Sruthi VJ on the journey to her EP Better Love

“I’m one of the crazies who quit the corporate world and jumped back to my artistic side during the pandemic,” says Sruthi Vijayachandran, better known as Sruthi VJ. The singer songwriter who shuttles between Bengaluru and California recently released her debut EP, Better Love.

During a three-way call with Sruthi in California and her producer Richard Andrew Dudley in Bengaluru, she talks about her journey of the past four years.

“Richard and I began collaborating during the pandemic, doing a series of mash-ups and covers. He had a lot more time as there were no live gigs at the time and we were able to get some music out, which was quite well received,” she says, adding, “Soon enough, Richard was encouraging me to write and compose my own material.”

“The interest to write songs was always there as I always had an interest in poetry and limericks. This was a way to do it in a focused, more professional manner.”

“My parents realised quite early that I had a inclination for music, so I began in Carnatic lessons at the age of five, that was my foundation. Later on, while studying in Christian institutions, I was part of the choir. Participating in musicals and singing acapellas helped me hone my skills in Western music too,” says the former Mount Carmel College student.

With such a base for her music and lyrics, Sruthi branched off in different directions, not confining herself to one style or genre. “I’ve utilised what I know to apply myself in different styles and in Better Love, the songs are about how different relationships have an impact on one’s personal growth and identity.”

“Right from the nurturing comfort of home to the bitter-sweetness of growing up and meeting other people along the way — the songs trace that journey and while no two of them are alike, the common thread is that journey of growth and evolution.”

Sruthi released her first single titled ‘Jee Bar Ke’, in 2022, a blend of Indian and Western elements, which was followed by ‘Snatch To Me’, a tribute to survivors of gun violence in America. Now, Better Love comprising five songs, is out on all streaming platforms.

“Working with Sruthi has been interesting because of what we bring to the table. She brings the lyrical and creative content, and for me as a producer that’s a delight, because I am free to create the arrangements, decide on instrumentation and the rest,” says Richard, who runs Moksha, a music academy in Bengaluru.

Sruthi VJ
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He goes on to add how Sruthi’s versatility is bound to take her places. “There are not too many artistes who can switch between languages with ease. She may not be fluent when speaking different languages, but when she sings, her articulation is great,” he says, adding that she was in the leagues of Shriya Ghoshal and Jonita Gandhi.

“I am a Malayalee, so Malayalam comes to me naturally and since I grew up in Tamil Nadu, I’m quite comfortable with Tamil and Hindi. I’ve also tried languages I’m not so familiar with such as Kannada, Bengali and Telugu,” says Sruthi. She goes on to share how she has detailed calls with friends to ensure she gets her diction right.

“I get inputs from people who are well-versed in that language because however pretty a song sounds, it does not matter if it does not sound relatable to somebody who speaks that language. And I always try to go into the meaning of what I’m singing to help me perfect the sounds. A lot of groundwork happens before I reach the recording studio.”

Richard says it is every artiste’s dream to have somebody singing their songs. “When I hear some of my students singing Sruthi’s songs word for word, it gives me so much joy. Whether it’s one or 1,00,000 that’s the journey — to hear somebody repeating what you have created and relate to it — that is all an artiste can ask for.”

As for Sruthi, she says, “Next, I’m going to focus on live gigs to take my music out there. That’s something Richard and I have planned for 2025 as well as releasing new music and trying multilingual songs.”