Chennai: Growing up in Coonoor, in the beautiful Nilgiri Mountains, Serena Kern could have hardly asked for a more romantic setting to inspire the love ballads that she’s become renowned for. “I started singing at a young age and would stage little plays for my family, which gave me the chance to show off my yet unpolished vocals. I later sang in my school’s choir. While I have always enjoyed music, I did not start writing my own until my first year at University,” she recalls.
The singer-songwriter is a YouTube hit. Her songs are inspired by events and experiences in her life. “The lyrics are intended to evoke feelings and thoughts that anyone can relate to. Ultimately, my background has had a big impact on my music style and my first album is called Sui Generis, a legal term meaning ‘one of a kind’. Growing up where I did, I had no dearth of inspiration. I was exposed to many different languages and cultures. As I speak Tamil fluently, Tamil music sparked my interest in Indian instruments and melodies. I was also exposed to Italian music as my paternal family comes from the German and Italian speaking parts of Switzerland. I think a commonality with both Italian and Tamil music is that they are both brimming with emotion and I have tried to emphasise this in my music,” explains Serena.
Pursuing a law career in London, how does this talented Indian-Swiss youngster balance both diverse facets of her life? “A lawyer is something I worked hard to become, but I have always been a musician. As a budding musician, there were, of course, challenges to standing out in a crowd. However, my background was, in fact, an advantage as the Indian influences in my songs give them an edge. London is a city brimming with talent and opportunity as it attracts musicians from all over the world. University was where I first found an outlet for my creativity. There was abundant opportunity to perform and people always eager to hear something new!” she smiles.
And she is well on her way to going global, with anyone from any walk of life being able to relate to her music. “While I have had success in the UK, collaborating with some excellent artists, I have also achieved recognition in India with some experimental stuff. One always needs a strong foundation and this is what India gave me. The variety of cultures, music and instruments gave me a ear for music. I would have found myself lost in all the variety that London had to offer had I not had this advantage. London provided me the opportunity to find my niche,” says the gifted singer.
Her fondest memory, she says, is the satisfaction she felt upon finishing writing her first song, ‘Thrown Away’. “When I performed the song live, it seemed to strike a chord with the audience. After the performance someone came up to me and said that it was as if the song was about her. This is what I have tried to achieve since then — writing music that allows me to connect with my audience,” says Serena.
