Grammy-nominated Varijashree Venugopal discusses Riccardo Nova’s MAHABHARATA ahead of the European summer tour
Grammy-nominated classical singer Varijashree Venugopal is gearing up to take Europe by storm. The singer, who's talents blend fluidly with multiple genres, is all set to charm the French and Italian audiences. The illustrious stages of Jazz à Vienne, Festival Aix-en-Provence, and the Lyon Outdoor Opera House will serve as her platform! EYM Trio, the jazz band Varijashree is a huge part of will be the prominent collaborators throughout this tour.
Varijashree Venugopal on her upcoming European extravaganza: Jazz, classical music and Mahabharata
If that wasn't enough, Riccardo Nova’s MAHABHARATA is another project that Varijashree will feature in during her visit to Cremona, Italy! Ahead of her trip, we converse with the multifaceted vocalist who offers a glimpse into the tour and the ceaseless journey of musical exploration that defines her artistry.
You have much to look forward to during your upcoming performances in Europe. Tell us about some of your own pieces you'll perform and the collaborative projects that you'll be part of.
This trip has been exciting because of the wide spectrum of musical projects, each with their own unique sonic identities and spaces, such as Riccardo Nova’s MAHABHARATA and EYM Trio. In MAHABHARATA, I perform as a solo vocalist, performing the music written by Riccardo Nova, and as part of the EYM trio concerts, we have been in a residency in the country side, South of France writing new tunes, few of which I have co-written/co-composed. We just finished playing at a few festivals such as Jazz à Vienne and Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, featuring B C Manjunath. The tour ends with two more concerts as a quartet with EYM at Peristyle del Opera, Lyon.
Collaborating with the EYM Trio and Riccardo Nova on MAHABHARATA bridges distinct musical and cultural landscapes. What have you learned from these artistes, and how have they influenced your own musical perspective?
Both of these projects have expanded my mind in different ways. I have always been a curious and excited explorer of music, looking for new challenges that widen my perspective and understanding of music and projects such as Riccardo Nova’s MAHABHARATA and the collaboration with EYM trio have helped me find new ways and perspectives towards music making and performance. MAHABHARATA is in a European contemporary classical setting, with the music written in a way that showcases some of the most intricate rhythmic concepts and formats, also incorporating Sanskrit lyrics. EYM trio is more of a Jazz fusion project, where I find myself exploring more of the possibilities of relationships between ragas and Jazz harmonies, with interesting compositional structures.
With your roots Carnatic and Indian classical music, you have always amplified and added greater soul into genres like jazz. How do you ensure a seamless and perfect blend with those genres? And are there any that you might want to explore further doing a fusion with?
Having been practising the Indian traditional form of music, which has a rich treasure of ragas (scales/modes) in it’s melodic aspect, the concept of harmonies from jazz and other Western musical forms of music is something that has enamoured and inspired me. I see the Indian melody and the Western harmonies as the X and Y axis and the meeting point of these two is magical and is also the zone that I’ve been exploring quite a bit in the past years.
Talking about ensuring a seamless blend of these two styles, I think it is all about what feels good, natural and most importantly, listening to each other. When we bring these different thoughts onto one table, we always make sure to add what elevates the composition. While we respect each other’s musical training format, we stay open to possibilities and blending of ideas, which might result in the birth of an entirely new sound, which is exactly the intention of any collaboration. The aim of such collaborations is to melt into each other and sound like one sonic ball, despite coming from different cultures. There’s a lot of learning that each of us take home during these kinds of musical meetings. I look forward to many more such experiences and projects which are coming up, which includes BOOK OF WOMEN premiering in Bruges in August 2025, with music written by Riccardo Nova, featuring four singers from Europe and myself as an Indian feature, with ensemble ICTUS.
You've spoken about music being a continuous learning journey. What keeps you inspired to constantly explore and experiment?
The voice has been my primary instrument. Coming from the South Indian tradition of classical music (carnatic music), I have been learning and practising the traditional repertoire that is mostly lyrical. Listening to many legendary singers from all around the world from various different musical cultures, has intrigued me and helped me discover and understand the innumerable possibilities of the human voice and has inspired me to try different things with my voice. When I am put in a global context of a collaboration, I’m not necessarily always singing with lyrics. This is where I use my voice as an instrument. I play the role of a voice-instrumentalist. And the fundamental syllables of Indian music ‘Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa Da Ni’ and the swara system become my medium for improvisational storytelling and compositional singing. This type of singing is something that has been with me at all times and is constantly evolving. It is amazing to find new ways with every new composition that I get to learn, or write. One exercise that I have always included in my journey of learning, is to put myself out of my comfort zone every now and then. I listen to something new and try different possibilities of incorporating my voice into it - this slowly has helped me stretch the ways in which I use my voice. This exposure also inspires me when it comes to my own songwriting and music compositions. Beyond everything, the most important purpose of music is expression. Finally, it is the emotions that will touch the hearts of the music makers and listeners and not the techniques. And for me, everything that goes into creating/learning/presenting of a musical piece, ultimately has to the lead to the emotional impact that it creates, with the story that the artist wants to tell.