To call Varijashree Venugopal, 35, “multifaceted” feels like compressing a wide canvas into a tiny capsule. A child prodigy who started performing when she was four, the Bengalurean is today a flautist, singer, music composer and a serial collaborator who’s worked with eminent musicians like Rajesh Vaidya, Herbie Hancock, Bobby McFerrin and Michael League. In 2024, she was nominated along with Jacob Collier and Anoushka Shankar for the Grammy for Best Global Music Performance for the track A Rock Somewhere, featured on the album Djesse Vol. 4. She is also attributed as the creator of “Carnatic Scat” singing, a vocal style that blends carnatic singing with jazz.
“As a musician I am a lot into improvisation and experimentation and it applies across projects and collaborations. I am constantly drawing inspiration from my collaborators, my co-artists on stage, off stage, during rehearsals or even a residency. Not only does this help me churn out something new every day, it also expands my mind without any limitation,” she tells Lounge over a telephone interview before getting into her creative process to make music. Edited excerpts:
Do you have a favourite place—like a studio or a corner of your home— where you create music?
When I am in Bengaluru, I mostly work from home. I am currently in the process of setting up a cave for myself which will be equipped with every little thing I’ll need to make music. Given the nature of my job, there are times when the inspiration just strikes. This can happen anywhere, anytime. When this happens, I immediately record the idea on my phone. When I am working with a band or doing a proper professional recording, I prefer hiring a big studio that’s equipped with state-of-the-art technology. One of my favourite studios to work out of is owned by my friend and percussionist, Pramath Kiran.
Your workspaces seem to be very fluid, but are there any tools/gadgets that you always carry with you?
Oh yes, I am a big fan of notebooks because I still write down musical notations by hand. I have colleagues who keep suggesting that I shift to an iPad because it is much easier, but for some reason, I like the feeling of putting pen to paper. I believe that when I write notations with my hand, it stays in my mind better. I have a huge collection of handmade notebooks and I always carry one with me in my bag and in my car.
The nature of your job is such that you don’t have a nine-to-five schedule. What does a day in your life look like?
I am always working. I am either learning some new piece of music every other day; or I am recording (remotely) for international projects; or I am travelling extensively for different kinds of (music) projects/concerts. I have learnt to go with the flow and to adapt to different time zones.
What do you do when you are having a creative block?
I remember reading a quote that said, “You can get burnt out even doing the thing that you love.” But that’s what being human is. We just need to find ways to recalibrate ourselves when that happens. The funny thing about being a musician is even if I need a break from singing or creating music, I am still listening to some other music! But in that state, my brain is not in work mode anymore, it’s in listening mode, and I become a person who appreciates a piece of art made by someone else.
You are constantly travelling for work. Has that become a source of inspiration?
Yes, I consider travelling as one of my greatest teachers. Travelling, experiencing different cultures, meeting different people, and just being a silent observer of how things happen in different parts of the world, or your own country always ends up educating you. Not only has it taught me resilience and patience, it has also taught me how to be adaptive, accommodative, and deal with circumstances that are not in your control.
You mentioned Herbie Hancock as an inspiration. Besides him, who are the artists/creative personalities whose work you admire?
When it comes to musicians, I really admire many stalwarts who have done an incredible volume of work that has probably birthed a new sound of music itself. I am talking about artists like John McLaughlin with his bands Shakti, and the Mahavishnu Orchestra. There’s Chick Corea and Bobby McFerrin too. I’m one o the biggest devotees of Bobby and how he uses his voice as an instrument. I had the honour of meeting him and working with him on a few projects. I have been a faculty member at his Circle Song School. Then there’s Snarky Puppy, of course. They’re one of the best bands today and Michael League, who leads the band was the music arranger and producer of my ecent album, Vari. All these artists have inspired me in different ways.