‘I’m really not overambitious’-Meenal

Upcoming singer Meenal Jain tells Deepali Dhingra that her struggle for success is not a desperate one

One might recall Meenal Jain's name from Indian Idol 2, where this young girl from Indore sung her way into judges' hearts and emerged one of the finalists. But Meenal wasn't happy being just that — she knew she was meant for bigger stuff. "I feel I'm a blessed child of God. I didn't know anyone from the music field professionally when I came to Mumbai ten years back. And here I am today, with my debut album," she says with a proud smile playing on her lips. Meenal received her tutelage from Guruji Shri Manohar Rai Krishna Kalle and has also learnt music from Suresh Wadkar. And although she couldn't win Indian Idol 2, Meenal says that she learnt a lot from the show. "It was four months of hardcore training and we learnt how to give our best in the worst conditions," she adds. But participating in the show is not her only claim to fame. Meenal has sung the title track for the film Kal and has recently lent her voice to a song from Ram Gopal Varma's forthcoming film Go. "It's a different high altogether when you sing at a big studio," she says. Talk veers around her first album and there's unmistakable pride in Meenal's voice. Mehram, which Meenal explains, is a term for somebody who you love but cannot possess, is a compilation of eight songs, sung in Sufi and soft rock form. "I wanted my first album to be melodious and something that I could do well in my capacity. That's when the music director Harpreet Singh suggested that we go with Sufi music. He made me listen to the music for Mehram and I immediately said yes!" she smiles. Explaining more about the album, she says, "The sound of Mehram is soothing on the ears. All the songs are on the same track and each track is beautiful." The music video for the title track Mehram is already on air and Meenal's already received a lot of compliments for it. But Meenal's not the kind who lets compliments go to her head. "After a reality show, one gets a lot of gigs initially but you need to balance things and not let it go to your head. I'm not overambitious. Even if I get six songs in a year, I want to do justice to them," she says. And is there any music director or singer she would like to work with? "I would like to work with everybody!" she laughs. "At this point in life, it's they who have a right to be choosy, not me." Didn't we say, she's not one to let compliments go to her head!