See Saloni Stand Proud in New Video for Women Empowerment

Recently, we caught up with U.K.-based Indo-British artist Saloni Boyina – who goes by her first name – and talked to her about her latest pop-leaning bi-lingual single “Chali Mein” that she wrote as an anthem for women empowerment, the music video she shot for the track, and more. Read excerpts below: 

What can you tell us about your early years? 

When I was younger, my family and I went to the south of Wales for Christmas, and someone asked me to sing a Christmas carol. In the midst of singing, my parents realized I actually had quite a good voice, and they were very surprised by this. From that day onwards, they put me into singing lessons, and that’s really where the journey began. Over the years, I have performed across the U.K. supporting legends such as S.P. Balasubramanyam, K.S Chitra and U.K. artists Arjun, Tasha Tah, Apache Indian and more. I had a strong Indian heritage that I kept under wraps. Carnatic music, Bharatanatyam, and general Bollywood, Tollywood music have heavily influenced me from a young age as I was brought up listening to it at home. So, I thought, why not combine my two influences? Over the last couple of years, my original music and remixes have a mix of eastern and western sounds to represent who I truly am and give other British Asians something to relate to. 

How would you describe your previous release “Legacy”? 

“Legacy” is the U.K.’s first English and Telugu original. It is a confident and uplifting representation of who I am, where I’m currently at and my ultimate mission. With elements of my mother tongue, Telugu, I hoped to spark the minds of any listener and popularize Telugu music within the western music scene.  

 What can you tell us about your new song “Chali Mein”? 

“Chali Mein” is a manifesto for all South Asian women. It’s a party track for every occasion with empowering lyrics and a memorable chorus. I speak on the need for us women to break barriers together, motivate one another and embrace the power of our femininity. It is a bi-lingual track featuring a catchy Hindi chorus as I embrace my roots. With a current sound, uplifting production, and an infectious beat, “Chali Mein” sets the tone for the perfect dancefloor hit.  

When my producer, Shaye, first sent me this beat, I knew it would be a banger! It’s a beat with elements of reggaeton, something different to what I usually do, which is what I loved most about it. We came up with a few melodies, and I thought, with such empowering beats and melodies, what could be a better theme than women empowerment? I then started co-writing the English lyrics with artist and sound engineer REVEAL, but I had writer’s block when it came to the chorus. A couple of weeks later, I sat down in Big Bounce Studios with Shaye, recorded the melodies and English lyrics in an hour, brainstormed ideas for the chorus, and came up with my catchiest chorus ever! I vocalized the chorus into the mic, and I kind of just wanted to leave it at that, it sounded so good. I sent the melodies and explained the theme of the track to my Hindi lyricist in India, Ritesh G Rao. He sent back some amazing lyrics, which I went straight into the studio to record. REVEAL, my mixing and mastering engineer, added some final touches to the production, and here we are.  

What was it like putting the video together and what can you tell me about your experience of shooting it? 

I think this is my best video to date, I was just amazed by how my music video vision board became a reality on the day. Weeks before the music video, I had a few calls to organize the outfits, jewelry and makeup looks. And, of course, dance rehearsals! My best friend, Aishwarya Jena, choreographed the dance and made sure I was top-notch before shoot day. I was the most organized I could’ve ever been for a shoot, but there were so many unexpected changes that were out of our hands on the day. Despite this, I stayed positive and soaked in every moment of it. Big ups to my video director, Murshed, for keeping the momentum going. Most of all, I couldn’t have gotten through it all without my mum. 

 What’s next for you? 

I’ve released three singles within the British Asian scene, and there are performances, collaborations and an album in the pipeline. I have two key missions: popularizing Telugu within the western music scene, and singing in 10 different South Asian languages, so I want to bring as much of this as possible into my original music. I hope my listeners can resonate with my music and I want to show the rest of the world the beauty of my culture through my eastern-western influenced music. 

Watch the music video for “Chali Mein” below: