Nora Fatehi made her U.S. television debut on The Tonight show starring Jimmy Fallon this week. She performed the song What Do I Know?
(Just A Girl) alongside Jamaican artist Shenseea. The appearance was on an episode that also featured Ed Sheeran and Cynthia Erivo.
Speaking about the performance she tells us. “It’s been in the works for a while now! My record label and manager felt its the perfect time to perform on Jimmy Fallon with our new pop track. I have diversified my positioning as an artiste and it comes with the process of going global. I feel it’s the right direction for me in this new phase of my career. I have always innovated and re invented myself and I continue to do so with a more international presence, while still keeping my presence in Bollywood.”
She adds that she is doing more international musical collaborations with different artistes while also expanding her global music catalogue. “Im working on my vocals more and finding the right space for my voice musically! Im also working on expanding my stage shows and making them more of an unforgettable experience! Challenging my self as a performer and expanding my audience base.”
Speaking about the misconception about global artistes in Indian cinema she wishes people would stop making she adds, “That global artistes in Indian cinema are only brought in for glamour or surface-level appearances. Writers and directors also need to think beyond that and create multi-dimensional characters that have a place in Indian cinema on a global scale. Many international performers, including myself, train hard, learn the language, understand the culture, and work to build a serious, long-term career. Indian cinema is global now. Artistes from different countries aren’t outsiders, they’re collaborators adding new textures, styles, and perspectives. If we’re embracing global audiences, we should embrace global talent with the same respect.”
Meanwhile, Nora says she’s happy seeing the rise of Afro-Arab-Indian fusion in music and dance. She says, “I definitely see my self leading that movement! I take pride in the fact that I was a part of ushering in Afro music and Afro dance into commercial Bollywood. I always predicted that India would embrace Afro music eventually and I felt the right time was 2019 – 2021. I released the first Afro track Pepeta as an independent artiste which did very well in India. Then moved on to ideate Dance Meri Rani into an Afro track along with Afro dance choreography which went on to be a massive success. And ofcourse many other more tracks followed. Our recent Afro Indo track Oh Mama Tetema which I sang with Shreya Ghoshal and Rayvanny has been a massive success hit this year! And its proof that India is ready for it diversity in music and dance!”