Tamil-born singer makes learning music easy and fun
I started focusing on light music, Tamil film songs and a lot of western music came into my life,” says Karthik, with his thirty years journey into the world of music.
Singer Karthik Sekaran
CHENNAI: Karthik Sekaran quite vividly remembers his mother singing Chinnanchiru Kiliye by Subramanian Bharathiyaar in her melodious voice, putting him to sleep.
Born in a tamil family, raised in Delhi, Karthik has found his passion for music since his childhood.
“I am a trained Carnatic vocalist. Music has always been an integral part of my life, as my grandmother was a music teacher.
Over time, I started focusing on light music, Tamil film songs and a lot of western music came into my life,” says Karthik, with his thirty years journey into the world of music.
Growing up, Karthik’s house would have audio cassettes and CDs of songs by AR Rahman and Ilaiyaraaja playing throughout the day.
Music, which started as a ‘serious’ hobby for the Carnatic vocalist, turned into a profession after his many years of corporate work life.
Apart from having his own multi-genre band based out of Delhi, the singer also makes music easy in a fun way through his musical lessons on Instagram.
“To me, teaching is more of a passion. My time working in an NGO, I used to create training programmes which introduced me to the art of teaching which I enjoyed doing,” states Karthik, who later quit his job to pursue his two hobbies of singing and teaching together.
“I am a guy who teaches well, and also sings well”, is how the musician likes to describe himself.
For singers like Karthik, who were unable to decide on opting music as a career option from the very start, he highlights the need to have a proof of concept.
“Building one’s own confidence and that of their family is crucial, especially for budding musicians looking out for a full time career in singing. It’s good to have faith in one’s craft, but it is equally important to work on polishing them,
in order to build a successful musical career which generates revenue,” highlights Chandramouli Chandrasekaran, the singer’s legal name, which he jokes is too long for his fans to remember.
Having fondness for legendary singers like Hariharan and KS Chitra, the singer aspires to work alongside them someday.
When asked about one of his greatest achievements as a singer, Karthik rather feels it is yet to come, saying “As a music educator, I am visualising a beautiful ecosystem for young musicians to be able to survive and get noticed.
To me, if I am able to accomplish this dream of mine which I have been working towards, I can finally say I have achieved something.”
Karthik will be present in Chennai with a Carnatic pop-music at IDAM today from 7 pm.
“There will be a workshop on voice culture and vocal harmonies, after which I will be reinterpreting some of the popular Carnatic kriti’s and present it in a modernised version,” explains the singer, hoping for it to be a fun session back in the city where his heart belongs.
