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Jonita

Jonita

Sound & Substance

At 36, our cover star's oeuvre moves seamlessly across cultures, genres, global stages, and dialects. Amid a pop revolution, this candid one-on-one with Jonita offers both insight into the making of a pop icon and her singular journey. Read on as she opens up about growing up in Canada, navigating an identity crisis, her fitness routine, and more.
Photography by Tejas Nerurkar; Styling by Nebojeslin Jayaraj | Riya Pandey; Makeup by Anu Mariya Jose; Hairstyling by Dwyessh Parasanani; Artist Reputation Management by Kush PR & Brand Strategist; Creative Direction by Arthi Medithi; Words by Kajol Shah

Jonita occupies a rare space in Indian music, one that refuses easy labels. She is at once a global pop voice, a playback singer, a live performer with formidable stamina, and an artist who understands the cultural negotiations of being a South Asian artist brought up in the West. In an industry that often demands singular identities, Jonita has built her career on multiplicity and turned it into her greatest strength.

IN THE GENES

Jonita enters the studio exuding that cool NRI girl vibe in a black Palm Angels tee and denims, paired with sneakers and a Karl Lagerfeld bag. “Ready!” She says, with the easy enthusiasm of a paradigmatic pop star.
Navigating authenticity can be challenging, but I've come to see it as a strength — representing a blended identity that resonates with many across the world.

Though the artist moved to Brampton, Canada at the age of nine and eventually settled in Mississauga, her roots remain firmly grounded in Delhi, where she was born into a Punjabi family. Her father and brother were part-time musicians, and as a family, their idea of a fam jam was well, jamming. The ménage performed together under the name Sargam Music Group at community events around Toronto. Long before red carpets and sold-out arenas, Jonita learned the less glamorous parts of performance: packing cables and transport equipment and waiting through late-night shows. “Some nights, the events would run so late that I’d fall asleep even with the music playing so loudly, waiting for it all to be over so we could finally go home.” It was an unromantic apprenticeship, but one that instilled even more respect for the craft.
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Designer, Anamika Khanna; Necklace & Rings, House of Tuhina; Footwear, Signature Sole

As an Indian musician born in the West, did Jonita face struggles unique to her? I pose the question, somewhat pointed. “Yes, absolutely,” she deadpans. “There’s often an identity crisis that comes with straddling two worlds.” She speaks candidly of the pressure to “fit in,” where one’s level of ethnicity is constantly under scrutiny, while still embracing the lived reality with a quiet sense of pride. “Navigating authenticity can be challenging, but I’ve come to see it as a strength — representing a blended identity that resonates with many across the world.”

(SELF) DISCOVERY

Despite the early immersion, music was not always the obvious career path. Jonita went on to earn a degree in Health Science and Business in 2012. Did she see a future in the field or was it merely the expected, safe choice, I ask her. “I’ve always been curious about health, the human body, and how systems work, and business felt like a practical direction.” Music, however, kept pulling her back. She further expresses how choosing career paths that allowed music to coexist as more than a hobby led to opportunities she couldn’t refuse. “I realised music wasn’t just something I loved, it was something I couldn’t imagine not doing.”
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Designer, Mishru; Jewellery, Araiya by Aza

I recall the Bollywood renditions that played a pivotal role in Jonita’s discovery as I watch her pose gracefully atop an elevated reflective prop, (her stage for the day) dressed in a lime green Mishru embroidered corset-skirt set, paired with a sparkling ruby Araiya by Aza necklace. As a teenager, Jonita also auditioned for Canadian Idol, but it was her YouTube covers of Pani Da Rang and Tum Hi Ho that went viral in 2009. “Not many people know this, but I’ve had minimal training in music throughout my life. Whatever I’ve gathered has been through experience. It challenges you in very different ways,” she admits. Soon after, in 2011, she performed alongside Sonu Nigam at a Michael Jackson tribute concert — a watershed event that kickstarted her journey as a playback singer.
Not many people know this, but I’ve had minimal training in music throughout my life. Whatever I’ve gathered has been through experience.
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Designer, Ritika Mirchandani; Earring, Shillpa Purii & Sakshi Patel Jewellery; Ring, House of Tuhina; Footwear, Sephyr

