To Mahima Sogani, who started out as an actor with Inside Edge and Dhokha Round D Corner (2022), shifting gears to music is not exactly a career leap. Exploring singing felt like “opening a new room in the same house” to the artiste, who recently released her maiden album, Shuru Se Shuru Karein. The album, she says, is born out of her one-woman storytelling performance, The Mahima Sogani Show. “When it’s just you, your voice, and your story, there’s nothing else to hide behind. That simplicity makes the experience powerful,” she reflects.

In the early days of her musical career, Sogani has attempted different genres to bring forth varied stories and poetries. Ask her to distil her voice into three words, and she says, “Playful, rooted, vulnerable.” Playful because it sneaks into unexpected genres; rooted as it carries the essence of her home state Rajasthan. “Vulnerable because honesty seeps through, and that’s the only way a voice can touch someone,” she explains.