It is not only a passion for music that makes this band of aspiring musicians click together but also their deep desire to make a mark in the music industry. Last Saturday as the young band comprising Vijay Bharadwaj, Sandilya Vadlamani, Aditya Vedula, Sai Sumanth and Vineeta Dusi rocked the stage with some Indian music at Salt – Fest of the East music festival organised by Bead Music, it was hard to make out that it was their first public performance together. They kept the crowd swaying to their tunes as they belted out some popular numbers of A.R. Rahman and Ilayaraja. The band was formed on their college campus at GITAM University a year ago and has given many performances as an integral part of its Kalakrithi music club.
“The similar tastes in music got us together. We used to jam often on the campus and at hostel and realised that we clicked very well together,” says Vijay Bharadwaj, B.Tech third year student and the group’s keyboard player. Vijay started developing a keen interest in the music from an early age which led him to participate and excel at State-level competitions in the keyboard. He also took training in Carnatic classical music when he was in Qatar. After coming back to Vizag, he has been trying to hone his music skills in singing and learn other instruments as well. With no eagerness to jump in the corporate world after his B.Tech graduation, the young musician says he is thinking about pursuing a career in music. “I want to become a music director or at least be an audio engineer where I can put to practice my musical passion. As a music band, we want to release more music videos so that we are able to build a portfolio,” says Vijay.
The lead male singer Sandilya Vadlamani shares a similar passion in music. Hailing from a family of accomplished Carnatic musicians, Sandilya’s exposure to music happened at an early age. He has been getting formal training in Carnatic music for the past two years. “This year I want to totally concentrate on improving my vocals and perfect my musical skills,” says Sandilya who completed his B.Tech this year and hopes to become a singer in the music industry someday.
The other members of the group have a similar level of commitment towards music and are glad that the city is now providing various platforms for aspiring musicians to display their talent. Sai Sumanth had also performed with other bands in the city as a rhythm and bass guitarist and also performed at shows in Chennai and Tirupati.
