Feeling good with Sonique

"If I'm sad, I put on a record. If I'm happy, I do the same. My experience says that you can let yourself down, but music will never let you down in life.", says DJ-singer Sonique.

How does it feel to straddle pop charts across the Atlantic? There can be only one answer to that one. And the diva in question croons it so well- "It feels so good..."

Meet Sonique, the highest paid female DJ in the world who is now scaling the heights of yet another profession. For she is fast breaking records as a singer and songwriter across the UK and US with her debut album "Hear Me Cry" and its superhit solo number, "It feels so good."

"Actually the song is not about success at all. I wrote it in a lot of pain," reveals the London-based Sonique, in an exclusive interview on her recent trip to India for a concert. "It's about this guy whom I really liked years ago, but who didn't return my feelings. For he was very successful and I wasn't - at that time. And he thought that I was in love with his success. This song is just a way of declaring that it was him I liked, it was his way of walking and talking that made me feel so good, not his success."

It's typical of Sonique to write and sing from experience rather than pure imagination. For that's the way she believes music really happens. "You have to experience life to sing about it, she says. "And I like to experience life to the full, even though it's often scary and painful. Finally all humans are the same and one can relate to the experiences of another. So I guess my audiences are moved by my experiences."

Sonique herself has come a long way, wading through diverse experiences. She set out in life as an athlete, diver and gymnast. "(Those were terrifically disciplined days.") Then she began deejaying, driven by her love for music.

It was a long journey from deejaying aspirant to top DJ too. For she actually spent three years at home honing her act before stepping out for a job! "Yeah," she nods. "The professional world today is very judgmental, so I didn't want to slip up initially and get my confidence knocked off. I knew I had to be good as soon as I started." She started off deejaying for free, then graduated to 50 pounds per session. Today she self-admittedly earns "a ridiculously high amount for one session."

So what is the secret of successful deejaying? "Oh, it's the toughest job there is!" she replies. "You have to avoid playing the records that everyone else plays. Yet play music which will help people to let go on the dance floor. For that, you have to look into people's eyes and soul and develop the knack of playing tomorrow's hits today - always staying a step ahead of time."

Sonique has no plans to stop deejaying despite the fact that she can create mass hysteria with her singing today. "People tell me that 'stars' don't deejay," she drawls. "But I do!" And she's determined not to let stardom carry her away either. "I'm hanging onto myself," she laughs. "Besides, I have mom, who would rather hit me on the head than let me change in any way!"

Besides singing and deejaying, Sonique plans to start her own production company too - to give a chance to "any kid who can sing from the heart." For that's what music means to her. "Music has always been a part of my emotions," she explains.

P.B.

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