'I am at an age where I can handle pressure'

For Shalmali Kholgade, the last few months have been extremely 'happening'. The singer, who made her debut with 'Pareshaan', has since then delivered hits like 'Daaru Desi', 'Agabai' and more recently, 'Lat Lag Gayee', which is on everyone's lips these days.

But the modest singer says she was not expecting the awards and accolades that have come her way.

She says, `I have had the habit of keeping expectations at a bare minimum for a long time now. 'Pareshaan' is a beautiful song and I have been the lucky one to have had the chance to sing it. I didn't have awards in mind while recording it.` In a light-hearted chat, Shalmali tells CS about dealing with pressures and lessons learnt:

Pressure situations
I am extremely bogged down by the sudden limelight and expectations born out of the same. Some of it is positive, some not so much. I definitely do feel a lot more responsible now. I have become overly critical of my music and everything that surrounds it.

For every off day, I feel like I cannot spare myself; that I will let so many down, I will let myself down. The pressure is immense. But I am at an age where I can handle it and I am looking forward to it.

Quirky interests
Within Bollywood, I look forward to working with new music directors. I just recorded a very quirky track for a Marathi film with music director Atif Afsal.

These are the kind of things that excite me the most, and I hope interesting work comes my way. More importantly, I look forward to starting work on my album seriously. Since I love Western musical styles, the songs I will write would have those leanings.

Lessons learnt
Haha! Thankfully, there have been no bad experiences. But yes, a lot of lessons have been learnt - Don't offer too much help, don't believe everything everyone says, better now than later, etc. I am learning everyday as I meet newer people.

Cause and effect!
Five years from now, I see myself doing a lot of fund raiser shows for a lot of causes in our country that need contributions from the entertainment industry. I see myself doing big elaborate stage shows which would be like musicals, scripted and executed to perfection.

It is my dream to create a spectacle of song and dance for the audience. I also want to sing at big festivals all over the world that attract crowds in many many thousands!