The Indian Who Performed At Cannes!

She's been to the Cannes film festival four times.

But this is the first time 25-year-old Raveena Mehta has performed there.

The talented artiste was invited to sing at the Tiffany's fashion show that was hosted at the Hermitage Hotel, Monaco, as part of the festival this year.

And she charmed the audiences with classics like Whitney Houston's I Will Always Love You and Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On.

Talking about her experience, she says, "It was surreal. It's really beautiful when you see the kind of appreciation they have for the work we do here in India."

Watch: Raveena talks about Cannes 2022

All videos: Hitesh Harisinghani/Rediff.com

Raveena, who was born in Antwerp, Belgium, moved to Mumbai in 2008.

"Moving to Mumbai was the biggest blessing. That's where music became a definitive part of my life."

She released her debut album at the tender age of 12. Since then, Raveena has released two albums and six singles and has worked in over 15 music videos with various artistes like Tiger Shroff (Casanova), Avitesh Srivastava (Yaadein) and Rishi Rich (Jab Tu Hai Wahi).

Debuting at the age of 12

I started working on my first album, From Deep Within, when I was 11 years old.

It was released when I was 12 and that was a huge moment for me.

Doing something like this, or starting something early in life, changes how you grow and develop.

It has been a beautiful journey for me since then.

Managing my schedule

I used to learn music for two hours a day, four to five days a week.

I started with Sucheta Parte, who was my vocal guru from the time I was seven till I turned 14.

Then, I started training in Western classical and contemporary singing with Kim Chandler, who is based in Spain and London.

My parents supported me and pushed me to pursue my passion.

When that happens, even as a child, you start believing in yourself.

After school, I would finish my homework during the car rides to and back from the recording studios.

I would ensure my schoolwork didn't suffer because education is really important to me and to my family.

Yet, music was too big a passion to not give it my all.

Watch: Raveena sings Whitney's I Will Always Love You

What music means to me

Everything. Music means everything to me.

It's my tranquil space where I can keep discovering myself, keep innovating and keep evolving as a person and artiste.

It's lovely to be able to pursue what you love.

I really hope that everyone out there is pushing towards pursuing what they love because it's really rewarding.

Inspiration

I grew up listening to Whitney Houston, Diana Ross, Celine Dion, Shreya Ghoshal, Lata Mangeshkarji...

When I listen to their music, I just melt.

Just for you: Raveena sings Kaun Tujhe from M S Dhoni: The Untold Story.

Tiger Shroff and Casanova...

It was incredible!

Tiger is humble, hardworking and a lovely person to work with.

He's focused on being a better version of himself in every capacity and that's an incredible energy to be around.

He sings so well.

Avitesh and Yaadein...

I have worked a lot with Avi (Avitesh is the son of the late composer-singer Aadesh Shrivastava and actress-singer Vijeta Pandit; his uncles are the popular composers Jatin Pandit and Lalit Pandit).

He's a close friend; we've known each other for 10-11 years.

Working together is incredible because we understand each other's musical sensibilities.

There's a lot of Western-Eastern overlap in our sound; that's why it's fun to work together and jam in the studio.

Looking towards Bollywood

I have sung Tujhse Milne Ki Aas for Mini Films's new Ruskin Bond anthology, Falling In Love Again; this is a Web series that is partly directed by Mohit Suri. It should release mid-June.

Watch: A sneak peek into Tujhse Milne Ki Aas.

Fitness secrets

I try to maintain a balanced lifestyle and I work out regularly.

I eat home-cooked food; eating home cooked food is a good thing.

What about fashion?

Three words sum up my personal sense of style -- comfortable; different; edgy.

I wear boots in Mumbai. People wonder... but if I like boots on a dress, I will wear boots.