Today we’d like to introduce you to Aakash Sridhar
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My name is Aakash and I’m a jazz pianist and composer. I consider myself to be from Bangalore, but I was born and brought up in Dubai and always grew up being passionate about music. Through my childhood I was exposed to a lot of different kinds of music from family and friends, including Bollywood, Tollywood, rap, rock and metal. At the age of six I started having formal lessons on the tabla, and began performing for many occasions in my school. My interest eventually shifted towards the keyboard and I began taking a huge interest in chord shapes and harmony and theory. At this point I had not the faintest idea that I would end up choosing a career in jazz piano.
My exposure to jazz, in fact, came much later when I turned 22. At this point I made a commitment to study the language through actively listening and transcribing, and by devoting my time to learning more jazz standards. Later on, jazz, to me, became a vehicle to express my thoughts and feelings.
I have been fortunate to study the music in depth from some of the greatest in the field, having recently pursued my Bachelor’s of Music at Berklee College of Music and Master’s in Jazz Piano Performance at University of North Texas.
My goals while coming to UNT have always been consistent these last two years. I wanted to use the tools and resources available to me to refine my knowledge of the art form, write more music, and carve an artistic path for myself. I also wished to work with all the incredible people and musicians I got to study with, or meet. I genuinely believe we all have a unique path and career as a musician, and therefore I focussed on developing respectful friendships rather than competing with fellow musicians. I always consider myself fortunate to be in an environment where everyone inspires me in different ways, to work harder than I ever have before.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Considering that creating art is what I’m most passionate about, something I’ve found difficult in the past is managing my time in a way where the creative process can occur in an efficient way, and can actually take priority over everything else that I need to do. There’s often so much happening in our lives and we all have so many responsibilities to engage in everyday.
For musicians, time management is even more crucial, given that outside of writing music we have to continually work on our craft, teach, focus on the business/marketing aspects, and also focus on making new connections in a genuine way, and well, we have a life too.
However, lately I’ve improved at the time management aspect, though it helps me to admit that I’m working on this everyday. I try to find joy in every aspect of the journey, and in all the responsibilities that I have as an artist and person. I feel what helps me is putting down all my work commitments and the projects/gigs/rehearsals I said yes to on the Google Calendar. I also have a personal calendar, which is colourful to make it look appealing, where I write down my practice and personal goals. I make it a habit to allot a small amount of time to solely create, and I also try to borrow inspiration from my surroundings. There have also been times when I’ve been stuck coming up with a melody, but thinking about it when I’m in in a completely different environment sometimes helps solve this problem.
The other thing I’ve found to be difficult is to be myself on social media. At times, it’s tricky to decide how much to share with everyone, while still keeping things professional. Of course, we can’t be the same as we are with our friends and those who know us well, but I’m trying to find the right balance and get better at this too.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Currently my debut album, titled ‘Revived Emotions’, is on the way of being released. It was recorded and mixed in Crystal Clear Sound Studios, and mastered by Kevin Blackler in New York. The album is an amalgamation of modern jazz compositions and this means so much to me as it is the beginning of putting some of my goals and musical visions together. The album speaks out emotions from my life that everyone can relate to in some way. The album was recorded with some of the incredible musicians I met during my Master’s program, namely Andrew Getman on guitar, Adam Abrams on double bass, and Joshua Ferrell on drumset, and includes videos for every single song that captures the spontaneous improvisation that occurs in the studio. These videos will be released on my Youtube Channel in addition to the music which would be released on all streaming platforms. As of today, a tour is being set up for ‘Revived Emotions’ within the Dallas-Fort Worth Area. The best space to keep a tab on my releases and tour schedule would be Instagram, and my personal website for which the links are indicated below.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up, I feel grateful to have had a childhood that was not only filled with music, but also with many special memories created with my family. We often traveled during the summer holidays and did touristy things while visiting different countries. I believe that all these different experiences in my life add up in the sense that they make up who I am today, as a person, and they find their way into the music I write. The past often serves as a source of inspiration to musically connect with when I sit to compose anything. I believe that having a balance in life and making time for fun can introduce beautiful results in our creativity, though I’ll admit I don’t always have this luxury.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.aakashsridharmusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aakash.sridhar/
Image Credits
Jose Negrete
