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STAR SPEAK Modelling, acting, singing, writing… Yana Gupta’s versatility is her asset and she’s making the most of it. SONAM JAIN

If music be the food of love, then play on… this seems to be actress-model-singer Yana Gupta’s current motto. After scorching the ramp and sizzling on screen, Yana is now ready to follow her heart; right now it’s leading her towards the world of music.

“Music has always been a passion, and I wanted to sing ever since I was a child. I used to listen to Czech music in my formative years. I have no role model, and I think that way I can find my own path. However, the Beatles has been an inspiration for me. My father used to listen to them, and that was the first English music I ever heard,” says the Czech beauty.

Yana is an ardent traveller, and likes to ‘disappear’ for short intervals to rediscover herself. Her attempts to write and sing started early in life, but she began seriously only three years ago once she was confident about her English. “I would write poems, set them to music and sing to my friends while strumming on the guitar. It started there and now I am ready to launch my first album *I believe in love’,” says Yana proudly.

A pop album, it deals with life, relationships and break-ups, and is inspired by her own experiences. She is the writer, music composer, lyricist and singer. “Getting a band together was quite simple actually. With the project already in hand, I just needed musicians. I approached a producer-musician friend in Bombay, who got us together,” reveals Yana. The CD is expected to hit the market in the next few months. Right now, the team is working on promotion strategies for the launch. Another album is in the pipeline but leans towards jazz and blues.

As for future albums, Yana would rather “go with the flow. I don’t like to involve my head where the heart should lead”. Between acting/modelling and singing, Yana prefers singing, as “with singing I have creative control. I can do what I want to do, whereas with movies and modelling, I have to depend on others.”

If you think that singing was the only surprise Yana had up her sleeve, you’ve got another coming. She has also written a book on nutrition and fitness. “I am an ardent believer in health and fitness. I suddenly realised that, for 10 years now, I have been reading and talking to everyone about nutrition and fitness, so I might as well pen it down,” discloses Yana.

The book is right now in the editing stages. She has finished writing another book on essays and poems, but does not plan to publish it yet, as this is her first venture in this area, and would like to test waters first.

The talents of this multi-faceted girl do not end here. Yana also has a keen interest in acupuncture. For three years now, she has been practicing it and using it for healing. “I’m not an expert, but I am learning and using it.”

Among the gamut of modelling, acting, singing and writing, one is left wondering what Yana loves the most and is most likely to pursue seriously in future. “I have always been interested in writing, and I have a feeling I’ll go with it. Even music is a form of writing, as I first write poems and then compose the music,” reveals Yana.

Full of life and energy, this free-spirited lady says the one word to describe her would be unpredictable, or at least that’s how she would like to be known. Her motto in life: “Learn always, forever. Enjoy life. Every day!”
Photo: Anu Pushkarna

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