Aditya goes ‘Aila…’

The LA-based singer on his song in I, meeting A.R. Rahman and more

After working with the music director on some background scores, Aditya got a chance to record the ‘Aila Aila’ number in I.

For 25-year-old Aditya Rao, music is a passion. “I’ve been singing since I was three. When I was eight, my family moved to the U.S. And from June to August every year, I’d visit India — that’s how I kept in touch with music, my family and my accent,” he laughs. 

Technology has played an important and unexpected role in Aditya’s career. He explains, “During my growing up years in Pittsburgh, I would call my teacher over the phone for music classes. These days, we interact through Skype.” His first break, which was in collaboration with independent musician Shankar Tucker, happened by chance. Though Aditya was a fan of Shankar’s work, he was nervous about talking to him. A friend took it upon himself to introduce the two and that’s how a rendition of ‘Manmohini morey’ came about — the song has more than 16 lakh views on YouTube. 

Social media and serendipity brought about the second change in his musical career as he went on to win the Karnataka State Award for the best playback singer. “I sent a Facebook message to Manikanth Kadri (the music director of the film 

Ball Pen ) saying I would love to work with him along with a link to my YouTube page. And he replied within a week; I never expected it,” he exclaims. 

And then, the big meeting happened. Though the singer was in Bangalore for an internship with Qyuki, a digital music start-up backed by Rahman and Shekhar Kapur, in 2011, it wasn’t until later that he met the Oscar winner. “That happened in L.A and was completely unexpected. The CEO of Qyuki was in the city and asked if I would like to meet Rahman; it was surreal.” 

After working with the music director on some background scores, Aditya got a chance to record the ‘Aila Aila’ number in I. Rahman and Aditya worked on it for six hours before it was finally recorded. “The first time I heard the song — it had pop, bhangra, opera elements and electronic beats — but they all blended seamlessly. It always takes a while for a Rahman song to sink in,” says the singer, who performed it at the A.R. Rahman concert in the city recently. 

Aditya is an ardent fan of gospel and a cappella, but he credits Carnatic music for making it easier for him to dive into other genres. “It (Carnatic music) is so intricate that it’s easy to pick up other styles,” signs off the singer.