Pop goes the music in all her numbers
CHENNAI: When she was six, Ranjana Sethuprasad found her true calling — contemporary and pop music. “I was pretty much into music from class two, especially pop music,” says the 20-year-old musician, who will be performing in the city soon.Raised in Dubai, the musician shifted to India after completing her schooling. Apart from being a vocalist, Ranjana also loves composing songs. “I wrote my first song when I was 13...but it got published only three years later when I participated in a songwriting competition and bagged the winner’s trophy...my first step into the industry,” she smiles.
Ranjana has already performed with stalwarts like AR Rahman (as a vocalist) on MTV Unplugged. However, she began taking lessons in western classical music just three years ago from KM Music Conservatory. “After enrolling, I started performing professionally,” she recalls. Before joining the conservatory, she learned carnatic music as well. “My parents asked me to learn the basics of carnatic music...but when I told them I wanted to pursue a career in pop music, they were supportive. In fact, they have introduced me to a lot of good English classics,” she shares.
She considers her entire family to be her inspiration, but cannot stop gushing about her father. “He made me believe I can chase my dream,” says the musician. “My goal is to be an accomplished singer. There are way too many good singers in the world and to break through that and create a name for myself is a big thing.” AR Rahman, Lady Gaga, and Linkin Park are her favourites.
Ranjana trained in opera in school which she believes has helped groomed her voice. However, she doesn’t want to confine herself to singing; till date she has written about seven songs and plans to write more. “Since I love composing songs, my plan is to write my own songs and play them for a large audience. I also want to release my own album,” she adds. When it comes to practicing, she just follows her heart. “There are some days when I practice for three to five hours a day at a stretch and there are days I do not practice at all. I don’t like stress,” she smiles and adds that she will be flying soon to Middlesex in the UK to pursue an undergraduate degree in music.Ranjana will perform on August 26 at Phoenix MarketCity from 7.30 pm onwards