They stormed into limelight winning the reality show judged by A.R. Rahman. The contemporary Carnatic rock band, Agam, comprising of Suraj, Vignesh, Praveen, Harish and Shiva, has a unique style; making them a well-known name in the music circuit. Chennai is special to them because they began their musical journey here. “Chennai’s audience is evolved and musically knowledgeable. Since some of us have our roots here, it was like a homecoming for us. We have memorable experiences in Chennai, playing at a variety of venues; making us want to come back again and again,” says Ganesh Ram, percussionist.

About their music he says, “Agam’s sound is a result of infusing the myriad musical influences that each band member brings. Our music has a Carnatic soul, our melodies a strong Indian influence; combining the myriad hues of melodic scales and intricate rhythm structures of Carnatic music with the aesthetic principles and tonal elegance from the Western world.”

The band has its own bunch of jokers. “Harish (our vocalist) does most of the onstage fooling around, sometimes joined by Shiva and me. The saints would be the guitarists — Suraj, Vignesh and Praveen. They take their guitaring extremely seriously and focus on playing their leads to perfection,” giggles Ganesh.

Of late, music reality shows have come under strong criticism. Agam, an outcome of a reality show, thinks otherwise. “These shows give independent musicians and bands an opportunity to showcase their talent. As long as music reality shows don’t judge musicians on non-musical traits (dancing, for example — dancing while singing is even worse — or acting, or the costumes they wear) allowing them to do what they do best — it’s a great opportunity for up and coming musicians.”

The band is working on its debut album.
“The album is slated for release around mid year. We are looking forward to taking our music to a wider audience.”