Shyam' mastani: Carnatic musician performs with Shyam Raj
This 30 year old songstress has performed with Shyam Raj and even has her own e-learning academy!
Over 300 live shows, 15 years of performing experience and a musical journey that started out when she was only five – Pratibha Sarathy grew up in the lap of Carnatic music and spread out her wings to tap everything from hard rock to Bollywood. While her academic record is flawless, adorned with a computer engineering degree from BITS, Pilani and an MBA from SP Jain, this 30-year-old singer believes that she’s a musicpreneur first.
“I always dreamt of being a musician but it was tough to give up my corporate career. It had to happen someday and it did,” she tells us, having started her musical journey here in Bengaluru. Pratibha recently shared the stage with RD Burman’s original saxophonist, Shyam Raj too.
Benny Dayal’s show in Goa and a four-city concert tour for a leading corporate are some of the gigs that top her list. While performances and shows come her way ever so often, this go-getter looks to charting out her own path.
“I am an active YouTuber and on Pratibha’s Music, my YouTube channel, I present an innovative take on genres – everything from Carnatic rock fusion and acapella to classical dubstep, mashups and unplugged. I have worked with over 30 different artistes from the globe so far,” She says.
The lass who considers AR Rahman and Shankar Tucker her biggest inspirations is also the founder of Pratibha’s e-Cademy, a music e-learning platform where Indians across the globe can learn vocal and instrumental music via Skype!
“A lot of us grew up learning music from a teacher down the street and I observed that this scenario has changed drastically,” she says, owing it to traffic, distances, time and career goals. This platform with students from 20 countries and 60 cities across the world helps reach out to professional trainers from the comfort of your home.
“This year, I hope to scale it up to more countries, explore playback opportunities with reputed composers and have interesting fusions planned. I can’t wait to collaborate with newer talent,” she says.
Ask her what it takes to be a songstress and she gives it straight – “You should invest dedicated time and effort to sharpen your skills and build a good product. This comes with years of riaz and unconditional patience. Once a great and unique product is ready, the possibilities are endless,” she smiles.