Sindhu Vasudevan is a singer and a classical dancer. She started singing and dancing from a very early age and it has now become her solace. She believes performing arts can enrich oneโs personality by fostering confidence, expression, empathy, discipline, teamwork, creativity, and self-awareness. These skills and qualities are not only valuable in the world of performing arts but also in various aspects of life.
Along with her mother she founded Surdarbar, a platform for budding musicians and ATX Adavu. She is also the lead vocalist for the Grammy-nominated band, Berklee Indian Ensemble.
Icy Tales in conversation with Sindhu on her inspiring journey, views on performing arts, and much more.
Q) How did it all begin? How did you get into singing and dancing?
Sindhu Vasudevan โ I started singing and dancing from an early age. My brother started learning music and I would go to his classes, sit in the back, and listen. Once when I was five, I decided to perform at my house, which utterly shocked my parents. After that, I started taking proper lessons.
My family is very artistic, everybody enjoys music, arts, and dance. My grandmother and mother are both dancers. So naturally I got into the lineage of being another dancer in the family.
When I moved to Austin about six years ago, I got exposed to different forms of music, which allowed me to open my horizons and explore music for what it is.
Q) Whatโs the important importance of performing arts in your life?
Sindhu Vasudevan โ Performing arts is my emotional and creative outlet. Iโve always seen art as my solace, like after a stressful week at college Iโm always either singing or dancing by the end of the week. When I was a kid, it was just something I did for fun. But now itโs something that I cherish a lot.
Q) You are the founder of a platform called Surdarbar. Can you tell us a bit about it?
Sindhu Vasudevan โ When I moved to Austin, I noticed there was a lack of opportunities for aspiring artists who are trying to develop their talent in unconventional ways. Hence me and my mother founded Surdarbar in 2019. From the design to production to hosting, we did everything on our own.
But in 2020 COVID hit the world, and we were very quickly put into isolation. But it was more of a boon than a bane for us. We were able to do a lot of online events, conduct game shows, and host a series of interviews. We even did an entire series on women composers. Doing all of this enabled us to interact with artists, not only in the US but also in other parts of the world.
Highlighting different things that are not traditionally highlighted in a musical organization was our goal. And to give a voice to the aspiring, passionate young musicians who are finding their way around the industry is something that I wish I had. And Iโm glad to provide that to others.
Q) How would you describe the type of music you typically sing or create?
Sindhu Vasudevan โ I have a very strong foundation, being trained in both Carnatic and Hindustani. Iโm also trained in Western classical. Iโm a fan of Indian classical at the same time Iโm heavily influenced by R&B and jazz. Iโm an Indian musician with many influences of jazz and R&B, thatโs the best way I could categorize my music.
Jazz is very similar to Indian music in its theory and its ways of performance. R&B is something that Iโve heard a lot growing up, especially living in the US. And I think the musicians that sing R&B have their style and their kind of mojo to singing. And I wanted something like that in my music too.
Q) You sing in a bunch of languages. Like Hindi, Tamil, Marathi, Malayali etc. Which language do you enjoy the most and are comfortable in?
Sindhuโ My family is from too many places in India for me to even say I have a hometown or a mother tongue. That is why I canโt associate myself with one particular language but I enjoy listening to Hindi and Tamil the most. Currently, Iโm a lot into Bengali and Marathi music.
I have been obsessed with Ajay Atul. I love their work. I initially got introduced to their Sairat soundtrack. Their music is very orchestral and has a lot of strings involved. And that kind of caught my attention. ย
This whole game of languages began when I was 11-12 years old and set out a goal for myself that by the time I turn 16, I will be singing in 16 languages. I was quite an ambitious child.I also like to explore different cultures and music forms and learning new languages helps me do that.
Q) Despite staying in the US you seem very much in touch with your Indian roots, Whatโs so special about India?
Sindhu Vasudevan โ I was brought up in a very cultured household. We never spoke English at home. My family is from all over India, so we spoke every Indian language possible in the house. We do visit India often. Many of my friends would hate going to India because they didnโt like the environment there. But I was always the kid who was itching to go back.
Living in the U.S. youโre surrounded by so many different kinds of people that it becomes hard to find your space or identity, especially when you donโt look like people in the media or people around you. I went to schools where I was one of four Indians and it was very isolating.
I would feel embarrassed sometimes to take Indian food to school or to wear Indian clothes in front of my friends. But as Iโve gotten older I have learned to embrace my culture and now Iโm super proud of it.ย I have realized the importance of being who you are and just being completely authentically that.ย
Q) Youโve recently joined a Grammy-nominated band Berklee Indian Ensemble. How has your journey been with them?
Sindhuโ Itโs been awesome. I love them all so much. I am the baby of the team, roughly 10 years younger than all of them. But I love being there. I love being surrounded by such amazing musicians. Theyโre all super inspiring and super well-versed in what they do.ย
And so Iโm very grateful to be part of the team. And theyโre kind of my go-toโs for music now.ย
Q) Do you think performing arts helps in personality development?
Sindhu Vasudevan โ 100%, being in the arts, makes you experience normal daily life differently. For example, if I hear the sound of construction or the lawnmower, I end up making it my Tanpura and sing along with that.ย I think itโs universal, If we hear some pitch constantly, like noise, we start humming or vibing with it.
I think performing arts have a huge impact on the way that you see and go about your own life. Many people donโt realize this until they get a little bit older. I certainly didnโt, but I think it has a huge impact on who you are and how you see things especially once you start getting deep into performing arts.
Q) You are the singer of In the mood, which came out in 2020, when can we expect new songs?ย
Sindhu Vasudevan โ Soon! Iโm working on quite a few originals for this year, and hopefully, I will have an album out by the end of the year. I will probably be releasing my first original song this March.ย
Q) If given a chance, what would you like to change about the music industry?
Sindhu Vasudevan โ I think more inclusivity. Itโs easy in any creative art for that matter, to box yourself into what youโre familiar with, what you know, or what youโve heard in the past. But according to me one should be open to ideas, or be inclusive to people who come from different backgrounds.
Like I can say for myself, my identity is nowhere close to what most of the Bollywood industry looks like right now. But people like Jonita Gandhi have made such a name for themselves, being NRI, being somebody whoโs not from a community that was always surrounded by people that looked like you. And I think itโs so inspiring to see that because when I was a kid, I remember I would always tell my parents, nobody goes from here. Weโre different. But Iโm glad to see it happening and hope to see more of it in the coming years.
Q) Lastly, is there a message for your fans that you would like to give us?
Sindhu Vasudevan โ Do not give up on things you are genuinely passionate about. I think so many people give up on music or arts because it doesnโt put a roof over their head or, feel like theyโre not good enough. But as long as you stay consistent and persistent with what you want and genuinely work hard towards it. Itโs really rewarding to see your work pay off.
I donโt think Iโm there where I want to be yet but itโs nice to see and celebrate the small wins too. Even the top-line artists have their insecurities. It is important to find a way to navigate around those feelings.
Over the years Sindhu has been able to create a space for herself and her talents in the hearts of people. She encourages all of us to embrace ourselves and our culture the way it is and not be ashamed of it. According to her, Rome wasnโt built in a day, in a similar way one should be patient in life and give themselves and their dreams some time and be consistent in working hard for them.
Last Updated on by Mehar Jolly
