Bengaluru-based hip-hop artiste SIRI’s new track ‘My Jam’ which premiered late last month has racked up over 13 lakh views on YouTube. Produced by Sez On The Beat, the track has SIRI rapping in English and Kannada, dishing it out to haters. The artiste, who discovered rapping while studying at the National Institute of Fashion Technology, Hyderabad, is also known for the tracks ‘Gold’, ‘Live It’, Girliyapa anthem ‘Tu Bas Naach’ as well as rapping in Telugu alongside hip hop star Divine for a promotional video that also featured actor Varun Dhawan.
MetroPlus caught up SIRI over the phone about her new track, challenges she has faced and future plans.
Excerpts:
How did ‘My Jam’ come about?
‘My Jam’ started with the simple idea of creating something fun that I can enjoy while on stage and also create a dance vibe. Then the idea grew and Sez On The Beat added some new school hip-hop elements. I am a little away from myself on this track, but I think I have acquired that style now and made it my own. The song is pretty straightforward. It is in your face and unfiltered. I am sending out a message to my haters. I am just adding the flex element in the song and being myself. The point was also to put Kannada rap (my mother tongue) on the map. I feel south Indian rap is very under-represented.
Can you tell us about the video for the track?
The video was shot at ACS Studio in Bengaluru in December last year or in January this year. I had this vision, I knew how I wanted it to look. I produced, directed, edited and colour-graded the video. It is a fun video. I had someone helping me out who brought in a bunch of people like the dancers which is the OnSlaught Crew from Mount Carmel College. The track required something fun and bouncy. That is the same vibe in the video. It is quite colourful which gets the attention.
There is a line in ‘My Jam’, “Got the skills and the looks, now I’m breaking the glass.” Can you talk about some of the challenges you have faced in what is a male-dominated field?
I think it is similar to any field which is dominated by men. There are, however, specific challenges in this field. I am not just an on-screen person, I do my backend work too. I get reactions like “why are you doing it?”. If I were a man, noone would ask me that. This project was done on a slightly bigger scale where I had to manage a little more than what I have done in my previous work. So, I felt like I wasn’t being taken seriously until I put my foot down and lose it in between (laughs).
The other thing is the audience is mostly men and when they talk about their favourite rappers, they name male rappers. Only when someone asks, ‘who is your favourite female rapper?’ do they think of us.
Everybody thinks of Gully Boy as a sort of milestone. Do you think there has been an increase in the number of rappers in regional languages or is it that only now we are paying attention to them?
There were already rappers from different parts of India doing their thing. It is just that nobody was covering them and making people aware of them. That has been a problem. With the industry getting involved, rappers have become even cooler.
How have you been keeping yourself occupied during the lockdown?
It has been a productive time because of the release. I think a little over-productive (laughs). I think my wish of being a workaholic is finally coming true. I haven’t been to do basic things like clean my house and take care of myself. But otherwise, it is going fine.
What are your upcoming projects?
I have a bunch of tracks lined up with Sez On The Beat. They are all going to come out soon. I still haven't thought about the way I want to put it out, but it definitely is going to be an EP or solo release.
‘My Jam’ was launched under Artist Originals
