From reality shows and films to television and entrepreneurship, Payal Rohatgi has rarely shied away from reinventing herself. Over the years, the actor has been known for her outspoken personality, appearances on reality television and her passion for yoga and fitness. Now, she is embracing yet another chapter in her artistic journey, learning to sing. Payal says the experience has transformed not just her understanding of music but also her perspective on life, helping her redefine herself as an artist during a challenging phase in her personal life.
In an interview with Hindustan Times, Payal opened up about becoming a student again, finding solace in music, learning under the guidance of singer Kailash Kher, and why she believes singing can be therapeutic.
Payal Rohatgi on learning singing
Talking about learning singing, Payal said, “It’s nice. It’s really a nice zone. Everyone knows my nature because I have done a lot of reality shows. But as an actress, when we go to a film set, we often observe the atmosphere. We try to understand the character and grasp the emotions. Throughout my acting career, in all the work I have done, and with all the experienced people I have worked with, I have always modulated my voice according to the emotion and the requirements of a scene, and that’s fine. But singing is a completely different space where you learn to modulate your voice differently. I’ve only recently started trying to understand and master that aspect. Better late than never.”
She revealed that she had never considered singing until last November and said it has completely changed the way she views herself as an artiste. “I was never that kind of person. But now I’m changing the entire definition of myself as an artist because I believe singing has shown me life from a completely different perspective. In the beginning, everyone feels that sa re ga ma (the musical notes) are boring, but those very notes help you sort out so much in life. So, it’s been a wonderful phase, and I’m really happy discovering my own path into it.”
A full-circle moment with Kailash Kher
Payal’s first-ever special number, O Sikander from Corporate, was sung by Kailash. She described learning music at Kailash’s academy as a full-circle moment. She said, “I think it was just one of those situations where, as they say, ‘Har Har Mahadev’, you simply have to let go of all expectations and surrender. I couldn’t really understand that at the time because I was going through a phase in my marriage when things weren’t going the way I had hoped. I felt I needed to channel my energy into something positive because I’m a positive person. People can troll me as much as they want, but I know where I started my journey from.”
She continued, “When I found out that Kailash ji’s institute is near my house, everything just seemed to fall into place. I was very happy and thoroughly enjoyed spending two months there. I hope I can go back soon and record something at their studio because it’s such a wonderful setup. It’s very close to my home, the facilities are excellent, and there are so many talented new musicians and technicians there. So yes, it was a lot of fun, and I hope it continues to be a wonderful journey throughout my career.”
Becoming a student again
Payal admitted that the hardest part of becoming a student again had already been overcome while building a business after her marriage, which helped her let go of her ego. “The moment I got married, I started working on a start-up business to help my husband (Sangram Singh). I believed that, as a sportsperson, he should have his own venture in health and fitness. But because he comes from a village background, business wasn’t really something he had thought about. People in villages often don’t think in terms of entrepreneurship, so that wasn’t his mindset. When I tried to build the business, I managed to overcome all that ego and arrogance that I have come from a reality show and have become famous. So, for me, becoming a student wasn’t very difficult,” she said.
This time around, she was becoming a student for herself and not for her family or husband. Payal further believes one should be a student throughout their lives and added, “If we continue to learn like students, we’ll stay happier because there are many things in life that are simply beyond our control. When you develop the mindset of a student, you begin to understand whatever is happening in your life. You ask yourself: Why is this happening? How is it happening? Where am I going wrong? Once you start thinking that way, you’ll be happier, and life will keep moving forward. So, for me, it was absolutely fine. Becoming a student wasn’t very difficult because I had already gone through the harder part after getting married.”
How singing helped her through a difficult phase
Payal admitted that learning to sing became a source of healing while she was going through a difficult phase in her marriage with Sangram. She said, “See, I understand that there are people who have health issues, who suffer from dental health problems, or who are more anxious about different aspects of life. We are all different people with different needs, different expectations from life, and we come from different family backgrounds and childhood upbringings. So yes, anxiety exists; it’s a human trait. But you have to learn how to channel it. For me, the biggest way of channelling my energy is through yoga, and everybody knows that I practise it. But there are other aspects of my energy that also need to be channelled because I am a very energetic person by nature.”
She also suggested that singing can be a great creative outlet for people who feel they cannot dance, as it does not require extensive physical movement. According to Payal, unlike activities such as yoga, singing can be practised while sitting comfortably in one place through controlled breathing, meditation and chanting.
Explaining further, she said that singing begins with chanting “Om”, much like meditation, before progressing to musical notes. She believes this process helps people discover their natural pitch, speaking note, lower register and higher register, eventually enabling them to sing comfortably in a scale suited to their own voice.
She concluded, “I think this can make a person happy because, ultimately, we’re not taking anything with us from this world. So let’s enjoy the journey, no matter how difficult or bad it may be. At the end of the day, we all need to be happy. To all those people who say that we need to talk to psychologists and psychiatrists, and that psychiatrists and psychologists will prescribe medicines and prescription drugs that you may become dependent on, I would say it’s better to learn singing first. Sit down, start by chanting ‘Om’, and see where that takes you. That’s my suggestion, though everyone is entitled to their own opinion.”