MUMBAI: Monali Thakur rose to popularity with her appearance in season two of Indian Idol and then for the song 'Zara Zara Touch Me' from the film Race. And after bagging a Filmfare Award for the song 'Sawaar Lo', the songstress is on cloud nine.

Talking to Radioandmusic.com's Dhairya Ingle about taking away the black lady, she said, "I was out of breath while collecting my trophy and I ran out of words. By this it was pretty evident that I was excited and anxious at the same time."

Other singers nominated in the same category as her included the likes of Shreya Ghoshal, Shalmali Kholgade and Chinmayi Sripada. Had Thakur lost out to any of the other nominees, she would not have regretted it. "I do not think much about winning and losing. Since Sherya was nominated for a couple of songs, I was not expecting the award and would not have felt bad if I did not win it," she added.

Explaining the process of recording 'Sawaar Lo', she said the recording was done in half an hour and they had many options when it came to the lyrics. "Being a classical singer I always wished to do something like 'Sawaar Lo' and I had told Amit about my wish. I am thankful to Amit Trivedi who gave me an opportunity to sing this song."

The upcoming year is touted to be very crucial for her, as she is juggling a host of singing and acting projects. Her acting assignments include a couple of title roles in films like Mango and Lakshmi. She will also be collaborating with Piyush Mishra and Hitesh Sonik for music. When asked about which directors are on her wish list, she said," I really want to work with everyone; the funda of my life is yeh dil mange more!"