Human voice is an instrument: Artist Varijshri Venugopal on the release of his debut album Vaari

“I have always been fascinated by the human voice and how it can be used as a tool without the barriers of language or culture,” says Varijashree Venugopal.

Bengaluru singer and flautist rehearsing ahead of live launch of her album Wari In Bengaluru on 17th May followed by digital release on 10th May.

“We’re going to play the entire album live and rearrange the entire set of songs for this scenario. Six of us will be playing these songs for the first time in India and we are starting from Bengaluru,” she says.

Reminiscing about her musical journey, Varijashree says that listening to Bobby McFerrin and other artists from the jazz fraternity increased her curiosity about all the things that are possible with the human voice.

“I started experimenting with scat singing in jazz and how it could be applied to my musical context. The improvisational elements in these styles that bring these two worlds together made an impact on me as a singer. Over the years, I have met musicians from different countries, trying to learn their styles like Brazilian choro or bossa nova or samba, and singing it using Indian. gamut tone System. There are many things that these forms of music have in common mathematically and improvisationally.

Varijshree Venugopal Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

“This way, as a singer, I can use my voice as a medium; I can use it to express myself without using song lyrics. Only then does the voice play the role of an instrument like a trumpet, violin or trombone.

a valuable musical friendship

Michael League of Snarky Puppy collaborated with Varijashree on this album. “Michael is my music producer as well as band director; He worked on all the arrangements so that we could all play as a six-member band in a way that was close to the original energy and influence of our sound.

The artist says that these symphony-based compositions are part of her first original music album, and she is grateful to Michael for his continued encouragement.

“Michael and I met through a common group of friends in New York about 10 years ago. At that time, I was exploring different forms of music, and applying the techniques and basic principles of Carnatic music to other styles such as jazz, Brazilian, and other styles of music. Michael had come across some of my work through his musician friends, and when we met, we hit it off – we had a lot of things to share and discuss.

Varijashree Venugopal and Michael League | Photo Credit: Brian Friedman

“I always had the idea of coming up with a full-length original music album, which seemed technically quite difficult in the long run. Although I’ve released a few original singles over the last 10-12 years, an album still seems like a distant dream. But Michael inspired me to believe in the idea.

Varijashree says Michael comes from a Western perspective, musical training and practice. “He took half the journey to get the best out of this world and I took the half journey to understand harmony and how to apply it to the style I practice.”

,Wari This is my learning journey – from where I come from, to where I have reached musically as a student. It is put in a capsule in this album.

about the album

Varijashree says that seven years in the making, the album has strong roots in Indian music, adding, “It may not be traditional Carnatic music, but if you listen to it, you will understand that this man’s This style has a background. Fundamentally, it reflects my soul’s connection with music – it’s where I come from.’

“All these elements will always be with me. Wherever I go and whatever I sing, my mother tongue is the way I speak, and it comes across very strongly in this album.”

Cover of Varijashree Venugopal's album Vaari

Varijashree Venugopal’s album cover Wari
, Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

As the daughter of accomplished musicians HS Venugopal and TV Ram, whom she calls her “first guru”, Varijashree says that 90% of the music in the album comes from Indian instruments. Nadaswaram And thavil from temples, Doll And tomatoes From folk songs, Mridangam, Sarangi and Shehnai And Tabla From the classical music and Carnatic violin section which is a relatively new concept.

“You may have heard Carnatic productions as solo units or, at most, as duos. But here we have three violinists and we have put together their sounds for the album so that it sounds like a giant violin section, playing Carnatic tunes.

Varijashree states that the suras are composed with voices, another unusual concept in Indian classical music which is largely melody oriented.

“About 80% of the lyrical content of the album is original compositions, while two are traditional or saintly poems of Purandara Das arranged in modern soundscapes. I have also set a new tune to one of Purandara Das’s poems,” she says, adding that apart from one song in which she collaborated with another lyricist, all the songs are in Kannada.

“Then, there is an English song which is also a first for me because I don’t usually sing in that language. It’s been a new experience for me – writing lyrics and songs. I feel that Kannada is the language that is the most comfortable language for me to express myself musically.

Having said that, Varijasree admits that the language doesn’t really matter, “as long as we are able to convey the emotional part of the music, but when it is in Kannada it becomes extra special because it That’s the language I think in.”

“The concept of chords and chordal accompaniment to a melody using the voice was something I had no training in. Here too, Michael encouraged me to write my own chords – very helpful to me throughout this project. All the music education has been done.”

Varijashree is part of the fusion band Chakraphonix; Co-producer with fellow band member and percussionist Pramath Kiran Wari, “He produced most of the beats on this project. It’s full of Indian sounds – the ingredients are from here, but the kind of output we’re trying to achieve is global in context. It’s a completely different palate of sounds.”

Pramath Kiran Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Praveen Rao, another member of the band, plays the harmonium. WariShe adds that she is thrilled that some of her musical idols such as Victor Wooten, Anat Cohen, Hamilton de Hollanda and Bela Fleck, as well as Rajesh Vaidya, Ojas Adhia and BC Manjunath are also part of the album.

“It is a dream come true for me because my work with these musicians was completely unexpected. We stayed connected most of the time after seeing one of my videos on social media. These are people I’ve admired for a long time and to have them contribute their musical experience and artistry to my album is a dream come true.

Varijashree says that as an original music producer coming from a traditional background, the process has been wonderful. “We performed this music for the first time at the GroundUp Music Festival in Miami this February. The audience there had no idea where this music came from, yet, they were all so open-hearted that I was impressed to no end.

Other artistes who will perform with Varijashree in Bengaluru include Vivek Santosh on keys, Jayachandra Rao on mridangam and violinist Apoorva Krishna. After this they will perform at NMACC in Mumbai on 18th May.

Waari is available on all streaming platforms. Varijashree Venugopal will perform at Chaudia Memorial Hall on May 17 at 7 pm. tickets are on sale ₹499 on insider