By Jemimah D’Souza | Opening Doorz Editorial | April 06, 2025
Kareena Dholakia is a 19-year-old singer who has devoted herself to her new and thriving career in music. She recently released her second single ‘Bechainiyaan’ (March 31, 2025), following her debut ‘Forever’ (July 05, 2024). She now aspires to carve a niche for herself in the music industry, as a voice to be reckoned with.
For the recently released Netflix film, Nadaaniyan, starring Khushi Kapoor and Ibrahim Ali Khan, Kareena Dholakia was part of the backing vocals. “It was a thrilling experience,” reveals Kareena, who is pursuing her Bachelor’s in Arts via correspondence.
Trained in Hindustani classical singing by Usha Deshpande, Hindustani light by Jharna Vyas, and voice culture by Shannon Donald, Kareena Dholakia aspires to ensure she gives it her best shot in her chosen profession. Recently, she shared the stage with India’s renowned singer Manasi Scott at the ‘Manasi Scott Experience’ at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) and performed a few original remixes along with Prisha Aneja and Bhrigu Parashar.
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“It felt very unreal and overwhelming in a good way. There were a lot of things for me to juggle throughout that month, but as soon as I entered NMACC, I forgot about all of that. I can’t explain that particular feeling, but it felt like I was always meant to do this,” shares Kareena Dholakia, speaking of her experience performing on a world-class stage.
Kareena Dholakia, who has an impressive vocal range and voice modulation, spoke with Opening Doorz about her journey in music and plans following the positive reviews for Bechainiyan.
Excerpts:
When and by whom were you introduced to singing?
I was introduced to singing at age five, primarily through nursery rhymes. As a child, I started singing in the bathroom, and my mom heard me. She realised that I was singing in tune and that my voice sounded melodious. Because of this, she decided to enroll me in singing classes.
At what age did you realise that you wanted to make singing a career option?
I think I’ve always known it at the back of my mind. In Grade IV, I thought I wanted to be a playback singer. However, at age 16, I realised that singing and songwriting are what I wanted to do.
Have you written the lyrics and also composed the music for Bechainiyaan?
No, this is a joint venture. The lyrics were written by Shreya Sharma. My teacher, Shannon Donald, and I worked together to compose the music for the song. The lyricist also contributed a bit to the music composition. The song was produced by Yohan Marshall.
And what has been the response to the song from your inner circle of family and friends?
It’s been good. It was released just a week ago, and a lot of people are telling me that they are listening to it on loop and they’ve made their family and friends listen to it.
Do you have any particular genre that you like the most?
I think I love singing old Bollywood music. So, what I sing on stage is probably like new Bollywood or English songs. But whenever I’m sitting in my room alone to unwind, I sing a lot of Taylor Swift songs. I also go back to a lot of 90s Bollywood music.
Since you have consciously decided to pursue music as a career, has your daily routine changed in any way?
Yes, it has a lot, because I finally feel the freedom of not having to write exams that I would have had to do if I were in college. Since I am doing a Correspondence course, I don’t need to do any regular assignments and that gives me a lot of quality time to focus on my music.
In a way, it’s just a lot more freedom and a lot more fun. But at the same time, there’s also a clear distinction between when I’m singing for work and when I’m singing to unwind. In that sense, my schedule has been kind of hectic and not hectic depending on how much work I have on hand, and how much work comes my way.
Were there any challenges you faced while composing/releasing your singles?
My first song took a long time. And I was just getting familiar with the process of melody, songwriting, editing, and producing. Even the release process was a big challenge.
Then for the release of Bechainiyaan, we got into a creative block. I kept on trying to come back to the song, and I just couldn’t figure out a chorus. We were stuck on that for a long time. Finally, we were able to tweak the song a bit and get things right.
The release process can be overwhelming, especially when you’re stuck to a deadline and you want to get it done on time. Even the marketing aspect takes a good chunk of your time. It is a challenging process, but in the long run, it’s quite fun and fruitful.
What are your dreams and goals for your music career?
I want to be a singer/songwriter, and at some point in time, also get into playback singing. Besides that, I want to try my hand at Jingles for Ads. I recently did backing vocals for the movie Nadaaniyan released on Netflix. That whole experience was thrilling. I want to build a big fan base. I also foresee myself travelling across cities and countries performing ‘live’.
Finally, how did performing with Manasi Scott on a world-class platform at NMAAC feel?
It felt very unreal and overwhelming in a good way. There were a lot of things for me to juggle throughout that month, but as soon as I entered NMACC, I forgot about all of that. I can’t explain that feeling, but it felt like I was always meant to do this. Being on that stage felt like home to me.
Image Credit: Kareena Dholakia
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