I always wanted to be a playback singer, says Mannat Noor

Born and brought up in a Hindu Dogra family in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir, Mannat shifted to Mohali after completing her schooling. She has been living here since then.

Family

Mannat has a big family which includes her father Tej Ram, who is a farmer, and her five sisters and three brothers. Mannat lost her mother early in her teenage years. She was raised by her elder sister who is settled in Mohali.

Education

After completing her matriculation and intermediary studies at a government school in her town, Mannat pursued graduation in arts from the University of Jammu. She did her postgraduation in Urdu from the same university.

Change of name

“When I entered the industry, people suggested that my original name ‘Kelmash’ would be too modern for audiences. They told me to change it. It was Gurpreet Ghuggi, a Punjabi actor and comedian, who gave me my first name ‘Mannat’. For the second name, I tried using several surnames including ‘Kaur’. However, nothing appealed to me. Finally, ‘Noor’ came to mind. ‘Mannat Noor’ together sounded good to me, which is why I decided to use it professionally.”

Confusions owing to name

“Not really. But there have been times when people think I am a Muslim because of my name. I am a Hindu Rajput who speaks Dogri and hails from Jammu and Kashmir.”

Entry into music industry

“Gurmeet Singh, a renowned music director, is the person who introduced me to the Punjabi music industry. Even though I started my singing journey with singles, I soon realised it was not something of my choice. I always wanted to be a playback singer for films, and I give a lot of credit to Singh for all his support and role in my success. I believe whatever I am today is only because of him.”

Favourite song

A fan of 90s music, Mannat likes listening to both Bollywood and Pollywood songs. She calls Alka Yagnik her idol and finds all her songs amazing. In the Punjabi music industry, she mentions that she loves listening to singers such as Amrinder Gill, Surinder Kaur, and Milind Gaba. While Gill’s and Gaba’s voices are melodious, Kaur’s singing inspires her to keep folk music alive.

Favourite movie

“I love watching Bollywood family dramas such as ‘Hum Aapke Hain Kaun’ and all Punjabi comedy films. Also, I am a big fan of love stories, and ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ is my favourite in that genre.”

Works till date

Mannat has lent her sweet voice in Bollywood films such as ‘Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety’ and ‘Indoo Ki Jawani.’ She has also sung songs for Punjabi movies including ‘Laung Lacchi’, ‘Carry On Jatta 2’, ‘Muklawa’, Laavan Phere, and national award-winning film ‘Harjeeta’ among many others. Her solo projects include ‘Sari Raat Nachna’, Sachian Gallan’, ‘Surma’, ‘Suit Patiala’ and several others.

Upcoming projects

She has recently released a duet song titled ‘Thar’ featuring Rajvir Jawanda. Giving information about her record label ‘MN Melody,’ Mannat says that more songs will be released under this music banner soon.

Claim to fame

“It is definitely the song – ‘Long Laachi’. It not only gave me recognition in the industry but also made me a household name. I feel happy to share that it is the first Indian song to reach one billion views on YouTube.”

Secret sauce

“Hard work, talent, and destiny are the three things that I believe in. These are the main ingredients of success. According to me, destiny plays a big role as I have witnessed unexpected things happening in life. If you are talented and hardworking and if luck is on your side, then there is nothing that can stop you from progressing.”

Thoughts about Pollywood

“About the Punjabi music industry, I would say that it is very good and is growing very fast. It will give good competition to the Hindi music industry soon. It is interesting to see how new music trends are coming up and how the industry is evolving day by day.”

Challenges faced

“Life is all about challenges and I have had my share of them too. There have been times when people in the industry discouraged me. They told me that I was not capable enough to survive here. Though their words were always in my mind, I never let them demoralise my spirit. Instead, I used them as a trigger to work hard to the best of my potential. Today, all those people who did not value me have changed their perspectives. They now respect me for my work and as an artist. Things just do not end here. Even today, I face a lot of challenges as I progress but I now know the power of hard work and believe that I will be able to accomplish everything I want.”

Future plans

“I intend to release a web series in the future. Besides, my fans will see me collaborating with various Bollywood and Pollywood projects in the coming times.”

Marriage plans

“I don’t think much about it. I feel I have just begun my career and there’s a lot more to do. Right now, talks about marriage don’t matter to me as my entire focus is on my work and professional growth.”

Fitness mantra

“I started working on my fitness only a few months ago and I have gotten positive results. No matter what the profession is, one must follow a good fitness mantra that suits him or her the best. It is very important to be physically and mentally fit and sound.”

Success mantra in singing

“The voice that we have is God’s blessing. It cannot be made or created and majorly decides one’s success as a singer. All you can do is work on it through regular practice. All through my musical journey, I have worked over my voice, indulged in regular practice and sang good compositions to maintain it. However, today, such things don’t matter for many as they know that music studios will help them sound the best.”

Turning point

“When my song ‘Long Laachi’ was released. I am sure the next turning point is arriving soon.”