At an age when most artists are still finding their footing, 20-year-old Pragati Nagpal has already experienced the thrill of performing before thousands alongside one of Bollywood’s biggest hitmakers — Himesh Reshammiya — on the much-loved Cap Mania Tour. While the tour was Himesh’s resurgence on the stage, for Pragati it marked a breakthrough moment which gave her an early taste of life as a pop star.

“I also want to sell out stadiums,” she says.

Roots in Chandigarh

Born and raised in Chandigarh, Nagpal has been pursuing music since she was 12. It was her teacher that she says believed in her potential and pushed her to pursue and practice music. “I was in school when my teacher used to sit with me every morning and make me do riyaaz. My teacher knew before I did that I could sing. She used to tell me—‘Pragati, you’re a great singer, you should practice.’ I am still in touch with her and she is so proud of all my achievements,” Pragati told Hindustan Times.

During lockdown due to Covid-19, it was her father who made sure that she continued practicing. He got her a guitar and karaoke machine — just enough for Pragati to start recording and posting covers on Instagram, kickstarting her musical journey in the public eye. Soon after, she began performing live gigs across Chandigarh, Ludhiana, and Patiala, even working as a backing vocalist before moving to Mumbai.

Moving to Mumbai

More than two years ago, at just 18, Nagpal moved to Mumbai after competing in and winning many rounds of Saregama’s Female Popstar auditions. “Back in Chandigarh, I was a normal college-going girl. One day, I got a call to audition… There were some 60–70 girls. For the second round, we had to perform, so I used a Bisleri bottle as a mic to perform,” she tells us.

By the third round, she was in Mumbai. “Same day, they told me that I have been selected and that I have to move to Mumbai and that they have so many plans for me. I remember jumping on the bed of my hotel room, I was so happy.”

However, the transition wasn’t easy for Pragati from a joint family set-up to living alone in a different city, but she succeeded in making Mumbai her “second home”. “I was only 18 when I moved here and it was difficult for me because I have always lived in a joint family. Moving into a new big city, setting up my home, my kitchen, getting groceries—all of this was very new to me. I was very stressed and anxious. But slowly I got used to it and Mumbai is now my second home.”

‘Cap Mania Tour’ – Sharing the stage with Himesh Reshammiya

Pragati’s career took a major leap with the Cap Mania Tour. When Saregama was preparing for the tour and Pragati had joined the label as a young talent, she became a natural choice to share stage with Himesh Reshammiya, who has now earned the ‘Lord’ prefix to his name among his social media fans. For Pragati, the experience was surreal.

“It was a great experience working with him, I never thought I’d share the stage with Himesh sir. He was very collaborative, I had so much fun rehearsing with him. We would spend the whole day together, we would eat together, practice together. There were so many new things to learn from him,” she says.

Preparation for the show was intense. “We were rehearsing one or two months prior to the show. Twice a week, we used to sit with the whole checklist and practice… We would rehearse for like 12 hours. There were 10-12 people in the band, so many people were involved in this. It was quite an experience actually, a great opportunity for me at such an early stage in my career.”

For Pragati, it was also an early glimpse into her dream as a pop star. “I got to experience performing for thousands of people very early in my career, and I hope mera bhi tour lag jaaye jaldi se (I also go on my own tour soon).”

Her stint with Reshammiya also left her with valuable advice. “I asked him for some advice on how I can be a pop star. More than a singer, I also want to be a composer, a songwriter. He told me – ‘You’re good looking, you have a beautiful voice.’ He told me to put my best foot forward and pour my heart into my work and not give up. ‘Give all the innocence and honesty to your craft and make it with all the love that you have for music,’ he told me. That really stayed with me.”

What next?

The Cap Mania tour, which is yet to go to several other cities across India, boosted Pragati’s confidence and popularity, both on stage and on social media. “I was always a bit nervous before a performance, but as soon as I step on stage all that nervousness just vanishes. I try to interact with the crowd, maintain eye contact and have fun. After the tour, I’ve been getting so much feedback about my performances. I was always sure that the tour was going to be a hit—it is Himesh after all, all his songs are iconic.”

Now, she has an entire barrage of projects lined up for her – a film that she is shooting for, a live musical production called ‘Disco Dancer’, and several songs on the way. With these projects, Pragati is carving her own space in the Indian pop landscape. “I am having the time of my life,” she tells us.