Carnatic meets Jazz

At 28, Mumbai-based Aditi Ramesh has found her niche in bringing forth the traditional sense of the term fusion music, long before it was maligned by outfits that cropped up over the last few years, claiming to have expertise in the genre by adding an odd sargam to a pop song or replacing a drumkit with the tabla, without understanding the instrument.

Ramesh, who is also a part of Voctronica (vocals) and women-only outfit Ladies Compartment (vocals and keys), is going to sing originals - showcasing her finesse in Carnatic music and her passion for jazz and hip-hop - at a gig tonight. Her compositions also aim at highlighting another important aspect, especially when it comes to millennials - to let go of stress and pressure. "I would like my music to make people slow down and enjoy the little things in life. A lot of the music I compose is directed towards that," says Ramesh.

She will be performing mostly original compositions, along with her band. You can expect new content from the ensemble along with improvisations, upbeat music and songs with backing vocalists and a cello player. They will also be doing a few covers and giving them a spin. There will be nuances and changes in some of the other songs, too. "My music is ever evolving, so the songs have grown," informs Ramesh, who is aiming to release her EP, which will include many collaborations spreading across genres, later this year, and an album next year.

Ramesh's relationship with music is a long and winding one. She grew up listening to Carnatic, Tamil and old Bollywood music, and got hooked on to western classical piano when she was five years old, along with Carantic vocals. Then, she took an 11-year break from music when she went to law school, and was singing
only sporadically.

But when she turned 26, she came back to what she was passionate about - with a diverse taste and influences. "I came from a classical background. When I took that break from music, my taste developed and grew into jazz, soul, funk, blues, reggae and hip-hop. So, when I got back to composing and started re-teaching myself the music that I had completely forgotten, it was influenced by my new taste in music," explains Ramesh.

Pointing out the rise in female musicians in the rapidly changing music scene in the country, she says, "You do need to prove yourself a little bit more because sometimes, it is presupposed that you may not be as good as a man who is composing music or playing an instrument. That exists as a societal perception and is something we are trying to fight. We manage our women's band ourselves. Sometimes, when we represent the band and handle all the logistics and negotiations that a manager would, we might not be taken seriously at first," she shares. "It's important for female musicians and composers to come out and do what they do because there is definitely strength in numbers."

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