outside, Jonita is candid about what it actually demands. “Definitely the stamina it takes,” she notes, adding, “You’re repeating the same steps and expressions over and over, often for long hours, and still have to make it look effortless every single time. Often we’re shooting well into the night, so when you’re starting to feel sleepy, it’s often extra hard to bring the same level of energy for every take.”
At a stage in her career where she could comfortably rest on an already impressive body of work, Jonita shows no signs of coasting. Asked what excites her more — challenging vocal projects or stepping outside her comfort zone — she refuses to choose. “Honestly, a bit of both. Challenging vocal work will always excite me, but experiences like this remind me how important it is to keep evolving and trying new things,” she shares.
As for what comes next, she keeps it warm but intriguing. “A mix of things — more music, of course, some collaborations I’m really excited about, and hopefully a few more opportunities to explore different kinds of performance as well,” she concludes.
