I had no idea that people from the South have so much love for me: Dhvani Bhanushali

Singer Dhvani Bhanushali, who recently performed in Thiruvananthapuram, says the warmth of the audience made the experience particularly special. “I loved performing here. My heart was so happy seeing so many people. The sheer love I got made me reel throughout the performance,” she says.The Psycho Saiyaan singer also visited the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple before taking the stage. The temple visit, she shares, left her awestruck. “I saw Vishnu ji’s idol and it’s the most surreal moorthi. The three doors, and how we get to see his face and the whole story behind it. I was just really amazed and I got to take that energy on to the stage. I would love to come here again,” she says.Dhvani says she is pleasantly surprised by the response she receives from audiences in South India. “I had no idea that people from the South have so much love for me. But when I go to cities like Bengaluru, they are so responsive and loving. I performed in Chennai, too, a week after I performed in Thiruvananthapuram. I have an upcoming show in Bengaluru in the first week of November. I am grateful that I have carved out a space in their hearts for me. Every time I perform in the south, I hope I can return the love and make audiences happy,” she gushes.The singer describes the song Vaaste, which she recorded with Nikhil D’Souza, as "career-defining". “Vaaste is always going to be fresh for me. It is a song that gave me my career. It is a song that gave me a lot of love. I still don’t understand what audiences connect with in the song; it’s probably the innocence of the time. They attach their nostalgia and childhood to it. Somehow I also became a childhood crush for so many of them. That makes me feel good," she says and adds, "I was 21 and today, I am 28, and it’s just so surreal that a song can still connect after six-seven years and have a place in people’s hearts.”While playback singing has been an enriching experience, Dhvani says independent music gives her greater creative freedom. “Independent work fulfills me a lot more because I get to tell the whole story exactly the way I want with the creative minds I work with. Playback is a different journey. I have done less of it, but I am really happy to have had that enriching experience. But independent music is something that I like to do more. People know me because of my work in this space,” she says.Her new EP, Feels, is deeply personal, drawing from different relationships and aspects of her life. “It is about my life — my relationships, where I come from, and so on. I started with a song about my dad because he holds a beautiful, special place in my heart and, like most daughters, I felt I really need to tap into that emotion,” she shares.Get the latest Bollywood & Entertainment News, and more. Download the TOI app.Give your child the gift of confidence! Claim your exclusive TOI Masterclass spot today!