From College Band to Local Gigs, Hyderabad's Deccan Project is Here to Stay

The power of music transcends language. Out to prove the same is Hyderabad's very own band, "The Deccan Project". Popular among all ages, the Deccan Project started as a college band in 2018 and has performed together since.

Founded by Vivek and Nikhil, they are a five-piece band with Madhav on lead vocals, Nikhil on guitar and backing vocals, Srikanth on keyboards, Kanakraj on bass guitar and Vivek on drums. They are accompanied by Tarun as their sound engineer and Shreya as their media manager.

"We used to jam together back in college and also participated in many competitions. We never thought that we would take this up professionally. But we were tired of doing jobs that didn't interest us. So on a random day six years ago, I called up Nikhil, my junior in college. We called our other friends, and in about 20 mins, we formed a band. We managed to score a few gigs in a couple of months, and since then, there has been no turning back for us," said Vivek.

The band draws inspiration from the unique vibe that the city offers. Reminiscing on the story behind the name, the band shared that their audience gave them their name. "Everything about the Deccan fascinates us, so the name came naturally. No matter where we go, we draw parallels to Hyderabad, and no other cuisine beats Hyderabad's," said Vivek.

Music composers widely appreciate the band for presenting their compositions with a twist of their own. They truly know their way around a room full of Telugus.

"We have different genres of music coming from different parts of the world, and we intend to add some of these elements to our Telugu music. Our influences in music are quite different, which is probably why we work as a band," said Srikanth, who joined the band two years ago along with Madhav. The 'Project' in their name is suggestive of the same.

Talking about their most memorable experience at the Sunday Soul Sante in 2021, the band called it their 'comeback' performance. "We were a little on the low as our initial band members quit the band. We took in Madhav and Srikanth, and this was our first performance, having reinvented ourselves. But I am sure we surprised everybody as we came back better. We improved for the best," said Nikhil.

"The Deccan Project is very popular in the city. Bands such as the Deccan Project find their niche by performing in venues such as local clubs," said Jayadev, one of the club owners of Moonshine Project. This band has a lot on their cards for the future and plans to release their independent music soon.