Nikita Gandhi: From Bengali roots to Bollywood beats

Nikita Gandhi excited for Seagram’s Royal Stag BoomBox Season 3, blending Bollywood and hip-hop music genres.

Nikita Gandhi, who will be part of Seagram’s Royal Stag’s experiential music festival, Seagram’s Royal Stag BoomBox (RSB) Season 3 (January 25), is excited about the lineup of collaborations. In its third edition, RSB continues its tradition of bringing together diverse genres of music—Bollywood and hip-hop—creating new beats and an original soundscape. This innovative approach is what makes Nikita look forward to it.

“Many people don’t know that I’m also a composer,” says Nikita. “This is an opportunity for me to experiment with new themes and create music the way I want to. As a singer, I simply follow what’s given to me, but composing has always been my first love. When I get this chance, there’s no way I’d let it go.”

This year’s RSB line-up includes artists like Armaan Malik, Amit Trivedi, Neeti Mohan, Nikhita Gandhi, Raftaar, Ikka, and DJ Yogii. The festival will tour four major cities—Hyderabad, Navi Mumbai, Gurugram, and Guwahati. Complementing the live events, RSB will also produce a series of in-studio collaborations, creating original tracks that blend hip-hop elements. These singles, accompanied by music videos, will be released across digital platforms.

Having grown up in Bengal, Nikita, who has lent her voice to several Indian language films. She has sung Tamil, Telugu, Kanada, Marathi, Bengali and ofcourse Hindi. She says she feels most at ease singing in Bengali. “Apart from Bengali, I’m comfortable singing in Hindi and Punjabi. I’ve also sung in South Indian languages, but among them, I feel most comfortable with Telugu. That’s probably because I’ve sung for several Telugu films,” she added.

Nikita has sung for more than 14 Telugu films, a few popular ones are Yevade Subramanyam (Beautiful Zindagi), Arjun Reddy (Dooram), and Majili (Naa Gundello).

Seagram’s Royal Stag BoomBox focusses on the musical preferences of the youth, providing artists a platform to collaborate and explore fresh forms of music. Nikita observes, “Contemporary genres like hip-hop are gaining immense popularity, while Bollywood melodies will always hold their charm. This kind of experimentation allows artists and composers to ignite the imagination of the younger generation by blending and presenting music in a fresh avatar.”

Trained in Hindustani classical music, Nikita reveals that she still composes songs using a harmonium. “It’s the only instrument I have learned, and I feel most comfortable composing with it. Growing up, I had an eclectic taste in music, listening to R&B and pop. I’m also a big fan of jazz and Indian folk. Currently, I’m working on projects that blend hip-hop and folk influences, which are two genres I deeply love.”