Indie musician Rudy Mukta is optimistic about the future of Indian music and her place in it. “Indian music is already doing amazingly, and it’s only going to grow. I’m sure we’ll see more Indian artists, more voices, and more faces out there. Hopefully, I’m one of them, too. There’s a lot of incredible art coming out of India, and the quicker the world catches on, the better,” says the Bengaluru girl, who is set to perform at music festival Lollapalooza next year. Excerpts from a chat with the artiste: ‘CARNATIC TRAINING GAVE ME A STRONG VOCAL FOUNDATION’Before turning to Western styles, Rudy honed her craft through Carnatic training, a foundation, she tells us, that she still leans on today. “Carnatic music was introduced to me super early, as far back as I can remember. It gave me a really strong vocal foundation. Carnatic vocals are demanding; they require immense control and practice. So when I later got into Western music, it was much easier to pick up the nuances. That foundation means I can focus more on other aspects of making music now, while still being confident in my vocals,” she says.
I feel great that I’m performing at Lollapalooza next year. I always trusted that at some point I’d be playing on this stage. I just knew it would happen someday. So when it did, I was like, ‘Cool, we’re here now’. Still, it does feel surreal
Rudy Mukta
‘FOR WOMEN, ONE MISTAKE CAN FEEL LIKE IT DEFINES YOU’Even as she says her personal journey has been relatively smooth, Rudy recognises the unequal scrutiny women encounter in music. “I’ve been lucky, but in general, as a woman in the industry, people don’t take me as seriously. Mistakes feel heavier. A man can make several mistakes and move on, but for women, one mistake can feel like it defines you. It’s not unique to music. In fact, it’s the same across many fields.” ‘I TRY TO KEEP MY WRITING SEPARATE FROM MY MENTAL HEALTH’The singer-songwriter tells us that her process involves looking back rather than capturing the moment. “I write in retrospect. I might jot down ideas while going through a certain phase, but I usually write the full song later, once I’ve moved past it. That distance gives me perspective. I try to keep my writing separate from my mental health,” she says.‘IT’S BLEAK THAT ART SOMETIMES FEELS LIKE CONTENT’“I find social media tricky,” says the artiste. “On the one hand, you’ve got to play the game and put your work out there. On the other hand, it’s bleak that art sometimes feels like content you’re shoving at people. My approach is to keep it authentic and put myself out there the way I’d like to consume someone else’s work.”
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source timesofindia.indiatimes.com ’
