For Grammy-nominated singer and flautist Varijashree Venugopal, music is a journey of wonder: a way of listening, learning and discovering the threads that connect sounds from distant worlds. Now, the Bengaluru-born artiste is on a 17-city US tour with international band Snarky Puppy and will soon perform at Lollapalooza India in Mumbai. In a conversation with Bangalore Times, she reflects on staying rooted, learning through collaboration, and giving independent music room to breathe.‘My Carnatic roots are my musical alphabet’Brought up by musician parents, Varijashree started learning music at a very young age. That early environment shaped not only her training but also how she listens to music today. “Music was the first language I was introduced to, even before Kannada or Tamil. I’ve always been a curious learner, and a student of music for the past 30 years, long before I became a professional artiste,” she says.While Carnatic music remains her primary training, she has always been drawn to sounds beyond its boundaries. “I am not trained in any form of Western music, be it Western classical or jazz. Whatever influences I have drawn have come through listening. I understand and decode them through the elements and fundamentals of Carnatic music. The raga and tala systems are my tools, and will be in my blood forever. Those are my roots, my alphabet,” she shares.‘Fusion is not just about mixing sounds; it’s much more than that’For Varijashree, bringing together Carnatic music and other genres involves far more than experimenting with sounds. “Whenever a piece brings together elements from two or more styles of music, it is about understanding the intricacies and the soul of those styles. We have to constantly think about how to represent them most tastefully and do justice to both,” she says.Even after years of performing, she sees this as a work in progress rather than something she has completely figured out. “The intention of a composer like Tyagaraja is different from that of someone like Chick Corea. Understanding that difference is the challenging part. You have to study how the music works, how improvisation is used and what makes a particular composition come together. There is no fixed syllabus for this. You have to write your own syllabus for the music you want to make,” she explains.‘I have always admired Snarky Puppy’Over the years, collaborations with musicians from around the world, including those working in flamenco, samba and bossa nova, have deepened her understanding of music. Yet, she says, the biggest takeaway is often what happens beyond the final performance or recording. “I have always admired Snarky Puppy, and I have played with them a few times. I have also been part of their Family Dinner series and the Rabbit Hole music workshop residency in New York. In these experiences, I have come out with more lessons for myself than anything else,” she says.On the ongoing US tour, she is performing her original music in a trio featuring Michael League and Bengaluru-based percussionist Pramath Kiran. Reflecting on the experience so far, she describes the month as a “volcano of inspiration.” She shares, “The meeting between musicians offers so much more than just the song we make. It is something we carry with us for a lifetime.”‘Indian music brings its own language to the world’Varijashree believes Indian musicians have much to offer in global music collaborations. “Indian music has a rich system of ragas and rhythms. When musicians from different schools of thought come together, they exchange ideas, some familiar and some completely new. That is where interesting things happen,” she says.She also sees the exchange as a two-way street. While musicians from outside India are fascinated by ragas and rhythmic structures, Indian musicians can discover new ways of thinking through harmony, chord changes and other musical ideas. “There are so many possibilities. Before arriving at something, you might have tried a hundred or even a thousand times. Many things fail before you find a presentation that works. It is a constant process of learning, and that’s what makes it exciting,” she adds.‘It is not that music outside Bollywood is not good enough’When it comes to independent music in India, Varijashree believes the conversation needs to move beyond commercial music. “The very term ‘commercial’ changes with time. What was considered popular 40 years ago may not be popular today. Different kinds of music can coexist, with each having its own audience,” she says.She points out that film music naturally reaches a larger audience while independent music often requires artistes to put in additional effort to find listeners. “It is not that music outside Bollywood is not good enough. It is just that it may not have received the same platform to be seen and heard. Whichever music gets more opportunities to be published, streamed and marketed will naturally become more visible,” she shares.Social media has helped artistes release their work, but she believes there is still room for more independent music festivals and platforms. “Festivals that focus on independent music are important because they give artistes a space to present their work. If these opportunities increase, the space for independent music will also grow,” she adds.
