Running the rat race and struggling through the chores, is for the ordinary. Stars are born with the lords special gift, of making things happen. A young girl in New Zealand dreams of becoming a Bollywood singer and the melody in her voice has taken her many a step closer to that dream.
Singer and Radio Tarana RJ Shirley Setia, needs no introduction, her voice is her identity, or so a popular Lata song goes.
Shirley, a 20-something, Indian girl, living in Auckland has harboured a passion for singing, and has been making waves on various social media platforms with people getting enamoured by her voice.
Currently, a student at the University of Auckland, studying B.Com, she works part time as a Radio Jockey on Radio Tarana. Her own show ‘Showtime with Shirley’ airs on Sundays between 1- 4:30pm, on the channel.
On speaking to the shy and dreamy eyed Shirley, she said, “I really wish to become a playback singer in the Bollywood industry. I will hopefully make it big, I will, one day sing my way there.”
Taking small steps in her direction, Shirley recorded an original song along with Abhas Joshi (of Star Voice of India, fame) and Shreyas Joshi.
I have been doing various Bollywood cover videos on YouTube for a year now. In this period, I have gained over 22, 000 subscribers on YouTube, 23,000 likes on Facebook and close to 4,000 more on Twitter, she added.
Shirley, ranks amongst the Top 100, in the ‘Most Subscribed’ channels list in New Zealand, when last checked she was climbing the ladder at number 60. (Most subscribed NZ channels: http://vidstatsx.com/youtube-top-100-most-subscribed-new-zealand-nz-channels)
She was invited by YouTube as a ‘YouTube Creator’ to attend an event named Nokia Music Connects, held in Mumbai in November. She was only one of 4 people invited, and only one from outside of India.
Her cover version of the song ‘Tum Hi Ho...’ was selected by T-Series, the music label, as one of the winners of their worldwide held competition on YouTube. The cover now has close to 1million views on YouTube.
Her cover of the song ‘Manmarziyan...’, a personal favourite, was recognised and appreciated by Lootera movie's official twitter page and also by T-Series.
Many of her other covers have also been acknowledged by the label, over their social media platforms. They have shared the song covers for the listener to hear.
Her recent cover for the song ‘Baarish...’ also featured on YouTube India. The cover has done well in a very short span of time.
She has also performed on various platforms like the ‘Rock On’ event organised and managed by UA International, a charity concert; with a band called 'Indigenous', here in Auckland.
Among other notable recognition her cover for the song ‘Tera chehra...” was recognised and appreciated by Adnan Sami, the original singer of the song, on Twitter.
She will be performing in the cross-over event ‘Nasha’, to be held in May, this year here in Auckland.
A young girls dreams being put on the backburner, is a story of the old, now woman all over are multi-tasking and leaving an indelible mark on their chosen fields of work. Rising singer Shirley Setia is one of those voices that will find her way to your heart.
Watch out Shirley is here to sing her way to stardom.
To be able to enjoy Shirley Setia’s music do visit her YouTube channel, and subscribe to her other pages to give wings to this budding talent:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/shirleysetia
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shirleysetiamusic
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShirleySetia