HITTING THE RIGHT NOTE

Singer and flautist Varijashree Venugopal, who's nominated for a Grammy alongside Jacob Collier and Anoushka Shankar, shares her love for Carnatic music, cross-genre improvisation, and what it means to represent India on the world stage

- PRATIKSHA ACHARYA

GRAZIA: How did this collaboration with Jacob Collier come to life, and what does it mean for you to represent Indian classical music on a global platform?

VARIJASHREE VENUGOPAL: I started performing when I was four, singing only Carnatic music, but it was in my mid-teen years when I opened myself up to other kinds of music. It's all this that has brought me to the level where I am collaborating with incredible artists such as Jacob Collier. I admire him for all that he's offering to the world of music. I was introduced to him through common friends, and we got in touch on Instagram. He wanted to rope me in for a project for his album Djesse, and incorporate my singing and Anoushka's sitar into it, and it all just came together.

G: Your album 'Vari' has been praised for its unique fusion of Indian classical music with global rhythms. What is your creative process when blending such diverse musical traditions?