MEGHNA Goundar’s interest in music began at the tender age of four after watching her father, Sagadewan Goundar, practise with his band.
Today at 16 years, she said she was thankful for the influence her father had on her because it opened up the opportunity to release her first album.
“So it all started as an influence by my dad,” she said.
“We belong to a musical family, my dad has a band named Millennium Orchestra. “So he used to have band practice for concerts and all so I got quite interested when I saw my dad practising. I started listening to those songs and I joined him for practice.”
She said her father was her first music guru because he was responsible for her love for music and singing. Goundar enrolled his daughter into a music school in Bangalore, India, to help harness the talent she had.
“But later in my life I needed a professional guru because my dad had to work, so he got me enrolled into Sangeet Sadhana — Hindustani music classes in Bangalore India,” she said.
“I got enrolled into the carnatic vocal course. It originated from the south of India so it’s totally different from Indian music. I got interested in that because it’s something different.”
With this influence and the training she attained from the music school in Bangalore, Meghna managed to launch her first ever romantic album last week.
“So the album “Kya Ho Gaya”, all of them are romantic songs so there is not a specific category intended for the album.”
She said the album spoke about the life of a teenager who fell in love for the first time.
Meghna said being a student and juggling her music career had not been easy. Sacrifices had to be made if she were to succeed in achieving her goals.
“I am a school student so coping with school and a career in music, it hasn’t been easy trying to balance both but I have tried to manage my time..
“In December I have to go for recording, I don’t have time for a break but that’s what it means. You have to sacrifice your time.”
She hopes the launch of the album will encourage other singers to step out of their comfort zone and pursue their talents.
“My aim in doing this is to encourage the younger ones who want to pursue music but are lacking the effort and the confidence to push forward,” she said.
“My aim is to help them take that first step forward not only for themselves but for Fiji too.”
Meghna also pointed out there were a number of platforms available for singers in Fiji to showcase their talents.
She said potential singers should take advantage of the opportunities available to them.
Ultimately, Goundar hopes the release of the album will pave a path to Bollywood one day, allowing her to begin a serious career in the entertainment industry.
“I hope with the launch of this album it would mark the beginning of my career in the music industry. Hopefully I get to do playback singing in Bollywood.”
