Bengaluru-based carnatic vocalist Abishek Chandrasekar opens up about his Pride Anthem!

Abishek Chandrasekar — now a familiar name in carnatic music circles in the city — has just released an original composition titled Pride Anthem, reflecting his heartfelt solidarity with the queer community — a composition that is not only musically captivating but also conceptually rich. We caught up with the vocalist to learn more about the anthem, his creative process and his views on making classical music relevant to a new generation.

How did the Pride Anthem come about?

The idea for this piece came up quite spontaneously. This was June 2021, right in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was Pride Month but owing to the restrictions, there was none of the usual buzz or vibrant energy that comes with it. Everything felt dull and heavy; and that really got to me. I decided I wouldn’t let that sense of gloom take over. The only way I knew to respond was through music  — that’s what sparked this project.

You’ve handled vocals, composition and lyrics for the piece. How did you manage all three?

I’ve been learning carnatic music since I was about four or  five — and I’m 25 now — so singing has always been my foundation. My love for composing developed much later; I was around 12 or 13 when I first tried creating my own music. With Pride Anthem, everything began with the lyrics. Here, I wanted to capture the lived realities of queer people so, instead of going down the route of research and academic writing, I put together a Google Form and invited members of the queer community and its allies to share their thoughts and experiences. Their responses became the raw material for the song. A few close friends of mine who are trained psychologists helped me understand this material which then informed the lyrical content of Pride Anthem. From there, the lyrics and melody shaped up in parallel, one inspiring the other.

The song’s Tamil lyrics are particularly exquisite. Have you always been drawn to the language?

My exposure to Tamil literature began only later on in life because I’ve had no formal education in Tamil. My schooling comprised of Hindi and other languages, but not Tamil. Everything I know about the script was taught to me by my mother, who simply wanted her children to learn their mother tongue. My later fascination with Tamil literature and poetry all stems from the early foundation that she gave me. Over the years, I’ve grown increasingly fond of Tamil literature — both devotional and non-devotional. That influence naturally found its way into the Pride Anthem. But I did face a real learning curve when penning the lyrics for this piece. My thought language has been English, especially for concepts like heteronormativity and sexuality, for example, so it was a challenge to find ways to capture the same in Tamil. It was an eye opening experience, though, because I discovered that the language already has such a rich vocabulary, reflecting how inclusive Tamil culture has always been.

Finally, how do you think carnatic music can be made more relevant to Gen Z?

I think we can go about this in two ways — through creation and presentation. First, we can make carnatic music more relevant by creating new compositions centred on themes that resonate with the younger generation. This is very much supported by the carnatic idiom, seeing that the traditional repertoire itself contains a whole host of subjects, from playful to pious, social to sensual and so on. Second, we can reimagine how we present  traditional repertoire. There are so many layers to carnatic compositions — theology, metaphysics, poetry, history and philosophy — and each of these offers a different point of entry for listeners. By highlighting these varied aspects, we can help different kinds of audiences connect with the music in ways that resonate with them. Ultimately, it’s about making the art form accessible and meaningful without diluting its essence. We open more doors for people to walk through and from there, its just a matter of listening more to cultivate taste and deepen one’s appreciation for the art. 

The Pride Anthem is streaming on YouTube.

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