Music has been a part of Radhika Sethumadhavan’s life for the past 22 years. Fans of the music reality show Idea Star Singer would easily recognise her as one of the finalists of the first season. Today however, she is known for her strong vocal presence in the independent music industry. Earlier this week, Radhika was with her band in Kochi to perform at the Muse Room.
“I have been performing on stage ever since my stint with Idea Star Singer. Later, I moved to Bengaluru and Chennai for my studies,” says Radhika whose love for music guided her to learn different genres. She started off with Carnatic and for the last 10-12 years, she’s been learning Hindustani. She also holds a degree in Western Classical. “I’m currently pursuing my Masters in it and am also learning jazz and R&B vocals from Berklee School of Music, USA,” she informs.
Radhika who owns a music school in Kochi Soul of Music speaks about her band and says, “The band is nearly a year old and we have our own compositions as well as covers. The band tips a tad bit towards blues but we try not to restrict ourselves to a particular genre.” When asked about her personal favourite she says, “I have a curiosity towards all kinds of genres, so I try and learn more about all of them.”
Apart from all the degrees she holds in music, Radhika also has a degree in biotechnology. Studies had kept her away from the music industry for a while but not for long. “I was a student at KM Music Conservatory for a year and after studies, I was working as the content developer at Shankar Mahadevan Academy for four years. I was completely out of touch with the local music scene for nearly 10 years. So after returning, I had to brush up and re-establish my contacts. The rewards are slowly coming in,” she smiles.
Radhika is planning to come out with some of her own compositions. She has also collaborated with a few senior musicians of the industry. “I have worked with Jerry Amaldev, K. Jayakumar and Santhosh Varma for a few independent singles. The video shooting is in progress and I am looking forward to the release in around two weeks,” she signs off.
