Ahead of his live concert in the city, singer Sid Sriram discussed his change in attitude towards music and why he doesn’t take the easy route.
Ahead of his live concert in the city, singer Sid Sriram discussed his change in attitude towards music and why he doesn’t take the easy route.
Singer Sid Sriram will be performing live at HITEX in Hyderabad on June 18, and has “a curated show” featuring his Telugu film hits, some hidden gems, his independent numbers as well as Tamil tracks. A question that he posted on Instagram, in which he asked his fans which songs they want him to perform, elicited a flurry of responses. Some of them will even attend the show.
in this telephonic interview Hindu A few days before the concert, the singer recalled performing in Hyderabad before the pandemic and believed that the city “has a strong live music culture”.
The lens through which he looks at music – as a playback singer, Carnatic singer and independent composer – has seen a paradigm shift during the pandemic: “I see the scope for connecting with people in a space like this more than ever before. I give importance New songs and new memories have been made in the last two years; I look forward to channeling all that energy on the stage. I hope it’s magical.”
He was in Chennai just before India went into lockdown in March 2020 and traveled to Freemont, California, USA to spend most of the pandemic with his parents: “I was the busiest before the lockdown, traveling and singing , Focus on health with less time. It felt like the initial stage of burnout. In the initial year after debuting as a playback singer (for Mani Ratnam) Kadal, composed by AR Rahman), didn’t work much for me. Once things escalated, I had forgotten the initial sobriety with which I went about my career. The pandemic made me reconnect with music for the sake of art, not as a means to an end. I went back to practicing Carnatic music without any agenda. ,
There was a steady flow of work after the initial weeks of the lockdown and he recorded songs that became hits. “The frequency of requests is still high, but I have learned some moderation. I ask myself if I can resonate with the song and give it my best, or politely decline.”
The Hyderabad concert will feature hits such as ‘Kalavati’, ‘Srivalli’, ‘Hridayama’ as well as some lesser-known songs including ‘Yamunnave’, ‘Yeh Kannulu Chudani Chitrame’: “Some beautiful compositions don’t get wide appreciation. If a film is not successful, but I cherish them.” He will also have English originals and Tamil hits.
Sid Sriram’s songs have become a staple in Telugu cinema, with many filmmakers considering him lucky charms. While there are rising hits, sometimes eyebrows are raised about his accent or tone. As a person who became acquainted with Thyagaraja Kriti, he says that he works his way through Telugu words with the help of lyricists and composers: “The time I spend learning the words is now reduced Is. I now have a better phonetic familiarity and spend more time getting to the emotional intent of the song. ,
Sid Sriram in concert | photo credit: special arrangement
inside the studio
He said that recording a song can take anywhere from two to three hours to five hours, depending on the simplicity or complexity of the composition. He took the view of ‘Samajvargaman’ in about half an hour. Some songs take time. “Some days the universe is with me and all is well; Some days it takes longer. But it is never a difficult task; It’s just the initial activation energy.”
There are times when recording to meet deadlines isn’t a rush. As in the case of ‘Srivalli’ Pushpa – Uday: “DSP (Devi Sri Prasad) and I spent a whole day talking, sharing stories and recording songs. I didn’t feel like working. He wanted me to explore the different textures of the voice. my voice has different colors Pallavi And charanam,
He had similarly recorded one of his first hits, ‘Thalli Pogathe’ (‘Vellipomeke’ in Telugu). A leisurely, long day in the studio sometimes leads to discovering different versions of a song – two versions of his Telugu hit ‘Undiporadheya’ composed by Radhan. Husharu, Composer Darbuka Siva comes up with three versions of Sid Sriram’s rendition of ‘Maruvarthai’ for Tamil film Inai Noki Payum Thota (‘Thota’ in Telugu).
Telugu, Tamil and Hindi film music (He debuted with) cluster In Hindi), Sid Sriram says this is only the tip of the iceberg: “There is a lot to do in the field of music. Carnatic music is a constant pursuit. I have completed another independent album. Me with ARR’. It’s been a decade since I recorded ‘Adiye’ (‘Yadik’). Every time I perform on stage, I come up with something new with my band, no matter what polarizing opinion I get. Sometimes for arrogance It’s hard to make negative comments but I don’t want to take the easy route.
Sid Sriram is a sketch artist and also writes poems and says, “At some point, I might write a film. I have concepts in my head. What I’ve done over the past decade feels like a step in a long journey. ,
(Sid Sriram to perform at HITEX in Hyderabad on June 18. Tickets on bookmyshow.com)