When I was younger and had made the decision to make a career in music, becoming famous was something that I dreamt about.
— Sid Sriram
I am surely happy to be breaking away from the norm when it comes to my songs.
Thanks to my family and guru. They were quite confident that I could do it and think about music as a full-time career.
I think Chennaiites are the best because the city has a receptive audience.
My primary goal is to be a solo artist releasing original music.
When you are surrounded by talented musicians, you learn so much from them.
My parents moved to San Francisco from India when I was a year old.
Ultimately, you're looking for a soulful experience when you listen to any form music.
I started listening to old school R&B artists like Stevie Wonder, Luther Vandross, and Donny Hathaway when I was in 6th grade.
I think 'Adiye/Yadike' is unique and fresh and something new for Indian films. It brings together the blues and gospel feel with Tamil folk lyrics.
I started singing when I was three - my mother would teach me some versions of 'Thirupugazh.' And I loved being on stage.
I listened to Kanye West and also dove deep into bands like Radiohead, Portishead, and Bon Iver.
The inner core of my being is Carnatic music.
Across generations, the torch-bearers of Carnatic music have mastered the art form of connection.
The youth is hungry for good music; I feel responsible and glad that I can be an agent who can mentally, emotionally stimulate them to listen to music outside of cinema.
'Maruvarthai' was an exciting song for me because it showcased my Carnatic roots.
I fell in love with R&B music at a young age. The energy and aesthetic of that genre strike an emotional chord with me.
Growing up in the U.S., I'd siloed off my identities. While I was an Indian at home, I was an American at school. I have now embraced both the identities.
Growing up, everyone dreams of certain things, and they map out a direction that their life would take. Working with A. R. Rahman sir is one of my dreams, if not the biggest dream, realised.
My roots are Carnatic music. I think everything stems from that.
'Entropy' broadly means tending towards chaos constantly.
Starting with the lyrics, 'Only scared of myself and the truth in the stars/I'm a king, I'm the dirt, God within me shine,' the first half of '6 Weeks' delves into my attempts to balance the notion that I have an existential purpose with the realization that I am nothing against the vastness of the universe.
When I was 11, I decided that music was what I wanted to pursue as a career.
I want the audience to be transported to a different world once they enter the auditorium.
Any musical output is emotional.
My whole family is involved in the arts - my sister is a professional Bharatnatyam dancer, and my dad helps me out on the music business end.
One of my dreams is to work with Ilaiyaraaja sir and do more with Anirudh and Santhosh Narayanan.
Being an Indian in the U.S. and growing up in the suburbs were the two things that really shaped my outlook.
My time at Berklee College of Music was probably my greatest period of artistic growth and internalisation.
Growing up, any time I would sit down with my grandfather to learn or talk about Carnatic music, he would bring up G. N. Balasubramaniam. Listening to the recordings he would play me, I was dazzled by GNB's voice and how he was able to execute ideas that I could barely wrap my head around.
The performance of Carnatic music is multi-dimensional and layered. A performance is at once an artiste's cathartic process of personal exploration and an open energy exchange with the audience: a release and a conversation.
Film music has given me everything - career and popularity.
I owe so much of my musical growth to my exploration and performance of Carnatic music.
It is kind of a cliche that many Indian parents, especially in the U.S., want their kids to become doctors or engineers. But my parents encouraged me to turn to music when they found that I had the passion and talent.
When it comes to 'Maruvaarthai,' I have said many a time that Carnatic music drives my creative influence. In that sense, Darbuka Siva gave me a lot of room to breathe with the melody. The instrumental, however, was grounded. The lyrics is just poetic, and phonetically, they sound beautiful.
My musical journey with A. R. Rahman is filled with personal milestones and realisations.
I realised music was my calling, and I am one of those who's strongly bound by an infectious enthusiasm and passion.
The really cool thing is that I've developed this hardcore fan base that came to me through my work in films, but they are super-willing to cross over and experiment.
'6 Weeks' is broken up into two sections; both sections use the same set of samples, just in different ways.
My mother, who is a Carnatic musician, started a school for children when I was around three, and I grew up listening to her teaching students.
My goal is to communicate how powerful the breaking down of artistic barriers can be when grounded in thought, intention, and a true understanding of all the forms that are being experimented with.
My idea is to take the improvisational excitement that takes place with Carnatic music and juxtapose that in different sonic contexts.
Berklee played a huge role in shaping my music. On an academic level, I learned a lot about vocal technique and culture. Since my major was Music Production and Engineering, I got a good handle on the technical and creative aspects of making a record.
Being associated with songs that push boundaries is amazing. If the rest of my career consists of a majority of songs that are experimental, I'll be a happy man.
My experience and growth in the film music world and the time I've spent studying legendary film composers have given me depth of insight into how music can inspire a range of emotions.
Listening to A. R. Rahman as a five-year-old opened my mind to a whole new set of creative dimensions.
From when I first started listening to music, M. S. Subbulakshmi has been one of my biggest influences. She poured her heart and life into everything she sang.
I have huge respect for the musical aptitude and intellect of listeners in India. They appreciate genuine, quality music.
'Entropy' will be a kaleidoscope of thought processes and my identity as an Indian who grew up in California.
On the surface, being a musician can look pretty glamorous. But so much work goes into it.
