“I was the most anticipated kid to my parents. As I grew up, I was introduced to sloka chanting and music quite early on. I was put to train for carnatic vocals under a guru at the age of three. As the years flew, I received an amazing opportunity to meet with the legendary singer Smt. M.S. Subbulakshmi amma. Being a close family friend of ours, she recommended a teacher from whom I would continue my learning for the years to come.
As my learning progressed, people started to recognise my unique prowess and I was greatly encouraged to continue my music. Following a brief couple of years, we had to move to a place near Bangalore following my dad’s transfer. Owing to a break in my music learning, we were on the lookout for a new teacher when we chanced upon a music school.
One thing led to another and I continued my music journey at this school training under an esteemed guru. It was around this time that we heard about the passing of our M.S.Subbulakshmi amma. We were deeply saddened by her demise and we were approached by her students to check if we could put together a memorial event for her.
What followed was a year of research and documentation which would ultimately culminate in a long documentary about the life of M.S.Subbulakshmi amma. I was asked to perform at the event. It was one of my first stage performances and since we were close family friends of amma, it was suggested that I sing at her memorial. So that year I went in training for the big day and at the age of 10, I gave my first stage performance at the memorial event of Smt. M.S. Subbulakshmi amma. I was hauled and praised as a musical prodigy and the event was a grand success. It had media coverage and became a remarkable event.
Shortly after this, we had to move back to Chennai following our dad’s work and here, once again, I resumed learning under a different guru. Continuing my studies in a new school, I received a huge exposure as an upcoming artist and the same continued through college as well. I was trained to sing different styles from my original carnatic style and I became adept at singing light music as well.
Towards the end of my college years, a huge opportunity came knocking at my door. I was approached for a casting call for a musical movie by the Director James Vasanthan. They were looking to cast someone who was good at acting as well as singing. What transpired that day in the studio was a memorable day and I got in. After a few hitches with the family, I was cast on the film and the movie went to hit the theatres that same year. The movie fared okay but the appreciation for the songs were phenomenal.
Hailing from a family of media professionals from my paternal grandfather who was none other than the Late PV Sathyam (Film producer & Distributor) and my maternal grandfather – Nerur Murthy, it came as no surprise that I would also grow to contest for opportunities here. Multiple opportunities started to pour in for advertisements and short films from then on. However, there seemed to be a lull in my musical career. There I decided to pursue my masters in music at Madras University and what followed were two eventful years. Having completed my education, I started my music school to teach music to young and enterprising minds.
Bit by bit, my name and fame grew and I started to train multiple people through my school. One thing led to another and I was asked to be the music mentor for a musical reality show for a leading Tamizh channel. As much as fun that was, there were moments when I was pushed into a corner and put on the spot for TRP. This made me privy to the less glamorous side of the media.
As I wound up those years with the channel, I began to focus all my attention on my school and with the advent of the lockdown, we brought on multiple mentors to teach different styles of music as well. Currently, there are close to 40 mentors and numerous students from different corners of the world.
Life has been kind and I am certainly grateful for the opportunities which were sent my way. I aim to train my students well and help them reach great heights in their musical journey.”