Shriya: Music’s On Her Mind

At just 18 years, singer-songwriter Shriya (Rao), has already released 5 singles, and has more than 50 live performances to her credit at prestigious venues across Mumbai.

Shriya’s music blends contemporary R&B/soul and pop, and is inspired by the music of Daniel Caesar, Summer Walker, Erykah Badu, Mac Miller and Tate McRae. When Shriya isn’t producing original music or performing live, she has lent her voice to doing TV commercials for leading brands such as Nykaa Fashion, Tang, and Lenskart.

Some time ago, Sony Music India’s sub label, DayOne, released two of her songs Ride For Me and On My Mind. Both tracks were viewed over 180,000 times on YouTube, with On My Mind alone crossing 50,000 streams on Spotify.

VERUS FERREIRA spoke with the Mumbai-based artist to learn about her musical journey.

How did music get to be a part of your life?
I have been singing as far back as I can remember. Disney movies and my dad singing to me as a toddler were definitely my biggest inspirations. My family was super supportive and started my formal vocal training when I was 9-10 years old. From then on, there was no looking back.

Do you recall your first-ever performance and the first track you ever sang? Were you nervous?
I did sing at many school assemblies, but my first performance on stage outside of school was at an event at the Royal Western Turf Club for my vocal teacher Stephen Fernandes. I still remember that I sang a super intricate jazz song by Nikki Yanoufsky called Something New. Interestingly, my first ever studio recording was also with my teacher of Something New when I was 12 years old.

Did you take up any vocal training to polish your singing skills?
Yes, I trained extensively with Stephen Fernandes (Sobo House of Music), and also did the Pro-junior course at the True School of Music. Then when I was 16 years old, I started training with Stacie Dunlop, a Toronto-based vocal technique coach.

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