I have been honest to my creative spirit: Sid Sriram

CHENNAI: Amid the tranquility in an otherwise busy lane where bikes and cars honk every other second, Sid Sriram could be heard practicing a high pitch raaga, nestled in his studio. As we enter the studio, his pitch gets rather exciting because he is all set to perform in Chennai on November 29.

In what is his first ever multi-city India tour- across Bengaluru and Hyderabad November 22 and December 13, respectively, the musician is looking to go all out this time.

"The concert feels like a homecoming," he says, reminiscing his days back to Adiye from Kadal. "The audience, the listeners have not only made me their own but also held me up and close in all these years. It is a celebration of this journey with people who have been behind it," adds the singer. His first performance in the city was in 2016. "Yes, it was in Lady Andal, Chetpet and there were around 800 people. It has grown exponentially over the years. I am glad to have a super faithful fanbase till now."

Sid Sriram has been constantly reinventing himself in the music space over the years and according to him it is an organic process. "It is natural and something that is driven internally. Getting to debut with Adiye in AR Rahman sir's music set the tone for me. That is a song we have not heard of before in the Indian cinema circuit. That made me realise that I should be honest to my creative spirit and not think about what others are doing. It made me create my own path and work with conviction," he remarks.

We get back to talking about what he has in the kitty to offer to the Chennai audience in November, he says, "It's about us-- my band. We are six of us and Chennai will be in for a treat with great visuals and sounds. From the start to end it will be about great music and will be more on the lines of 'old school rock music'. We have split it into four to five categories and around 45 songs in three hours.

First section will be like a daybreak and the second will be like going more into space and the third will be more of emotions-- in an intimate, quiet manner. It is all about building the arc and interacting with the audience, where I am looking forward to holding their hands and performing."

More than the vocal energy, the show requires a lot of physical energy as well as mental strength. "Of course. I have resorted to boxing in the last few years. Also, I follow a set routine from starting my day to going to bed. This has helped me in improving my vocal stamina and there is a mental sharpness that comes with it. So, I will be putting all of it into the concerts when I perform. So it is a combination of physical, mental, vocal and spiritual energy as the show will begin with a Ganesha shloka" the singer opens up.

Be it AR Rahman, Ilaiyaraaja or Anirudh, these composers somehow place Sid Sriramesque numbers in each of their albums and they have gone on to become chartbusters. "When I did Adiye, I did not become a most-sought-after singer immediately. I wasn't getting a bunch of phone calls. As time went by, there was Ennodu Nee Irundhaal, Enai Maatrum Kaadhale then Thalli Pogaadhey happened in 2016. Since then they have felt, 'let's have this voice in our album'. I have worked with veterans as well as youngsters and I super admire all of them. We have a mutual respect and we converse through music. It has been fun," he concludes.