Grammy-nominated singer Varijashree Venugopal talks about her latest work, Vari (The Live Sessions)

The first single, Jaathre (Live), from Varijashree Venugopal’s highly anticipated live album, Vari (The Live Sessions), has just dropped—and the acclaimed vocalist is over the moon. The song is a fusion of Indian classical music with a contemporary flair, and the track draws from the Carnatic raga Hemavathi. Jaathre translates to a celebration reminiscent of Indian rural carnivals.

Speaking about the upcoming album, which is set to release on June 20 on GroundUp Music, Varijashree tells Indulge, “This entire live session album is a curated set from my previous studio album, Vari, which came out last year. While the original featured over 30 musicians, we condensed it into a six-piece band for our live performances—and we loved the energy so much, we decided to record it. The album, a collaboration with some of the finest global musicians, captures the raw spontaneity and dynamic interplay of live performance. There are improvisations that are different every time we play, but they sit within structured arrangements,” she adds.

The lineup includes Grammy-winning bassist and producer Michael League (bass), Pramath Kiran (percussion and co-arrangement), Jayachandra Rao (mridangam), Apoorva Krishna (violin), Vivek Santhosh (keys & synths), and special guest Praveen D Rao on harmonium.

Ask Varijashree about her experience working with Michael League, and she says that it has been an absolute honour. “He’s someone I’ve admired deeply, not just as a musician but for his openness to exploring music rooted in different cultures—from Africa to Turkey to India. As a producer, he brings out something magical in every project.”

Each member of the ensemble brings a deep foundation in classical music—Indian or Western—infusing the set with both authenticity and adventurous spirit. “We’re all explorers,” Varijashree says. “We’ve taken what we’ve learned from our classical training and are reimagining it in a global, contemporary context.”

Though Varijashree’s parents, Venugopal (flautist) and Rama Venugopal (vocalist), come from the classical background, that did not deter Varijashree from widening her horizon in music. “I started singing when I was 18 months old. Growing up, I was constantly exposed to all kinds of music. I would decipher everything I heard into Indian notation—even jazz, world music, and fusion. It became a game for me. And that practice still guides how I write and reinterpret music.”

It was this curiosity that led her to jazz greats like John McLaughlin, Chick Corea, Ella Fitzgerald, and Bobby McFerrin. “Jazz opened up a new world for me—harmonies, chord changes, phrasing that’s so different from raga-based music. I wanted to understand how to bring those two worlds together,” says the singer who will perform in Abu Dhabi on International Jazz Day, the only Indian performing this year.

Varijashree also earned a Grammy nomination for her collaboration with Jacob Collier and Anoushka Shankar. “It was a special milestone. Performing it live in Amsterdam was incredible. Getting a Grammy nod for that song was like the cherry on top.”

When asked about her future plans with her band Chakraphonics, Varijashree says, “It’s a collective with Pramath Kiran, Praveen Rao, and Ajay Warrier—we’ve been working together for over 20 years. We premiered the band in 2014 and still perform a few concerts. We’re also working on new material that we hope to release this year.”

As for her work in film music, her Tamil song Paayum Theeye with Sanjith Hegde from Por was well received last year. “It was a joy to record that. But right now, my focus is on this live album and my original music.”

sangeetha.p@newindianexpress.com

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