SN Spotlight: Now I don’t want to be reserved, in fact, I want to be bold and be myself- Sejal Kumar

One of the popular names in the content creation community, Sejal Kumar is known for following her passion. The 27-year-old has released two songs before and is now basking in the fame for her third- ‘Destiny’. Apart from creating sustainable content online, Sejal has been quite active in delivering successful projects that make her a brand to reckon with beyond social media.

What is Sejal’s mantra to keep going? How does she deal with toxicity? Story being ‘Destiny’? In this quick tete-a-tete with us, Sejal Kumar goes behind the scenes of her new song, social media gameplay, content creation, and more.

Excerpts:

Tell us about your new song DESTINY, when did the idea come up? And why are you releasing it now?

I’ve had this song with me for a year, it’s a song about this date that I went on. I didn’t even think it was a date a few years ago but it turned out really amazing.

I’ve also made a video about this and whoever knows they know what the story is. I didn’t really see it coming but it turned into something very meaningful. Destiny is a love song and so I thought it’s a nice time to release something related to relationships and love.

In terms of the sound of the song, I really wanted to do a song that is a little more upbeat and inspired by Dua Lipa. I’m obsessed with the visuals and even the storyline is exactly what happened.

How different is DESTINY from your past songs?

Sound-wise it’s different because it just has a different vibe but both Influence and Destiny feel like they’re both parts of the same project. Even my upcoming EP, they’re all kind of linked together.

Previously I never really shared too much about what I was thinking or how I actually felt. I always felt like I was a little reserved, but in this project with these songs I don’t want to be reserved, in fact, I want to be bold and be myself.

Can you share some BTS of when you were shooting for the song that lives rent-free in your head?

We shot a scene in this song which is inspired by “Om Shanti Om” where Deepika Padukone blows the bubblegum and she falls. Initially, I wanted the video to be only full of Bollywood scenes but we couldn’t do that so we just put this one scene in it and it turned out so well.

I want Deepika Padukone to see this scene and feel cute because I love this scene and I love her. It took like half n’ hour for me to blow bubblegum after 10-15 tries. So it was quite fun.

How different is Sejal Kumar as a YouTuber and Sejal Kumar as an artist who also sings, and makes music videos?

Sejal: I’m not trying to, anymore. I’m just trying to be a little more real, even in terms of videos, what it sounds like, what I’m wearing. Even with the lyrics, I’ve tried to put my heart and soul into it. I’m not trying to be like a cookie cutter that people will subscribe to and like.

I want to do it because I really love doing this- creating stories, music, and videos. So I’m not trying to win an algorithm which I’ve tried to do in the past.

Also Read: Dolly Singh takes us behind the scenes of working on her first short film with TTT

What kind of content are you currently consuming on social media and why?

Actually, I’ve reduced it a lot. I’m consuming a lot of spirituality-related stuff and that has helped me personally.

Because I fell into this trap of consuming trash which was just ruining my brain and I was just comparing myself to other people and feeling really bad about it. My last song was kind of born out of those feelings because I just felt like it’s just a toxic world.

So I’m consuming things that are adding a positive value to my day. I do go visit Kardashians a lot, still. I kind of remind myself that my brain is precious and I need it to be healthy so I can come up with cool stuff. I’m even reading a lot, I’ve been reading every day.

What are you currently reading?

I recently finished a book called Sankofa. It’s a really nice book by an African writer and a lot of female authors. I’m also educating myself about being a better feminist and just catching my own sexist biases.

Can you recommend a few must-read books?

Yes. ‘Untamed’, ‘We should all be Feminists’, ‘Sapiens’, and lastly ‘Gifts of Imperfections’.

During the pandemic, we saw a lot of people undergoing depression and content blocks. So what would be your advice to just keep going?

I am no one to give this advice, I myself go through these problems on a daily basis. I’ve been doing Work From Home since I was 18 years old because YouTube has literally been my only job.

And I’ve been working alone by myself with freelancers and my team. I’ve felt these emotions for so many years and honestly, they’ve messed me up. So I’m also struggling with the same stuff, The worst advice would be ‘try to stay positive.

How does Sejal Kumar cope with these things?

I go to therapy, now that I have some money to be able to afford it and even meditation and exercise helps.

How would you describe yourself in a hashtag?

I’m the worst at this, I always ask my viewers to help me with captions. Like you can just write #SejalSucksAtThis.

Lastly, what is your Mantra to be on Social Media and how is Sejal Kumar on and off Social Media?

If I wasn’t doing what I’m doing right now, I wouldn’t have been on Social Media. I would have completely cut out, I think about that so often.

I love the creative aspect of it. Other than that, comparison and all of the negative emotions that are so deeper than yourselves, are really toxic.

If you get a chance to collaborate with any of your creator friends, who would you want it to be?

I really want to collaborate with Emma Chamberlin. I want to become friends with her and then collaborate with her.