'Not just a pretty face': Elnaaz Norouzi on singing, global identity, and starring in 'Masti 4'
The actress marked the start of her music journey with La La Love in 2022, but her latest release, My Stupid Heart, written by legendary songwriter Billy Steinberg (whose credits include Madonna's Like a Virgin), truly felt like a personal moment.
'When Billy handed me the lyrics in LA, I really resonated with it. I've been that girl—falling in love with the wrong people, again and again,' she says in a chat with City Times. 'So when I read the lyrics, I was like 'this is the song I got to do and I really sound good in it.''
Music and acting
My Stupid Heart dropped via her personal YouTube channel and has, so far, amassed over 364k views. 'I love doing things that I'm good at and it makes me proud. It just shows that I am capable of doing multiple things and not just one thing,' she says. 'Modelling led to acting, acting to dance, and then I discovered I have a voice that I can use to sing. So I started taking vocal training and working on my voice.'
She's proud of the journey—and the hustle. She adds: "I want to show the world that I'm capable and that I'm not just a pretty face."
Recording wasn't without its anxiety. Elnaaz is almost always very stressed in her headspace before a recording session. "It's like how it was at the beginning of my acting career," she says. "For warm-ups now, I sit with my vocal coach and we go through the song. Then, I walk into the studio with her and tell her—hold my hand, let's do this. That's the only way."
The payoff? A wave of genuine fan appreciation. 'People kept saying, 'Wait, is that really your voice?' That's what matters most. Not the numbers. Not the hype. Just the fact that they heard something real.'
She's not stopping anytime soon either. She says, 'I have an EP, almost six songs ready! I just need to find time. Right now I'm busy filming Masti 4, but more music is coming.'
Norouzi's latest screen turn in The Traitors on Amazon Prime showed a whole new side of her: sharp, strategic, and raw. 'It wasn't fun—it was tough,' she says. 'Sleepless nights, nonstop brain work, no bonding on set. You're alone, always strategising.'
But the payoff was worth it. 'It gave me the chance to show people I'm smart. That I speak Hindi. That I'm not just pretty. It was one of the hardest thing I've done—and one of the best decisions of my life.'
On the flip side, Masti 4 has been all laughter and joy. 'I've always wanted to do comedy. I had a taste of it with Hello Charlie, but this—this is different. I feel like here I am actually getting the opportunity to show my comic timing,' she says.
'And opposite Riteish Deshmukh? He's a dream to work with. I adore him and his family. I'm genuinely so happy on this set.'
According to reports, the film is expected to release in India later this year.
There's more in the pipeline, including a 'really, really big song' for a major Bollywood film, dropping later this summer. 'I just hope people groove to it the way I did—because my knee didn't survive those dance moves!'
A global artist in a local industry
Navigating the Indian entertainment space hasn't been easy for the multilingual artist. 'You're trying to find your way but are mostly being put in one place. I'm Iranian, German, working in India, singing, acting, dancing—it's a lot to explain,' she says. 'But that's who I am. I'm versatile, and I'm learning to use that as a strength.'
She recalls the strange feeling of acting in her native Farsi for the first time—on Apple TV+'s Tehran. 'I've always acted in Hindi, my fifth language," she says. "Suddenly doing a role in Farsi felt like a shocker.'
But the toughest gig? 'A Telugu film (Devil). I didn't know the language at all. Way harder than Punjabi, which I at least tried to learn.'
With all that she juggles, one might wonder—would she ever give up acting for music?
'No,' she answers instantly. 'Acting is my life. I am starting to enjoy music more now than ever before, but without acting, there would be no Elnaaz.'
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