The Valentine’s Day celebrations hit early at Orchid Garden in Topsia as party peeps came together to enjoy some good music and delicious food for Hashtag, in association with t2 on February 10. Couples walked in hand in hand, and danced to the beats churned out by DJs who played the latest party hits. Showstopper Shirley Setia took centre stage and the crowd cheered every move the YouTube sensation made. t2 caught up with Shirley before the gig. 

You recently worked with Atif Aslam for the Jab koi baat video. How was your experience?

It was really good. It was like a dream come true project for me. Honestly one of the reasons why I started singing was because I had attended one of his concerts back home in 2011. I remember I was in awe of him when he performed on stage. I kept telling myself, “I should be able to do what he’s doing.” While we were working for the video, he made me extremely comfortable. He was humble and very kind and sweet to me. He made me feel like I was really an important part of this project and not just some additional singer and yes, we worked like one big family and even did the promotions together.

What’s your guilty pleasure?

Guilty pleasure... umm... it’s eating Belgian waffle with melted chocolate. I absolutely love it but I don’t get to eat it a lot here.

What’s the most daring thing you’ve ever done? 

Bungee jump. I did it a couple of years back and it was really scary. I am extremely scared of drowning in water and I remember there was water underneath the bridge. It was nerve-wracking, really!

What is the one fashion trend you cannot stand? 

Actually, I don’t think I’ve come across anything like that yet. Honestly, I am not really against anything as long as it fits the purpose of wearing it and goes with the occasion.

You look best in…

Well, I have a particular way of dressing I follow and I love pairing crop tops with skinny fitted jeans. I really find it comfortable and it’s very me.

Have you found the man of your dreams? 

No, I haven’t really found him in real life but I have a huge celebrity crush on Ed Sheeran. He’s engaged now and it sucks! 

Do you have any dating tip for t2 readers?

(Laughs) Well, I am not the right person for this question as I am really not dating anyone right now, I am just dating work. However if you are in a relationship, make sure there is a lot of trust, lot of understanding and communication because I feel that’s the key to success in any relationship. As long as there is trust and communication, any relationship will be fine.

How does it feel to perform in Calcutta? 

Calcutta is amazing. I’ve always witnessed a super musical and singing crowd here. It’s one of my favourite cities and we keep coming back here. I even performed at St. Xavier’s recently and it was just crazy. I really had an amazing time there. Calcutta loves me and I love Calcutta back.

What is the most bizarre rumour you’ve heard about yourself?

I’ve heard a lot of rumours and I don’t exactly know whether this is bizarre but lately I am being asked whether I am dating Armaan Malik or not! Like this question keeps popping up at almost every interview I’ve had recently. So no, we are not.

Shirley’s 3 favourite singers

Ed Sheeran

Taylor Swift

Arijit Singh

Organiser speak:

“The idea behind this event is to provide Calcuttans with some good music. The city is known for good music and good food and we thought of having these elements in this event to make sure everyone has a memorable time,” said Team Hashtag.

Text: Isha Lahiri
Pictures: B. Halder