Ritvika Sunku
‘Baby Pyaar Karo’ released on YouTube recently and the voice of the song, Ritvika Sunku, says it was an overwhelming ride. Ritvika, who is in her third year of Law in college, says she began singing in earnest while at school.
“At the Laidlaw Memorial School, in the Nilgiris, we were encouraged in music and arts.” “I have always been comfortable on stage and never had stage fear. ‘Happy birthday to you’ was the first song I sang in front of a crowd,” she laughs. “I grew up listening to my mother sing at parties and functions. Then, I became a big fan of Miley Cyrus. I wanted that experience for myself too!”
In std X, she played Nala in TheLion King. “I had the incredible opportunity of performing live in front of four thousand people over two days. I received a standing ovation for it!”
She has performed at several events in Coimbatoreand says, “Whitney Houston’s songs are always my go-to opening numbers and ‘Girl on Fire’ is a must. I have always had my parents at every show. The recording of ‘Baby Pyaar Karo’ was the first time I was all by myself,” she recalls.
The idea began when she sang ‘Cheap Thrills’ and ‘Dear Future Husband’ at her sister’s wedding. “ My brother-in-law, Dhathri Ammanabolu, went to town with it. He is the backbone of my début single. I will forever remain grateful to him.”
Initially hesitant about singing in Hindi as she was more comfortable with English, she admits hitting a major block on the day of her recording. “It took me good two hours before I could give it my all. Once I finished, I realised that it was all in my head and that music doesn’t need any language. It’s all in your style and how you perform it.”
It took a full month of sending multiple versions to her team and rectifying errors before she could own the song. “Jagdeesh Satyan who composed the music was supportive. Every one was surprised that we recorded the song in just a day, at one stretch.” The lyrics of ‘Baby Pyaar Karo’ are by Sandeep Raj.
“Mum and I broke down after we listened to the final version,” says the 20 year old. “It was a big deal for someone to invest money, time and energy in me. I knew I couldn’t let anyone down. It feels surreal when my friends play my song in the car and send me videos.”
The video was shot in Melbourne, Australia, and the song was released by Dab Music Records on all major music platforms.
“The shooting was so much fun. We put together the look together by ourselves. It took me a day to warm up in front of the camera and we kept building up on new ideas for choreography on the set. The public assumed it to be some Bollywood shoot and were equally excited!” she laughs adding that she will hold close advice from her vocal teacher, Arpana David: ‘Always sing a song like it is yours’.
Tushar Mehta 
Tushar Mathur
Twenty-four-year-old Tushar Mathur is carving a place of his own as a Rhythms and Blues artist. His second single ‘Mend’ has ben released on all major music platforms. “The song is about my struggles when I moved from Coimbatore to Bengaluru to pursue music. I was in my final year then,” says Tushar. His passion for music took precedence over his chemical engineering degree. Tushar was a part of a band in his 11th grade and played music in college too.
Creating music is not only to please an audience, says Tushar. “I enjoy the gradual process of the music coming alive for myself too. My songs are largely music-centric. The lyrics come later. It took a week to pen down the song. We took time to sculpt it and put it out for the world to listen.”
Tom Misch and FKJ are his favourite musicians and he listens to RnB music. If there is a creative block, “I go for a walk. I also work on multiple projects simultaneously and keep shifting between them. I have handled the drums, keys, vocals and every other element of this song.”
‘Mend’ made it to the playlist New Music Friday India on Spotify and aired on BBC Radio on the day of its release. It was also featured on the show SoundNation on Vh1.
