Singer Neha Bhasin believes that artistes should have a distinct voice and they should lead the way instead of being 'people pleasers' and trends. Rather, a singer should set a trend said Neha, who recently released the music video Tu ki jaane.

The song and its video try tracing an unusual bond between a broken heart and the bare body.

"I think in a patriarchal society, since childhood we are told to dress in a certain manner and we are told that we should feel conscious of our body. But why should I feel ashamed of my body, why should I not celebrate my womanhood? I have been a major victim of cyber-bullying like all those women who are unabashed and self-assured about themselves," she told IANS.

The singer added: "I know that I do not have the numbers when it comes to followers on social media that many of my contemporaries have because I do not want to be a pleaser. You know I am an artiste, and being an artiste if I do not have a distinct voice, if I am not leading the way, how am I utilising the power of my voice? When I am saying voice, I am not just talking about my ability to sing, but having an opinion on things that matter to us, to the society."

"Honestly, I am not looking for validation on social media. As long as my loved one have my back and my core fans love my work, I am fine with it. When I started my career as a pop star (in 2002), there was no social media, not even camera phones. The fact is, whatever is trending today will go away tomorrow, but to establish a career of 20 years, one has to know the core job. In my case, it is music," Neha signed off.

(Arundhuti Banerjee can be contacted at arundhuti.b@ians.in)