New Zealand-based Shirley Setia is a 20-something singer and already a sensation on YouTube where cover versions of Bollywood chartbusters done by her command a following that runs into lakhs.
The petite Setia who describes herself as "A tiny one, with not so tiny dreams" is among the participants of the third edition of the YouTube Fan Festival, which debuted in Mumbai two years ago.
"I am just a normal girl with not so small dreams. I never knew that I would be a musician but it just happens that you see qualities in some people which inspire you a lot," Shirley said on the sidelines of a YouTube Fanfest Meet here recently.
"If I speak of my life, my parents are my biggest inspiration. They taught me to work harder and keep doing good music," said the singer who posts her own videos featuring covers and renditions of a number of Bollywood hits on her channel.
Shirley, who has close to 2 lakh subscribers to her YouTube channel and more than 8.5 Leah people following her on Facebook, borrows inspiration from singers Asha Bhosle and K K and has done a number of covers of their hit songs.
"I love Ashaji's voice. I am a huge fan. I haven't met her yet. She did a show once in Auckland and I tried so hard just to meet her but couldn't. Also, I am a huge fan of KK and love each one of his songs," the singer said.
Shirley also had a stint with Radio Tarana in New Zealand with a regular show 'Showtime with Shirley' airing every Sunday.
"It was a great experience for me. I became more confident because of that experience. It was a part-time job and I did it while I was doing high school. I was juggling between my studies, radio and also YouTube. There was a lot going on," she said.
"During that time, I had a YouTube channel. I call my fans 'Team Shirley' and they are my extended family. They used to call me during my show. Like, if its 1 pm in New Zealand, it is 5 am in India. My fans in India used to call at 5 in the morning just to tell me how much they loved my performance. That kind of response really means a lot to me," she said.
The singer wants to work in Bollywood and said she is waiting for it to happen. "I have my fingers crossed."
Appreciation and acknowledgment from the industry means a lot for the singer and she said the same motivates her further to achieve her dreams and "keep on doing good music".
"Whenever I put out a cover or something, Team Shirley would share it a lot even if I am not sharing. So recently, I did a cover of 'Tu Zaroori' from 'Zid' and Sunidhi Chauhan had appreciated it on Twitter. That's amazing coming from industry stalwarts. Also Sushmita Sen tweeted about me twice. She loved a couple of renditions of songs that I did," Shirley said.
"A while ago, I performed in Hong Kong for Akshay Kumar and his family. He sang with us and later even danced with us. He told me that I got a lovely voice. That felt really good. So when you hear this kind of stuff from industry people, that motivates you a lot and instills more confidence in you," she said.
Shirley, considers 'Superwoman' Lily Singh, a YouTuber superstar comedian and vlogger from Canada as her idol on social media.
"I admire Lily Singh a lot, she has done some amazing work and continues to do that she is a superstar," Shirley said.
