Shirley Setia

Biography

Shirley Setia is a New Zealand singer and actress known for her work in the Indian film and music industries.
Born in Daman, India, in the former union territory of Daman and Diu, she immigrated with her family to Auckland and gained attention as a YouTube musician by uploading covers of Hindi film songs while studying at the University of Auckland. Setia was subsequently featured in Forbes magazine, which referred to her as "Bollywood's Next Big Singing Sensation".
Setia made her acting debut with the 2020 Hindi film Maska, which was released on Netflix. She made her big-screen debut with Nikamma in 2022 and also starred in the Telugu film Krishna Vrinda Vihari, which was released on 23 September 2022.

Early life

Setia was born in Daman, India and raised in Auckland, New Zealand. A graduate student from the University of Auckland and marketing and publicity intern at Auckland Council, Setia took part in a contest conducted by T-Series. Her YouTube entry was recorded in her bedroom while she was wearing pyjamas, which earned her the nickname "Pyjama popstar" by the New Zealand Herald. Setia was eventually declared the winner.

Singing career

After working in a weekly radio show and taking part in local competitions in Auckland, Setia performed in her first concerts in Mumbai and Hyderabad in India in 2016. Forbes magazine's Rob Cain wrote a feature on her and her future goals, in which he stated that "Bollywood's Next Big Singing Sensation Just Might Be This Tiny Kiwi". She was also acknowledged as India's YouTube sensation by the Hindustan Times and as one of New Zealand's biggest international artists by TVNZ.
As of September 2023, she has 3.86 million subscribers on YouTube with 381 million views. She was invited by YouTube as a 'YouTube Creator' to perform live in YouTube FanFest held in Mumbai in 2016 and 2017.

Acting career

Setia made her acting debut with the 2020 film Maska which was released on Netflix. Her next film was Nikamma released in June 2022, a remake of the 2017 Telugu film Middle Class Abbayi. She made her Telugu film debut with Krishna Vrinda Vihari which released in September 2022.