Priyanka Chopra is opening up about a lesser-known chapter of her career. The actress and wife of former ‘Voice’ coach Nick Jonas recently reflected on her short-lived attempt to break into the pop music world, admitting she eventually realized singing was not the right path for her.
In a new cover interview with Marie Claire, the 43-year-old star looked back on her early 2010s music venture, which came after she had already established herself as one of Bollywood’s biggest actresses. Chopra first rose to international attention after winning the Miss World pageant in 2000 before launching a successful film career in India.
Inspired in part by Bollywood’s strong connection to music, Chopra decided to explore the global pop scene.
Her Brief Attempt at Pop Stardom
Chopra’s music career included a few high-profile collaborations with major artists. In 2012, she released the single “In My City” featuring will.i.am, followed by “Exotic” with Pitbull in 2013.
While “In My City” performed well in India, Chopra’s pop music ambitions did not gain much traction internationally.
Looking back, the actress admitted the experience could be intimidating, especially when working with established artists in the studio.
Chopra joked that performing alongside artists like Pitbull or Dr. Dre made her nervous, saying the pressure sometimes made it harder to confidently hit the right notes.
Eventually, she came to a realization about where her strengths truly were.
“I quickly realized that I wasn’t made for it and should go back to my day job of acting,” she said.
Even though the music chapter was brief, Chopra revealed she still has about 40 unreleased songs from that time. She said the tracks are currently “in a vault,” and she has never even played them for her husband, Nick Jonas, who rose to fame as part of the Jonas Brothers.
Choosing a Different Path
While her pop career didn’t last, Chopra’s acting career continued to grow on a global scale.
According to Marie Claire, the actress has expanded beyond acting in recent years, also focusing on producing through her company Purple Pebble Pictures. The production company aims to support emerging filmmakers and help bring new voices into the industry.
Chopra has also continued taking on acting roles across international projects. She recently starred in the action thriller “The Bluff,” and she is also set to appear in the upcoming film “Varanasi,” directed by “RRR” filmmaker S.S. Rajamouli.
Outside of work, Chopra says her priorities have also shifted in recent years. She and Jonas welcomed their daughter Malti via surrogate in 2022, and motherhood has influenced how she approaches her career.
Chopra explained that she now chooses projects more carefully and listens to her instincts more when making decisions about work.
“I used to want to juggle all the balls and do all the things, but now I listen to my gut a lot more,” she said.
