In an interview almost a decade ago, Sushant Divgikar, aka Rani KoHEnur had said, “My voice, not who I am, should matter...” Voice is paramount, they believed; it can surprise you, disarm you, bring back a memory or make you feel closer to something you cannot quite put into words. For Divgikar, music offers all these possibilities, and now within the same song. As Rani KoHEnur, the drag artiste can move between male and female vocal registers. Yet, there is another side to this musical journey that audiences are only beginning to discover. They are also the singer who finds meaning in devotional music and have spent a good part of this week singing in both voices to enthusiastic crowds, in a first-of-its-kind move for any mainstream singer.  

Music, Divgikar says, was always there, even before they could imagine pursuing it professionally. The turning point came at home, while they were experimenting with their voice. Their father overheard them singing, and the moment eventually led to karaoke performances at Soul Fry, where audiences got their first taste of their ability to sing in two very different registers. The response encouraged Divgikar to take that ability seriously. “The response was incredible, and it made me realise that there was something special here that I needed to explore. I have spoken about how I initially always wanted to be a musician, but sometimes life takes you through different experiences before you find your way back to what you truly love. Over the years, I have explored television, acting, performance and so many other forms of art, but music has always remained at the centre of it all.”