Avishi Jain dreams of carving a niche as a singer in New Zealand. The 13-year-old Kiwi-Indian took a step closer to achieving her ambition as she won a singing contest on the radio despite being the youngest contestant.
The teenager told The Indian Weekender, "I have been singing since kindergarten. My mother used to post my video songs on YouTube, which were liked by many. My first song on YouTube was when I was five years old. Both my elder sister Rashi and I have been deeply interested in music since we were young. We learned classical Indian vocal music around five years ago when we were in India. Ever since we moved here in 2019 from Delhi, we have been studying music at school.”
A Year Nine student at Westkale Girls High School in North Shore, she reveals that apart from Hindi and English, she likes Korean music. “Although I love singing songs of Shreya Ghoshal, Monali Thakur, Palak Muchhal, Arijit Singh and Armaan Malik, I like challenging myself with new genres because I believe in competing with myself rather than anyone else,” she says.
She says her journey in the radio competition has been nothing short of a rollercoaster. “The success I have attained is not only mine but my family's. In the history of 14 years of Tarana Idol, I am highly honoured to be the youngest winner. It has opened horizons for me as a budding singer. I have learned heaps from this competition, and look forward to learning more. In the future, I aspire to keep following my love and passion for music as an artist,” she says.
The teenager is interested not just in music but also painting and sketching. She says she has won accolades at several art competitions in India and New Zealand.
She lives with her family in Forrest Hill.
When asked about her journey from India, she says, "Be it India or New Zealand, I enjoyed the schooling on either side. Coming here, meeting new people, and making new friends have been exciting parts of my journey. One thing that hasn't changed from India to NZ to date is my bonding with my family, as we make sure to spend some good quality time with each other every night. Overall, It has been a wonderful journey with new people, new study patterns and new schools,” she says.
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