THE RISE

After Jonita’s official Bollywood debut in 2013 with Chennai Express, her ascent in Bollywood was steady rather than meteoric. Yes, her voice became a familiar presence across some of Hindi cinema’s most significant albums, with an enviable roster of composers in her repertoire. From Brahmastra to Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahaani, and from A.R. Rahman to Pritam and Amit Trivedi. However, what distinguishes Jonita is not just the scale of her work but its linguistic and stylistic breadth.

Much like Jonita’s music choices on set today: her hype song Monalisa by Lojay, Chris Brown’s Marry Me, and Vazhiyiraen from the Tamil film Madharaasi — the pop star’s body of work reflects a deep passion for her craft, defined by range. Our musical muse has recorded predominantly in Hindi, Urdu, Tamil, and Telugu. Mastering dialects, she explains, is an unhurried process, not rooted in phonetics alone. “It takes a lot of listening, patience, and respect. I work closely with composers, native speakers, and lyricists, focusing on pronunciation, emotion, and cultural context.” And that’s how she moves fluidly between genres without sounding like a visitor in any space.
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Designer, Aza X Shilpa Shetty Kundra; Ring, House of Tuhina

VITAL INFORMATION

It’s a visually lush sight before us — Jonita humming passionately to the Carnatic notes of an A.R. Rahman classic, wrapped in a royal blue Banarasi saree by designer Ekaya, with a backdrop that resembles the Northern Lights. From opening for Coldplay to selling out her tour tickets, Jonita has emerged as a compelling live performer off the studio floor. What does one have to do to achieve a pop icon’s vitality, I wonder out loud. Perhaps, it includes swapping your carbs for a chicken caesar salad at lunch or getting your happy hormones through music and movement, instead of indulgence. An assumption I made based on Jonita’s choices today. She titters, “Honestly, I’m on the road a lot, so eating consistently healthy can be a bit of a challenge. But I try my best to keep a healthy balance.”
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Designer, Ekaya; Jewellery, Araiya by Aza
I have a trainer who keeps motivating me to hit the gym, but I love getting my cardio through dance.

Movement, however, is integral to Jonita’s fitness. Inspired by Madhuri Dixit, she taught herself Bollywood choreography as a child but today dance is more than a hobby. “I have a trainer who keeps motivating me to hit the gym, but I love getting my cardio through dance.” As an active student who played badminton and volleyball, her relationship with fitness is inherent and not prescriptive. “Next, I want to work on my skills on the padel and pickle court. I’ve just started playing and I’d love to get better.”

LOOKING AHEAD

Jonita’s musical ambitions are clear and anchored in expansion. New music, new collaborations and unexplored creative avenues all lie ahead. Speaking of sonic collaborations, today Jonita has quite a few under her belt with A.R. Rahman. But it wasn’t long ago that she fangirled over him, like you and I would, when the virtuoso tweeted about her. “I couldn’t believe he even knew of my existence. I still think back to that day and remember how surreal it felt,” she recalls.
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Designer, Seema Gujral; Jewellery, Araiya by Aza

Clad in a mirror-and-sequin Seema Gujral lehenga, she’s stretched across three props under the photographer’s creative direction. “If they don’t use these images, I’ll never see them!” She quips and then slips back into pose. Even on set, there are unmissable signs of an overachiever at work. It’s no wonder that at this stage of her career, Jonita finds herself drawn to the architecture behind the music as much as the melody itself. “I’ve been interested in improving my songwriting from a storytelling perspective and understanding music production better.”
I’ve been interested in improving my songwriting from a storytelling perspective and understanding music production better.

AZA X JONITA WRAPPED

Before we retire for the day, Jonita leaves us with a final gift — a performance of her song Beparwai. “Thanks to you and your parents,” she tells the team. As the applause fades and the lights dim, what remains is not merely a voice, but an artist shaping her future with clarity and confidence.
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