Singer Neha Bhasin found fame and success early in life. She was just 19, a student of Delhi’s Lady Shri Ram College, when she won Channel V’s Popstars and became part of Viva, India’s first girl group. Two albums and global fame followed. But after Viva ended, Neha found herself struggling to make it as an independent artist. In a conversation with Hindustan Times, the singer recalls how, back then, she felt her career had ended before it even began, wondering if she was ‘history at 21’.
‘I realised I am not a playback singer’
Viva released their debut album in 2002, followed by a hit sophomore album the following year. Neha, along with her bandmates, extensively toured India in 2002-03. But in 2004, the four women decided to pursue their solo careers. Neha tried to venture into the world of playback singing and recalled, “When the band ended, that is when I realised how different things are. Till then, we were protected. Then, I realised I am not a playback singer. We are not trained. Playback has proper training. You can't stand in front of the mic and sing anything. When I went to the labels, they said ‘We know Viva, but tum kaun ho (who are you)'.”
The singer says she found herself struggling to even get a break, which was in stark contrast to performing in front of 50,000 people as part of Viva just two years earlier. “Visually, I felt as if we went from living in a penthouse to coming on the streets,” the singer says. “For around 5-6 years, when I was doing small shows, I realised we began at the end of pop, and it had ended,” the singer adds, talking about how the decline of Indian pop music began right when she was embarking on her solo career. This led her to wonder if she would never be able to recover. “You are history at 21: that is how I felt at that time,” says Neha.
{{/usCountry}}The singer says she found herself struggling to even get a break, which was in stark contrast to performing in front of 50,000 people as part of Viva just two years earlier. “Visually, I felt as if we went from living in a penthouse to coming on the streets,” the singer says. “For around 5-6 years, when I was doing small shows, I realised we began at the end of pop, and it had ended,” the singer adds, talking about how the decline of Indian pop music began right when she was embarking on her solo career. This led her to wonder if she would never be able to recover. “You are history at 21: that is how I felt at that time,” says Neha.
{{/usCountry}}‘The vacuum was very disheartening’
Eventually, Neha had her breakthrough with Kuch Khaas Hai in Fashion in 2007, which earned her a Filmfare Award nomination. She eventually won the award for Jag Ghoomeya from Sultan in 2016.
The singer says that the gap was demoralising for her, leading to self-doubt. “There was this huge vacuum that was very disheartening for me. Mujhe aisa laga tha mera career shuru hone se pehle khatm ho gaya (I felt my career was over even before it began).”
Talking about the resurgence of Indian pop music in the last few years, Neha adds, “There was a long gap, a vacuum. It was only during COVID that Indipop came back with a bang in terms of streaming numbers. It wasn't happening before that. Today, independent music is finally doing better on streaming platforms than Bollywood music. But how long has it taken for that to happen?”
Neha recently reunited with her Viva bandmates, Pratichee Mohapatra, Anushka Manchanda, and Mahua Kamat, as their music was released on streaming in May 2026. The singer continues to sing for films, having lent her voice to songs in Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan in recent years.
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