Sruthi VJ on the way to her EP Better Love

“I am one of those crazy people who left the corporate world and came back to my artistic side during the pandemic,” says Sruthi Vijayachandran, better known as Sruthi VJ. The singer-songwriter who commutes between Bengaluru and California recently released his debut EP, A better love.

In a three-way interview with Sruthi in California and her producer Richard Andrew Dudley in Bangalore, she talks about her journey over the last four years.

“Richard and I started collaborating during the pandemic, doing a series of mash-ups and covers. He had a lot more time because there were no concerts at the time and we were able to release music, which was quite well received,” she says, adding: “Very quickly, Richard told me encouraged to write and compose my own material. »

“The interest in writing songs has always been there, just like I’ve always had an interest in poetry and limericks. It was a way to do it in a focused and more professional way.

“My parents realized quite early that I had a penchant for music, so I started Carnatic lessons at the age of five, that was my foundation. Later, while studying in Christian institutions, I was part of the choir. Participating in musicals and singing acapellas also helped me hone my skills in Western music,” says the former Mount Carmel College student.

With such a foundation for her music and lyrics, Sruthi has branched out in different directions, without limiting herself to a single style or genre. “I used what I know to apply to different styles and in A better love, the songs are about how different relationships impact one’s personal growth and identity.

“From the comforts of home to the bittersweetness of growing up and meeting other people along the way, the songs trace that journey and while none of them are the same, the common thread is that journey of growth and evolution. »

Sruthi released her debut single titled “Jee Bar Ke”, in 2022, a blend of Indian and Western elements, followed by “Snatch To Me”, a tribute to survivors of gun violence in America. NOW, A better love composed of five songs, is available on all streaming platforms.

“Working with Sruthi has been interesting because of what we bring. She brings the lyrical and creative content, and for me as a producer, it’s a delight, because I’m free to create the arrangements, decide the instrumentation and everything else,” says Richard, who runs Moksha, a music academy in bangalore.

He then adds that Sruthi’s versatility is bound to take his place. “There aren’t many artists who can easily switch from one language to another. She may not be fluent in different languages, but when she sings, her articulation is excellent,” he says, adding that she is in the league of Shriya Ghoshal and Jonita Gandhi.

“I am Malayalee, so Malayalam comes naturally to me and since I grew up in Tamil Nadu, I am quite comfortable with Tamil and Hindi. I also tried languages ​​that I don’t know very well, like Kannada, Bengali and Telugu,” says Sruthi. She goes on to explain how she has had detailed calls with friends to make sure she has a good handle on her diction.

“I get comments from people who know that language well, because no matter how pretty a song sounds, it doesn’t matter if it doesn’t sound relevant to someone who speaks that language. And I always try to go in the direction of what I’m singing to help me perfect the sounds. There’s a lot of prep work to do before you get to the recording studio.

Richard says it’s every artist’s dream to have someone sing their songs. “When I hear some of my students singing Sruthi songs word for word, it brings me so much joy. Whether it’s one or 1,00,000, it’s the journey – hearing someone repeat what you’ve created and relating to it – that’s all an artist can ask for.

As for Sruthi, she says, “Next, I will focus on concerts to spread awareness about my music. This is something Richard and I have planned for 2025, in addition to releasing new music and trying out multilingual songs.