Jonita Gandhi was sure she'd ‘never have sex' in her life; singer opens up about childhood insecurities and body image issues
Singer Jonita Gandhi has made a name for herself in the industry, elegantly balancing her independent career with big-time collaborations. The opened for megastar Ed Sheeran and was featured on the soundtrack of the Netflix show The Royals. As the 'Sitara' singer continues to release new music and perform at live shows in front of thousands of people, she revealed in a recent interview that she wasn't always this confident about putting herself out there.
Jonita opened up about her childhood and shared how she faced a lot of racism while growing up. 'I used to get a lot of racist comments about my facial hair while growing up. They used to call me Godzilla, and even the Punjabi boys in my class would make fun of me.' She added that she couldn't understand why people from the same background were also treating her like an outsider.
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The singer admitted that the insecurities that she developed as a child spilt over into many different aspects of her life as well. She said, 'Growing up I was convinced that I was never going to have sex because of the same issues. I couldn't accept my own body; how can someone else accept it? I still have some of those issues; I still avoid swimming sometimes, but music made it better. I feel like I am the ugly duckling who became the swan.'
After making a name for herself in Canada, Jonita moved to India to start a new chapter of her life, which, according to the singer, had its own unique challenges. 'By the time I came to India, I had the glow-up and I had the transformation, and suddenly I was the 'cute' girl. People used to think initially that just because I am a 'firang' or foreigner, I am somehow easy.' Jonita added that after encountering situations like that, she ended up meeting a lot of people who made her feel credible and gave her the feeling that 'no one could mess' with her.
Jonita's discography is growing with each passing year, and her latest single, 'Beparwahi', became available for streaming on June 13.
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