Original, inventive and alternate

Belting out music inspired from the folk tunes of several Latin American countries, and fusing them with Indian sensibilities, is what this self-trained singer and songwriter did at Lamakaan on Saturday. With his family roots in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand, Surendra Singh Negi has always been passionate about the alternate music genre. And even though, professionally, Surendra is an assistant professor in the Hispanic and Italian studies department at the English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU), he has always had a love affair with music.

According to Surendra, all his travel experiences to Latin America helped him find his calling in terms of music genres. He says, “For me, music is something more real and close to the heart. I get inspired from the earthy tunes of Indian classical and folk music as well as from Latin American countries. My musical journey had started way back in 2012 in Delhi and has taken me to various corners of the country and abroad for performances. One can see that my music essentially reflects the lives of common people and the emotions they experience in life.” After founding Indian Folks in 2012, Surendra worked with the band as its vocalist-cum-rhythm guitarist, fusing Indian folk music with Indian classical and Western soft rock. And it was in October last year that he released a studio album called Safar, featuring seven of his original numbers in Hindi and Spanish. Explaining what ‘his kind of music’ is, the passionate performer adds, “While growing up, my favourites have been Los Piojos, an Argentine rock band 
and Silvio Rodríguez, a Cuban musician. Back home, I enjoy the music of the popular fusion rock band, Indian Ocean.”

Talking about the independent music scenario in Hyderabad, Surendra says, “There is an audience for original music, even though the scope for great finances in the category is yet to get better. All the cafes and pubs in the city that have live performances still prefer singers belting out Bollywood numbers. However, there is a rising demand for original alternate music as well.”

Before signing off, Surendra reveals that apart from delivering lectures in the near future, he will be working on his new musical creations.