Shreya Sharma didn’t believe that her first commercial song, The Doorbeen’s Prada, had become a smash hit till it reached 10 million views. The crooner enthuses, “First, I didn’t believe that Alia Bhatt herself was going to be in the video till I saw her giving the first take. Then only after the song crossed the 10-million mark, did it sink in that this was happening. It’s so surreal!” That’s not all. She hasn’t stopped adding ‘I sang Prada’ when introducing herself. “It’s like throwing your resume on the table but it feels great,” she giggles. 

The singer has so far only released covers of popular songs on her YouTube channel, and her first pop outing has been a massive hit. But when she sang the scratch, Lamberghini had just released and no one knew the Doorbeen were on to something so big. “We were just having fun making Prada and I didn’t think it would be at this level where Alia would be in the video and Bosco Martis would work on it. When I was introduced to Onkar Singh and Baba, I just clicked with them. I heard the song and thought it was fresh and fun, so, I did it,” Shreya tells us. 

The roaring success of Lamberghini also made her sceptical that Prada would be received so well because the audience doesn’t always respond positively to something experimental after a tried-and-tested offering. “You can never tell with listeners. So, I was nervous, despite what anyone said when they heard the track,” she reasons.

About lending her voice to Alia, she says, “I was so starstruck when I met her for the first time. Actually, I was extremely nervous then and also while doing the behind-the-scenes interview with her. She could see that and put me at ease. There was a moment in the interview where she just held my hand. And it was so calming.” For the artiste, seeing the Raazi actress’s work ethic and professionalism was inspiring. “I saw her jamming to the song,” says Shreya, for whom the track is extra special because the actress has debuted in the music video space with her voice. 

Apart from opening many doors for her, a humongous track like Prada for a debut must also put pressure on her to up the ante with her forthcoming songs, we ask. She replies, “It’s not really a pressure; I enjoy the challenge.

But, I have always been mindful of the quality of what I release even on my channel. For me, the true test is whether I would like to listen to it as an audience. Even if there’s a bit of a flaw, I work on it.” She believes now that she has a certain audience, it will give her a chance to experiment.  

Of course, she would love as an artist to sing for Alia in films but who else is on her wish list? “Deepika Padukone, Taapsee Pannu, whom I  loved in Nach lena (Dil Junglee). I feel Sonakshi Sinha’s personality always shows through in any music video that she does,” Shreya points out. As for composers, AR Rahman. Vishal-Shekhar and Salim-Sulaiman also figure on her list. She tells us that in the non-film space, she’d like to collaborate with Sukriti-Prakriti as she loved their single, Maafiyan and Lisa Mishra of Tareefan fame.

Shreya is currently working on a wedding song since it’s going to be the shaadi season soon. “I’m thinking of doing a romantic and soft one and another peppy and fun number. One of them is a remake and the other one an original,” says the singer who would like to explore the electronica and trippy genre as an artiste.