I definitely will compose for more movies after five years, says Sid Sriram (IANS Exclusive)

Chennai, Sep 8 (IANS) Singing sensation Sid Sriram, who is now all set for his first full-fledged India tour later this year, says that he will definitely compose music for movies but maybe five years from now.

In an exclusive interview to IANS, Sid Sriram, who has not just completed 13 eventful years in the music industry but has now risen to the top when it comes to singing, says he is grateful for all that he has got.

The ace singer with a voice that can charm audiences and a command of classical music that can delight music aficianados begins by taking a look back at his musical journey so far.

"It's been like a really beautiful journey for sure. I think like somewhat unpredictable. When I first kind of started out in this industry specifically, it was not accidental, but it happened very serendipitously. So, I didn't have like a whole career trajectory planned out for myself. From the beginning, I was just ready to be present, kind of take what comes my way, and let it grow. And it's grown in a very interesting, unique, and beautiful way. So, I just feel grateful for the last like 13 years," he says with a smile.

Now, after almost 13 years, the singer will be embarking on his first India tour ever in November this year. As part of the tour, Sid Sriram will be performing at the Terraform Arena in Bengaluru on November 22 and follow it up with concerts in YMCA Nandanam in Chennai on November 29 and the LB Stadium in Hyderabad on December 13.

Speaking about his upcoming India tour, the singer says, "So, in November and December, we have an India tour that we're doing. It's Chennai, Bangalore, and Hyderabad, and maybe a couple more cities. And that's really just going to be a celebration of the whole kind of journey from start to finish. It's going to kind of be covering all the material that I've had from the very beginning to now. All the film song hits that I've had over the years, a couple of reinterpretations of songs that I loved growing up, and then some of my original material as well. So, really a coming together of all that makes me who I am."

He adds, "And it's going to be our first time doing a tour as such in India. I've done a lot of one-off shows in various cities around the country, but this is going to be the first time that we're stringing shows together. And I think, yeah, it felt like the right time to do that. It just felt like, again, it's been quite a journey so far, and there's still a long way to go, but now felt like a nice time to, you know, stop, take stock of what I've done, and bring that to the stage, and bring that to the fans across the country."

Apart from his soulful and mesmerising voice, Sid Sriram has also got a complete understanding of a complex subject as music, especially Carnatic music. So, it's only natural that his fans expect him to also be a composer and not just stop with singing.

Says Sid Sriram, "I did one movie right before the pandemic, from Madras Talkies production, that Mani Ratnam sir had written. It was directed by a director named Dhana. And the movie's titled Vaanam Kottatum, and it came out in February 2020. And I enjoyed that process. I loved the experience because it was like a really steep learning curve.

"I've been making my own music for years now, actually, like even before my film music started. But, you know, to compose for a film, you have to immerse yourself in the world of the film and the concept of it and kind of really gear the music composition towards intentionality that might not be your own, but is driven by the movie. So that really taught me a lot."

"Having to have like very strict deadlines taught me a lot. Working and just being immersed in that world for like six months or more was, I just absorbed so much information and that too, getting to speak with Mani sir daily. But after that experience, I told myself I'll know when I'm ready to want to compose for a movie again. It really is so time consuming. And I still have a lot more that I want to do by way of just making my own original music that's purely based on my own vision in the universe that I want to build. I think in the future, I definitely will compose for more movies. But I'm envisioning that happening like five years from now, once I've done a little bit more in this," he signs off.

--IANS

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