How ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ singer Antara Nandy monetised content and made her dream debut with AR Rahman and Mani Ratnam

Antara Nandy has sung in both the films in Mani Ratnam's 'Ponniyin Selvan' film franchise. The second part of the franchise releases on April 28.

Music started early for Antara Nandy. The 23-year-old singer, who traces her roots to Assam’s Sivasagar district and education in Kolkata, was all of four-and-a-half-years old, when she began learning Hindustani classical under the tutelage of Ustad Rashid Khan. Classical music drew her. Later, she became a scholar at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy in Kolkata. At 14, she got the opportunity to train in Western classical music at the KM Music Conservatory in Chennai. That’s when she first met AR Rahman and he heard her for the first time.

She then moved to Pune for her graduation from Symbiosis and recently completed her Master’s. During the lockdown she and her sister, Ankita Nandy, went viral on Instagram with their music and, last year, her debut as a playback singer on PS-1 with AR Rahman catapulted her to fame. PS-2, slated for a worldwide release this month in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam has another song by Antara. In an interview with Moneycontrol she talks about her journey so far. Edited excerpts:

You sang the Tamil Alaikadal in PS-1 and you are singing the Hindi song Megha re megha, along with Jonita Gandhi, for AR Rahman in Mani Ratnam’s PS-2. It’s a dream debut for many singers, how did these come about?

PS 1 happened as a surprise. I have been singing scratches for Rahman sir for the last three years. Back in 2019, when I was in Chennai, I’d go to the studio to sing, at least, five to six of his scratches daily. One of those days, I also did the rough scratch of Alaikadal, and that day Mani Ratnam sir was also present in the studio. Singing scratches is a huge learning process and teaches you a lot about playback singing which is so different from singing covers and the stuff young musicians put out on the internet. Meeting Mani sir was special and that night Rahman sir himself recorded me. He usually has engineers doing it. Anyway, I came back and forgot about this. Later, in 2022, I got a call from the studio asking me to come down because they had chosen my voice for Alaikadal and wanted me to sing in three other languages. I hadn’t expected this at all! And when the audio released on stage last year, that’s when it hit me how huge this dream debut of mine was! I was playback singing an AR Rahman song in a Mani Ratnam magnum opus. I couldn’t have asked for a bigger debut. I have got so much love for Alaikadal that its overwhelming. Megha re megha happened recently. This is the first time I got to sing the words of the greatest-of-all-time Gulzar saab.

What do you feel about becoming so popular so early in your career?

I am enjoying the validation that I am getting from everywhere. I’ve been putting out content on social media for years and the first time I had the experience of getting recognised by people was during the lockdown in 2020 when my sister and I began the BalconyConcerts series. We had back-to-back viral episodes. That’s when people began noticing us and it kickstarted our career. There’s been no looking back since. During the lockdown, we did 173 virtual shows and post that we’ve been travelling constantly. I recently also recorded for Salim-Sulaiman, then recorded in Bengali, and for a Tamil film. This has been my childhood dream; I’ve always wanted to wake up every morning and do what I love. I’m so grateful to say that I earn a living out of my passion. Huge credit for this goes to my parents. They had no clue how to go about this, who to take me to and they took all the big decisions that helped me grow as a musician. They are both engineers, my grandparents are teachers and I’m the first in the family to take up music as a profession despite knowing that it is an uncertain field. Huge thanks to my audience because without them I wouldn’t have reached so far.

How has it been working in the entertainment industry so far?

I have only just started as a playback singer. People don’t have kind things to say about the entertainment industry, but for me so far, it has been great. I’ve been extremely lucky to have started my journey with Rahman sir who is a father figure to me. As a singer, it is so fulfilling working with him because he gives complete liberty to explore a song and it is always a learning procedure with Rahman sir. And the same goes with Salim Merchant sir — he is the most noble, humble, and is phenomenal to work with. He’s such a fine, warm person to be around. I’ve had a wonderful time getting to do what I love, so I am on cloud nine!

What do you love about working with AR Rahman and Mani Ratnam?

With Rahman sir you can’t foresee what he is going to throw your way when it comes to his compositions. Every scratch that I have sung for him has had something different in it and we have experimented with everything: an Arabian vibe, a melodious track, a party song, a Bhojpuri song — there isn’t any genre that we haven’t explored. Every single time I’ve got to learn something from him and Sir has always pushed me to explore a side of my singing that is yet unexplored.

Tell us about the difference you find between the two industries, in the south and Bollywood.

In my little experience of working in the south Indian, Bollywood and Bengali film industries, I feel music binds all the industries together. More than separate industries, I think it’s the different individuals that I get to work with who teach me so much.

You have millions of followers on Instagram. What are your social media tips?

I feel consistency is the key. Be consistent with your content. Find out what sets you apart in the crowd. Don’t follow other people, find your own USP. You must show improvement with every content. Stagnation is the worst thing that can happen to an artiste. Ensuring your content is relatable is necessary. You should be honest to your craft and never stop learning.

If aspiring singers want to make the most of social media channels and influencer models what should they keep in mind? 

You must be as real as you can. For me, my raw videos worked — shot on the phone, single take, no editing, sung live, no investment. If you’re starting off, I’d say invest in polishing your skills rather than investing in equipment. As and when you start earning, invest in equipment, too. My growth didn’t happen overnight. It took me years. I started posting on social media in 2012. It took me losing one Facebook page worth 2M followers, criticisms, being told I am not good enough for a career in music, building another page from ground up, to finally getting here. So, never give up, don’t expect quick results. Be patient, and consistent.

How much can a young singer hope to earn for starters on social media?

There’s no fixed number; it could range from a few thousand to lakhs of rupees. My younger sister and I started with earning absolutely peanuts to now finally contributing with our dad to buy our first property.

So there’s no limit. Monetise your content, paid partnerships, branded content — that’s the way to earn.