Hyderabad-born, London-based alternate rock singer- songwriter Shriram Alluri is an artist caught between two cultures. Having grown up in India and completing his studies in Europe, he’s been influenced by both Eastern and Western sensibilities, which he has used as the inspiration behind his new album Man of Truth.
Alluri says his music is inspired “from living my life, observing people and myself, as well as from my love for music and songwriting”. He has been writing songs since 2011, and admits the album took about nine months to record. “The album has been a labour of love. Most of the songs are about the experiences that I have had or about people who mean a lot to me. It is an intensely personal album. Also, they are some of the best songs I have ever written,” says Alluri, who lived in Hyderabad for the first 15 years of his life.
A self-taught musician, he describes how he learnt to play the guitar himself. “I used the Internet to read chords and tabs online. I took exactly two guitar classes. In the first class, I was taught a finger picking exercise. In the second class, I was told to photocopy a few pages of a guitar book. I photocopied the chords that were in the last pages of the book and didn’t go back to the guitar classes! Instead, I learnt all the chords and started playing songs that I loved,” says Alluri, who is currently working on new music with acclaimed music producer, Tommaso Colliva.
Talking about his music, Alluri says, “Man of Truth is a love song, sung by a guy suffering from a split personality. I had written this song when I was in Hyderabad.” He adds, “While I have always written in English as it is my language of thought and discussion, I am innately in love with Telugu. I speak it whenever I get a chance. I always felt guilty that I didn’t write in Telugu, as I couldn’t share my work with my people. It was a burden I always lived with, until one day, a chance visit to the city in June 2013 made me happy and I ended up writing a bunch of songs in Telugu.”
Alluri says he has finished recording one song for his Telugu album and has eight more tracks to go. “Hopefully, I can get them done next year,” he says. The alternative-rock ‘n’ roll artiste will soon be performing at the first edition of NH7 Weekender, which is being held between November 5th and 6th in the city.
