Born to a musically-inclined family, Radhika Narayanan’s first inspiration was her grandfather who used to sing. A promising talent of the times, Radhika, a native of Kozhikode, Kerala, finds music an addiction and can’t think of anything else that is as moving as it. “Music channels deep into the inner soul and energises the nerves you never knew existed. It helps me connect to profound feelings,” she says.
A vocalist for a number of bands, including musician Ishandev’s band, Radhika is the lead singer of her band Radhikanarayanan Live. Having started off as a solo artiste, she sees associating with other artistes as challenging and something that helps hone her skills. “Band members give you an extra edge, but it takes a lot to prove your mettle while learning new things.”
A trained Carnatic and Hindustani classical vocalist, Radhika has excelled in genres like ghazals, Sufi music and Western rap. It was while working with Ishandev that she was asked to do a rap number for the first time. Radhika recalls it as a tough experience, “For a classical singer, it was so hard. I have heard that rappers are trained well. It’s an acquired talent and not something you are born with. With just one song, I could feel the pressure of rap; it’s not just throwing some words to a beat.”
Radhika has performed with stalwarts like Shankar Mahadevan, Sivamani, Sreenivas and G Venugopal at overseas stage shows. Though her dream is to be a successful playback singer, she would like to channel her career as an artiste who deeply explores music and start her own institute to share her knowledge. “As an independent artiste, you have total control over your career. Creativity matters the most for any musician and an independent artiste has complete control over the direction and creative content of their music. As an artiste, I’d love to use that opportunity to express myself and my music. I believe, sharing it with others is one way to achieve my goal,” she wraps up.
