Crowd support for music

The daughter of a music collector father and a Classical music teacher mother, Gayathri Krishnan is someone, who not just plays music, but also breathes it. Now, after performing, touring, creating singles, EPs and music videos for over five years, the artiste is ready with her full-length album, The Unknown, which she will launch in the city on June 26.

Gayathri Krishnan

"The Unknown is the lovechild of all things that have inspired or moved me creatively. Early last year, I knew it was time for a full-length album - a cohesive, colossal piece of work - that defined where I stood today, musically and artistically. I had a growing family of songs by then and felt that urgent pang to tell all the little stories I wanted to, tied together by the way they were told," says Krishnan, adding that the album features everything from lush orchestral sweeps to choral play and classic balladry, all set to the metronome of simple melody and introspective lyrics.

For The Unknown, Krishnan decided to take the route of crowd sourcing and to her surprise, was able to generate the amount she needed within 10 days.

Taking us through her journey, Krishnan reveals that she first came upon crowd-funding during another project she was working on which sadly didn't see the light of day because of funding issues. In the time when she was contemplating making her first full-length album, she watched Danae Ringelmann, founder of Indiegogo speak at TEDx Dubai and the idea clicked in her head.

After some intense research and speaking to those who had had success with crowd-funding the artiste decided to give it a shot. The goal was to raise $20,000 in 30 days and she "went about it with feverish passion". Finally, with the help of close friends, she made the pitch video and got all of them and her family to become campaign ambassadors spreading the word.

"Then, the campaign went live. By the end of the first day, we had already made $6000 dollars and within the next 10 days, we made over $21,000 - beating our goal with plenty of time to spare," informs the singer

On the visual side of things, Krishnan has worked with photographer / filmmaker Ekta Saran who dedicated herself to the making of this album. The making of the album will be released as a documentary next year.

As far as the album launch concert in the city is concerned, there will be a showcase of The Unknown performed with a menagerie of Mumbai-based musicians whilst illustrating a modern take on choir singing. "The visual world of the show will feature projections and prop-driven elements which will root the sights and sounds in the meeting place of the real and the surreal," shares Krishnan, who combines Classical music with everything from Joni Mitchell, Bjork, Jeff Buckley, Ella Fitzgerald, Nick Cave, to the newer crop of songwriters like Feist, Radiohead and Regina Spektor.

On June 26, 10.30 pm
At Blue Frog, Mathuradas Mills Compound, Lower Parel.
Call 6158 6158
Log on to www.gayathrimusic.com u00a0