Singer-Songwriter Celina Sharma On Her New EP ‘Chapter 2’ And Finding Her Own Voice In Global Pop

Twenty-four-year-old singer-songwriter Celina Sharma, who rose to fame through viral TikTok hit ‘24/7’ alongside Harris J which amassed over 200 million streams, recently released her first cross-generational partnership with a new single Centre of Peace, featuring celebrated vocalist Sonu Nigam taken from her sophomore EP, ‘Chapter 2’ which she claims is a more personal and honest side of her music.

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With Indian, Italian and Maltese descent, Sharma who moved from Australia to London at age 16 to pursue her music career full-time, was the youngest artist at age 17 on the BBC Asian Network Future Sounds list. Her debut single Lean On, her 2021 EP ‘CeCe’, co-writing the track Nach Mera Hero for Marvel film ‘Eternals’, gave the singer instant recognition.

In an exclusive interview with The Free Press Journal she talks about her 18-month-old project ‘Chapter 2’, her Indian roots, collaborating with Sonu Nigam and future plans.

Excerpts from the interview:

You started singing very young and moved from Sydney to London at 16 to pursue music. Looking back, what was it that made you take that leap so early in life?

I always felt that music was what I wanted to do. From a young age, I was singing, performing and expressing myself through music. Moving from Sydney to London at 16 was a huge decision, but I was young enough to follow my instincts rather than overthink it. London gave me the chance to challenge myself and get closer to the music industry. Looking back, it was a leap of faith, but it taught me that when you truly believe in something, you have to be willing to step out of your comfort zone and go for it.

Your journey has taken you from posting covers online to working with major artists and reaching audiences across the world. At what point did you realise that music could actually become your career?

There wasn’t one single moment, it happened gradually. I started posting covers online simply because I loved music, and then people began sharing and connecting with me from around the world. When cricketer Chris Gayle shared one of my videos, it suddenly exposed my music to an audience I could never have reached on my own. It showed me the power of social media and gave me the confidence to keep going. It gave me confidence because suddenly people were discovering my music who had no idea who I was.

How important has your Indian heritage been in shaping you as an artist, particularly when you are writing or deciding what kind of music you want to make?

Indian music and culture have always been a huge part of my life, and there’s something about the emotion and storytelling in Indian music that I’ve always connected with. I’ve grown up listening to many different genres, so I don’t want to feel restricted by one particular sound. I love taking elements of my Indian identity and putting them into contemporary pop and music that feels global. For me, my EP ‘Chapter 2’ is a good example of that. It feels more connected to who I am as a person, rather than me trying to fit myself into what people might expect a South Asian artist to sound like.

You recently collaborated with Sonu Nigam for the song Centre of Peace from your EP ‘Chapter 2’, an artiste you grew up listening to. What was going through your mind the first time you heard his voice on Centre of Peace and how was it collaborating with him?

Honestly, it was surreal. Sonu Nigam is someone I grew up listening to, so hearing his voice on a song that I had created was one of those moments where I had to take a step back and realise how incredible the journey has been. Centre of Peace is a very personal song for me because it’s about finding peace when you feel lost, finding that place within yourself where you feel grounded. Having Sonu’s voice on it gave the song another level of emotion. I feel incredibly honoured that he connected with the song enough to be part of it. Working with him was also a huge learning experience for me.

Celina Sharma and Sonu Nigam- Wembley Arena Show Images

What did you learn from watching Sonu Nigam approach the song as a singer and artiste?

I learnt so much watching him work. His understanding of his voice and the emotion he brings to every line showed me that singing is not just about hitting the right notes, but about understanding what you are saying and making someone feel something when they hear it. That’s something I want to carry into my own music.

With your five track EP ‘Chapter 2’, you have spoken about becoming more vulnerable and personal in your songwriting. Tell us more about what the title ‘Chapter 2’ means to you?

