Though many youngsters belong to musician families, it is difficult for them to establish themselves in the industry .
On the other hand is K V Krishna Prasad, a talented singer, who has established himself in the industry with his unique style and done so without any music lineage to boast of.
Sheer hard work and dedication have ensured that Prasad has made a name for himself. Speaking about his initial days in music, he says, “My parent’s interest in music drove them to host Gamaka Vachana regularly. At the age of 10, I began learning music under the tutelage of Vidushi Geeta and later under Vidushi Swarnalatha. At that age, I was not passionate about music, instead music was just confined to competitions.”
What drove him to be a professional artiste? “In 2003, I came across a newspaper advertisement about a workshop being conducted on music. In order to kill time, I attended this five-day workshop organised by Vidwan R K Padmanabha. This turned out to be an unforgettable experience that changed my life. In this workshop, the participants were asked to perform skits and participate in music-related quizzes. Also, lecture-demonstrations were organised by musicians. Overall, it was a personality development programme. Then, I decided that I should continue to learn music only under R K Padmanabha,” he recollects.
R K Padmanabha tested Krishnaprasad’s interest in music for more than a year. In July 2004, Padmanabha accepted him as his student. Today, Prasad has performed in some of the most prestigious Sangeeta Sabhas, not only in the city but across the state and country.
Besides being a professional musician, he also holds a degree in civil engineering. But, for him, it was not a difficult task to manage both music and academics. “While performing at a concert, a musician has to concentrate on the laya and raga. He should master the art of enthralling his audience. A musician should also build rapport with them,” he adds.
Besides excelling in two fields, Prasad aspires to serve the society by imparting knowledge on Indian culture and tradition. He owns an art school, where children are taught to focus on dance, drama, music, science and sports besides prioritising academics.
Even after mastering the art form, every concert is like an exam for this artiste. Recalling one of his most memorable concerts, he says, “I recently participated in a concert. I was thrilled after getting selected for the final round. There were over 25 eminent musicians on the judges' panel. Every aspect was observed meticulously by them. But it was a proud moment to sing in front them and win the first prize.”
Prasad aspires to build a music university in the near future. “According to me, music should be a part of any student's curriculum. We are planning to host lectures by eminent musicians regularly at our university. It is will launched in September, next year,” he says.