In the first edition of our monthly short interview series ‘SHIMMER’, we chat with UK crossover artiste Shriram Alluri aka Alluri who has been setting the indie space abuzz with his sound that marries Alternative Rock with Telugu! A good amount of info on the artiste along with links to their EPK and music can be found at their website – www.allurimusic.com but here we do a quick check-in with their creative process’ and some experiences so far.
CG: You’ve been in and out of the performing arts scene in India through the course of your career. What significant changes have you noticed through these years?
SA: I have been travelling with my music for the past seven years now. The biggest discovery is how tough the reality is for a musician to make a living from performing live, especially in India where experiencing live music is not part our weekly culture. The one significant change that I see with regard to the music scene anywhere, is how social media is influencing it. It is increasing one’s digital work load, which I think is at odds with the core function of music – to get people together. I therefore think it is unwelcome in a musician’s life – however necessary or important. Engaging with social media I think is an ethical dilemma for a musician, one that stands to weaken his or her music. Finding the right balance is the challenge.
CG: How different is it performing in India as opposed to performing abroad? Which one’s more desirable for you?
SA: Performing arts in the West are more streamlined and professional. There are also more opportunities as there exists a core bunch of serious music listeners that want music from different cultures. Also singing in Telugu for an audience that doesn’t understand it is more fun than I thought it would ever be. It is like I am the only one in on a secret! Having said that, performing here provides for the opportunity of a deeper connection with the audience provided I come up with a song that the audience can connect to. So yeah, performing abroad and in India are uniquely different experiences and desirable for different reasons.
CG: You are creating a unique sound by fusing Telugu lyrics with Western, Rock music. What kind of an experience are you trying to create for your listeners?
SA: News channels like the BBC suggest that Telugu is the fastest growing language in America. This is very hopeful news for an artiste like me. It spells the possibility of creating a live Telugu music scene there. Telugu music listeners are typically exposed to music within the confines of a film narrative, which leaves almost no room for a truly unique expression – lyrically or musically. Creating an independent music scene means presenting the songwriters with a blank canvas. It has the potential to create unique live experiences for the audience.
CG: Which are your two songs that you think you got right? Why?
SA: ‘Evari Kosam‘ and ‘Endukala‘ – these are the first two Telugu singles I released. They’re totally opposite in their tone. The former is extremely serious and the latter, not so much. Both are honest songs and unintentionally so. I had recorded the songs in Milan with an Italian music producer named Tommaso Colliva(Muse & Franz Ferdinand) and Massimo Martellotta, the keyboard player for Calibre 35mm, a cinematic funk orchestral jazz fusion band. I feel that these two songs were most strongly affected by the artistes’ involvement and are the strongest songs on the album that is coming out April 2019.
CG: What would you say are your biggest learnings in professional music so far?
SA: No guarantees (in this field). Anything is possible. For me, the most joy comes from writing what I think is a good song. Do not expect anything to happen from the songs you have written. Focus on enjoying the process to the hilt.
Follow Alluri on their social media pages as below :
