us ‘ raga quizzes ’ where he ’ d sing an outline of raga Mishra- Shivaranjani and have us guess a song in this raga ( obviously we ’ d guess Mere Naina Sawan Bhadon because we were familiar with the song ). In addition to this , I learned the art of emoting through your music from my dad . Everyone who has heard him sing can tell how beautifully he expresses emotions through his voice . Music and the lyrics just come alive in his renditions and that ’ s something he ’ s just been born with . I , to this day , try to learn and adapt this skill from him - but I don ’ t think I ’ m able to match his level of brilliance . This musical upbringing made me love the world of ragas and music in general . I still go to my dad for everything music-related and I ’ m so grateful to have him as a guide and mentor .
Tell us more about your experience with Ranjani-Gayatri and Raji Gopalakrishnan as your gurus ?
I have had three prominent gurus : Smt . Ranjani , Smt . Gayatri ( Ranjani-Gayatri duo ), and Smt . Raji Gopalakrishnan ( who used to visit Toronto in the summers to conduct workshops for Indian Classical Music ). My gurus changed my life with their music and their incredibly magnanimous ways of teaching . I ’ ve had a very special bond with all of my gurus and they ’ ve been extremely generous with everything they ’ ve taught me . I remember going to class with so much enthusiasm to learn new ragas , complex pieces and even things that I was perhaps not ready for - but not once have they discouraged me from having the curiosity or the interest to seek this knowledge . Their openness and encouragement of allowing musicians to seek their own path has stayed with me and shaped my music .
Ranjani-Gayatri akkas are more magicians than musicians to me . The technical brilliance , the structural correctness and above all , the beautiful way their music just connects with your heart and soul is just something I ’ m constantly inspired by . And from Raji aunty , one of my biggest takeaways from her lessons has been the authenticity of melody in music . Her music embodies melodic beauty and grace - no matter how technical her singing gets , there ’ s always that underlying melody that ties everything together .
Talking about your versatility from Carnatic , Pop , R & B , and Bollywood , how do you manage navigating through these genres ?
I really don ’ t divide music into genres or put them into separate boxes . It ’ s all music , at the end of the day . I ’ d come back from music class on Saturday morning only to go to a choir rehearsal that very evening - so I ’ ve been exposed to just looking at it all as art from a young age . I think the main reason why I could navigate through different genres is because I grew up abroad and was widely exposed to multiple genres of music , including R & B , Soul , Hip-Hop , Rock , Country , and Indian Classical , Ghazal , Sufi , and of course Indian Film Music .
What is your most memorable performance in your career ?
One recent concert of mine at the Gateway of India , Mumbai , which is a very prestigious place to perform at , was a special one . Last year , my 30-city US tour was most memorable . Performance in Chennai Music Academy was memorable too . And of course , my first ever performance ( when I was 8 or 9 ) stays immensely special in my heart . It was my birthday that day and I remember getting a standing ovation of my rendition of ‘ Mere Naina Sawan Bhadon ’.
What is your music practice routine like ? I start with warm-up exercises like sustaining the notes , octave glides and lip-drills . I practice sargams / swarams and warm up my voice and get into to the groove . I follow that up with varnams usually , which are a fantastic vocal exercise . I then try to do a Carnatic alapana or take up a raag for khayal elaboration .
That is intense !
don ’ t do this regularly ( laughs ), but I try to as much as possible .
Your videos have become viral ; how do you manage it ?
I absolutely love social media and I consume so much content online . The Internet has been a huge part of my journey ( even when I was learning music since it was a fantastic tool available at my disposal at all times ) and I feel it makes music , especially classical music , more accessible to people . Thinking about new content ideas and concepts , and connecting with the world through these ideas gives me a great high .
You are a king of collaborations and your ideas are kickass and amazing ! How do you ideate ?
My online journey started during the pandemic , and for those two years , I wasn ’ t really able to collaborate much with others .
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