“Lots of pushback” were given to his Tamil film debut, he claims.
Indian by birth, raised in America Sriram combines his early soul and R&B inspirations with a distinctive Carnatic (South Indian) vocal style.
He cites Luther Vandross, Aretha Franklin, and Stevie Wonder as major influences.
“What kind of voice is this?” they asked. How come he’s singing in this way? asserts Sriram.
He has, however, mostly let his music speak for itself and hasn’t let the early criticism deter him.
He performed at Coachella this year as the first South Indian ever, opened for American indie musician Bon Iver during his US tour, and is going to it.
In front of an audience at London’s O2 Arena, it will be his largest solo show in the United Kingdom.
“My goal has always been to take our music to the next level,” Sriram says in an interview with Asian Network’s Tamil and South Indian music program.
“A bridge across cultures”
A new generation of South Asian musicians is making appearances at popular venues and working with performers from the West.
The Tonight Show included Punjabi megastar Diljit Dosanjh, AP Dhillon collaborated with Stormzy, and Arijit Singh introduced Ed Sheeran during his performance.
According to Sriram, he is motivated to pursue his Carnatic style by the success of these performers.
“From the start, my goal has been to use my Carnatic musical heritage to spread awareness of it throughout it.
