Singer-songwriter Sona Mohapatra, in her own words, has been “one of the few artists” who has stayed independent. “I believe I am one of those who have always believed in releasing my own original music regularly outside of film songs.I came to the conclusion long ago that as long as I keep connecting with my audience in an authentic way, keep updating my repertoire and [keep] working on my skills, I’ll be able to stay connected to the artist within and the audiences,” she says.
Her will to stay independent and release music on her own terms, is what probably gave her an edge over other musicians, at a time like this, when live shows dried up and releasing music was the only way for an artiste to stay relevant.
“My releases during the pandemic were even possible because I have set up a team, infrastructure and chain of distribution in place much earlier and don’t count on the music labels to remain relevant,” she says.
“Considering the audiences like to listen to all music for free in India and music royalties are a pipe dream for musicians, the stage is our only means of livelihood.The entire live performance industry has taken a massive hit due to the pandemic and I too was forced to slow down and re-calibrate,” says Mohapatra who has released 11 songs in a span of eight months, ever since Lockdown was implemented in the country by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March.