At an upcoming concert titled Sounds of the Nation, twin sisters Shruti Kumar and Sahana Kumar are set to introduce Chennai audiences to a new style of fusion music. Though they are trained Carnatic singers, the duo has decided to bring folk tunes from different states across the country and blend it with popular music at the concert set to happen on December 22.
Sahana and Shruti
Chennai:
How they bagged this concert was quite unexpected — “We’d heard a lot about Wandering Artist and the various events they conduct. We were interested in performing there. One person happened to see us at an event and put in a word to the venue to approach us and naturally, we were thrilled,” smiles Sahana. Since they didn’t want to have a regular Carnatic music performance but something offbeat, they settled to do a mix of popular and folk music in a multitude of languages. They add, “It’s going to be an acoustic set in an intimate setup.”
As for why they zeroed in on folk music, the sisters explain, “We have worked on a couple of such projects earlier but stuck mostly to Rajasthani music. We wanted to do something a bit more experimental and challenging that would equally be a great learning experience — that’s how the concert evolved.” Their passion for music and thirst to learn is what enabled Shruti and Sahana to create a career out of music. “We enjoy being on stage and enjoy process of learning with every new performance. The interactions and collaborations with various artistes also helps us evolve,” says Shruti. Based on their experience, they urge other aspiring musicians, “…not to perform on stage for the sake of recognition but for the sake of learning. If you wish to have a successful career in this field, practice and dedication are equally important,” the conclude.
Sahana, who has a Master’s degree in global entertainment and music business and Shruti in music technology — both from Berklee College of Music, Valencia Campus, Spain — say they’re looking forward to performing in the city. “We’ve been training in classical music for the past 17 years but we perform fusion and light music too. So, we thought we’d bring a new style to Chennai that is atypical of concerts during the Margazhi season,” they say.
How they bagged this concert was quite unexpected — “We’d heard a lot about Wandering Artist and the various events they conduct. We were interested in performing there. One person happened to see us at an event and put in a word to the venue to approach us and naturally, we were thrilled,” smiles Sahana. Since they didn’t want to have a regular Carnatic music performance but something offbeat, they settled to do a mix of popular and folk music in a multitude of languages. They add, “It’s going to be an acoustic set in an intimate setup.”
As for why they zeroed in on folk music, the sisters explain, “We have worked on a couple of such projects earlier but stuck mostly to Rajasthani music. We wanted to do something a bit more experimental and challenging that would equally be a great learning experience — that’s how the concert evolved.” Their passion for music and thirst to learn is what enabled Shruti and Sahana to create a career out of music. “We enjoy being on stage and enjoy process of learning with every new performance. The interactions and collaborations with various artistes also helps us evolve,” says Shruti. Based on their experience, they urge other aspiring musicians, “…not to perform on stage for the sake of recognition but for the sake of learning. If you wish to have a successful career in this field, practice and dedication are equally important,” the conclude.