Raveena Mehta is an Indian-British Singer and Songwriter. She recently performed at Cannes Film Festival Red Carpet Fashion Week.
Read more about her singing, her journey and her milestones.
Walk us through your journey so far ie. From Belgium to Mumbai
It has been an absolutely beautiful and rewarding journey so far. I was born in Belgium in 1997 in a small, quaint town called Antwerp. My childhood in Antwerp was sweet, suburban, surrounded by family and close friends. In 2008, I moved to Mumbai, India with my nuclear family. It was one of the most pivotal times for me, I was a naïve 11 year old, starting fresh in a new city; very different to anything I had experienced before.
I went from studying at a small British School which was 90% Indian (and to be more specific, Gujarati due to the large Jain community) in Antwerp, to moving to Mumbai and studying at the American School of Bombay which was a much larger, international and extremely diverse.
This paradox was interesting to me, being exposed to an individualistic culture in a collectivistic environment when I lived in Mumbai, and a collectivistic culture when I lived in an individualistic environment in Belgium. It is interesting how the formation of communities for those who immigrate outside of India, leaves a lasting impact on the way Indian values are adhered to. For me, it was fascinating to see social and cultural dynamics, where I felt more Indian when I lived outside of India, possibly because I was more aware of my ‘Indian-ness’ and the importance of adhering to Indian norms and values. This move has always been one of the greatest things to happen to me, as it allowed me to consider my cultural identity and the way it informs who I am today.
What was your first milestone? And how did you get there?
A major milestone was working with Tiger Shroff on Casanova Acoustic which was an incredible experience. I had worked with Avitesh Shrivastav on our song Yaadein in the past, and we work on a lot of music together – He was also the music director and composer for Casanova and reached out to me to work on a demo, as they wanted to create a male/female acoustic version of the song – and the rest is history! All of us got into the studio right after and created Casanova Acoustic.
Do you have any advice for someone who wants to enter the industry?
Consistency is key, stay true to who you are and keep your goals clear. I think one of the biggest things I’ve learned is that if you really want to pursue music you need to believe in yourself. Self-belief is everything.
What is your advice to someone who feels they’re being under-compensated for their work?
I would say patience is part of the process, especially if you think you could grow a log as an artist where you’re working however, it is equally important to know your worth and know when to have the conversation.
For the latest updates, follow her on Social Media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raveenamehtaofficial/?hl=en
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/RaveenaMusic
Website: www.raveenamehta.com