Chapter 2 marks a new beginning for me. I genuinely feel like I’m entering a different stage of my life and my career. With my first EP, CECE, I was still discovering myself as an artist. I was learning what kind of music I wanted to make and how I wanted people to see me. Now, I feel more confident and ready to show people the person behind the music — my experiences, struggles and what brings me happiness and peace. That vulnerability is probably the biggest difference with this project. There are five songs in Chapter 2, and I think of them as five different pieces of my journey. The EP’s five songs reflect different parts of my journey, each inspired by real emotions, experiences and people who have shaped who I am today. So although they each have their own sound and story, they all connect to where I am in my life right now.

You worked with Emiway Bantai on Lean On blending pop with Indian hip-hop, how did the collaboration happen and did it change your musical identity?

Working with Emiway was really exciting because it brought two different musical worlds together. I’ve always loved the idea of collaboration because you can take something from another artist’s world and bring it into your own. Lean On showed me that I didn’t have to choose between different sides of my musical identity. I could be a pop artist while still embracing Indian sounds, culture and artists from different parts of the Indian music scene.

If you could collaborate with any Indian artiste today — purely on musical instinct, rather than popularity — who would you choose?

I would love to try something with the Punjabi folk sound next. I’ve done hip hop, I’ve done Bollywood, now I feel like doing something different.

What other projects are you working on?

Chapter 2 is just the beginning. I’m already exploring new sounds, collaborations and creative avenues beyond just releasing music. I want to build a world around the artist and the music, visually, creatively and culturally. For now, I want the EP to connect with people and let them discover this more personal side of me. I’m excited to see where it takes me next.

You have a mix of cultures, - Indian, Italian and Maltese roots, along with your life in Australia and the UK, how have they influenced your music?

I think having such a multicultural background has made me naturally open to different sounds, cultures and ways of expressing yourself. Growing up in Australia and then moving to the UK exposed me to very different musical environments, while my Indian, Italian and Maltese heritage has always been an important part of who I am. I don’t necessarily sit down and think, “I need to put all these cultures into this song.” I think they naturally come through in the way I hear music and the stories I want to tell.

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Having experienced the music industry from such a young age, what is one lesson you wish you had known when you released your first song?

I wish I had understood earlier that you don’t have to rush. When you’re young, you can feel like everything needs to happen immediately, the next song, the next opportunity, the next milestone. But music is a long-term journey. I’ve learnt that it’s much more important to build something that genuinely represents you than to constantly worry about what everyone else is doing. I’d also tell my younger self not to be afraid of evolving. You’re allowed to change your sound, your image and your perspective. That doesn’t mean you’re losing your identity, it means you’re growing.

How has your artistry evolved since your debut EP CECE? How different is it from ‘Chapter 2?’

I think the biggest evolution is confidence. When I made CECE, I was still figuring out who I was as an artist. There was a lot of excitement, but also a lot of uncertainty. With Chapter 2, I feel much more intentional. I know what I want to say and I’m much less afraid of showing different sides of myself. CECE was about introducing myself as an artist. Chapter 2 is about reintroducing myself as a person and showing people who I’m becoming.

Featuring five tracks, take us down to each track from ‘Chapter 2’ and the lyrical meaning and thought process of it and what each song means to you.

24 Hours Away opens the project and is probably one of the most personal songs on it. It’s inspired by my experience of moving from Sydney to London alone when I was 16 to pursue music. Centre of Peace is about finding peace when you feel lost. For me, my relationship with God is a huge part of that, but I also find peace through my family, my friends and through music. The song was originally written in English around my relationship with God, but we reworked elements of it to connect more strongly with my Indian heritage, including recording it in Mumbai with traditional Indian instrumentation. Dear Mama is a tribute to my mum and everything she has done for me. I Made This Song For You is probably one of the most vulnerable songs on the EP. It deals with grief and loss and the process of learning how to live when someone who was important to you is no longer there. And then Another Life closes the EP. It’s a deeper and more emotional record about separation, loss and the idea of hopefully being reunited with someone in another life. When you put all five songs together, they feel like a snapshot of where I am emotionally and creatively right now. It’s probably the first time I’ve allowed people to see so many different sides of me in one project, the ambition, the faith, the gratitude, the grief and the vulnerability. That’s really what Chapter 2 means to me.

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