Musician Arvind Venugopal recently took the Hyderabad stage with a captivating musical evening organised by the Kairali Educational Society, a charity organisation that has been active for over 30 years. Held at the Wesley College Grounds in Secunderabad, the show, which marked his first performance in the city, turned into a lively, nostalgic experience as the singer blended his father’s iconic classics with his own hits.
Reflecting on the experience, Arvind said performing in Hyderabad was memorable. “It was great, and it was my first time performing in Hyderabad. I have been to the city before, to the film city and other places, but this was my first performance here, and I sang my dad’s (G Venugopal) old hits, my songs, and a couple of fast numbers. I believe people enjoyed the show,” he said, smiling.
Despite coming from a celebrated musical family, Arvind insists his singing journey was not a planned one. Speaking about how it all began, he shared, “I was actually an accidental singer because I never consciously sought a career in music. I was always interested in the visual arts, and I worked in advertising and filmmaking for a while. I am a trained pianist and an eighth-grade pianist, so I was trained in music but not vocally. When I went to college, seniors would casually ask people to sing, and since many of them were Malayalees, and knew who my dad was, they made me sing. When I sang, they liked it and pushed me to perform for the Freshers’ audition in the hostel, which I won, and later for the college competition, where I won again. Some seniors who were forming a band then asked me to be their lead singer, and that is how I joined a band and began performing across colleges in Chennai.”
When it comes to performing live, Arvind carefully tailors each show according to the audience. Explaining how he designed the Hyderabad set list, he acknowledged, “Every show set list is different because the kind of event and audience shape what I perform. At corporate gigs, people usually have cocktails and dinner after a day of conferences and meetings, and they prefer fast numbers so they can move around. However, for this charitable show attended by families and children, many people requested my dad’s songs. As a result, about 50 percent of the set list included my dad’s old songs they knew, while the rest had my songs and some fast numbers. I also speak with organisers to understand their requirements and the audience age group.”
A turning point in his perspective towards music came several years ago when one of his songs unexpectedly touched someone’s life. Recalling that moment, Arvind shared, “Back in 2015, after I covered a couple of songs and they went viral, a woman messaged me on Instagram saying she had been clinically diagnosed with depression and was using my songs as part of music therapy. Until then, I had sung covers and film songs; that moment made me realise my music could change lives. Since then, I have been more honest to the craft, and when I record, I switch off my phone and give myself completely to music.”
To keep his creativity alive, Arvind constantly listens to music from different sources. “Music is one art form that takes inspiration from music itself. I listen to a lot of new songs and find inspiration anywhere and everywhere. It could be a cover song on social media, old songs, or new composers coming out with great work. All these inspire me,” he expressed.
Describing his own music style in a few words, he calls it: “Creative, emotional, and expressive.”
Looking ahead, Arvind shared, “I have a couple of Malayalam songs yet to release. My Tulu debut is happening this year with a song composed by Prasad Shetty for the film Kajja, releasing next month, and I am also collaborating with international music producer, and that track should release soon.”