Ranjani Ramadoss, who goes by the moniker RANJ, was born in 1998, a time when the country, especially her hometown, Chennai, was experiencing what she calls the ‘Rahman fever’. In 1992, AR Rahman had blown everyone away with a sensational debut album, Roja. He then followed it up with one chartbuster after another. By 1998, a boy from Chennai was already on his way to the pantheon of Indian film music. The budding musicians of the city had one of their own to look upto. Ranjani was one of them
When she was four, her music-enthusiast parents had put her in a singing class. These classes made her feel like she found her natural habitat. “Music was the most exciting thing in the world for me.”
Despite her Carnatic music upbringing and the constant kutcheri visits with her father, Ranjani wanted to emulate Rahman. “I did not want to make music for films. I just liked the way he produced music — it had an electronic influence but also cool sonic ideas. I wanted to do that. I also wanted to write my own lyrics,” she explains.
After her ninth grade, she joined a part-time course in Rahman’s KM Music Conservatory, where she learnt opera. “I learnt about how a studio setup works, how musicians jam and little things like that,” she adds. Ranjani also got a chance to perform in front of Rahman.
Five years ago, she decided to move to Bengaluru to be independent. She enrolled herself in a triple major course – Music, Psychology, and English – at Christ University. Life in Bengaluru as an independent girl was exciting. Establishing herself as an independent musician was challenging.
“I guess the big challenge is always money, whatever kind of independent musician you are, you’re not going to be making money in the initial stage. And, you need money to invest in your music so that people can hear it. So, a lot of musicians are forced to take up jobs they don’t like. And, music slowly takes a back seat in their life.”
Ranjani had two part-time jobs to support her music. Thankfully, one of them, which she continues, is something she loves: teaching music. “Music changed everything for me. I used to feel worthless at school when I wasn’t doing well in studies. With music, I felt like there’s some purpose in life. So, when I see and talk to young people who have this natural love for music, it feels good.”
Toto Awards winners
Her job, instead of hampering her music, is inspiring it in a way. “It is not easy being an independent artist in India,” she says, “Independent music is niche and not accessible to everyone. Your audience is just the English-speaking ones on social media. So, you are not really considered a legit entertainer or artist unless you have worked in films because cinema is the most widespread platform in India.”
The last two years have been good for Ranjani. She had the opportunity to collaborate with other artists. She is a part of the indie bands, Kelvikkuri and Paula and the Associates. Her solo projects received acclaim. Last month, she was conferred the Toto Award for Music, whose former recipients include Prateek Kuhad among others.
“It’s a prestigious award because it’s chosen on merit and not on the basis of numbers. It’s a very nice gesture to support and nurture independent artists.”
This year, she intends to carry on her collaborations, make more music, and, with the pandemic easing out, perform more live shows. “Putting out your music on social media is good. The scary thing is, it’s not tangible — so, if something ever happens to it, what then? Which is why I am grateful to be able to do live shows and meet people. Once people have seen you in person, the connection is different.”
