Shruti Hasaan

Originality is no longer treason in times of manufactured content. So to speak. But in a quest for identity, Shruti Haasan seems to be carving her very own niche of music that ranges through her vocals. With a fan following that has long left her chennai roots, her persona seem to allure an array of listeners that need not necessarily be rooting for her almost “punkish” appearance. Her music described in most gig listings as original alternative rock and soul, purist could cry hoarse at the usage of the terminology but she says, “Original is a term that’s easy as well as hard to describe. Easy in the sense of its generic description referring to an original idea or concept represented by an artist or a band. In a larger sense I find it hard to describe simply because as an artist or as a band we derive our influences from so many artists and genres. Every single chord has already been played. Most ideas and experiences have already been put to words. What is important though is the way it comes naturally to me representing my thought process or emotions, originally.”
Having done the live gig circuit across the country, she could be a favourable candidate to grace many a gig list that would be straight out of the glossies. So could The Extrementals then be left that far behind? “Each member in a band has a part to play. It’s always a common misunderstanding that the “frontman” or “woman” has the ability to over power other musicians or steal a show. At the end of the day a band is a team and any team falls apart when one of its members feel they are above the situation or don't respect the idea as a whole. Besides the beauty of music is that it always humbles people. It becomes much greater than the people who act merely as its vessels,” she says about her bandmates.
Her influences could run through a long sheet but her performances ranges from singing Rama Rama for the film Hey Ram to belting out her version of Madonna’s beautiful stranger to Jamiroquai’s deeper underground. She however maintains that she’s still grounded to Indian classical music. “It’s due to the fact that I began my training as a singer in Hindustani classical music. I don't feel a pressure or need to incorporate it in every song though. If it happens it occurs with ease. I try not to slot myself into genres or try and contrive a way to stay true to a genre. Sometimes the music just happens to go to that “Indian” vibe because of the scale or because of the concept,” she asserts.While noting the futility of convincing people of her opinion, music or otherwise, she says,” What’s important is that music stays music for those who create it and those who listen to it.” No subtexts or downright pre-conceived notions. Amen.