Interview: Ahead of his concert in Hyderabad on June 18, Sid Sriram praises the city’s robust live music culture

There was a steady inflow of work after the initial weeks of lockdown and he recorded songs that went on to become hits. “The frequency of requests is still more, but I have learnt some restraint. I ask myself if I can resonate with the song and give it my best, or politely decline.”

The Hyderabad concert will feature hits such as ‘Kalaavathi’, ‘Srivalli’, ‘Hrudayama’ alongside a few lesser-known songs including ‘Yemunnave’, ‘Ye kannulu choodani chitrame’: “A few beautiful compositions do not get widespread appreciation if a film is not a success, but I cherish them.” There will be his English originals and Tamil hits as well. 

Sid Sriram’s songs have become a staple in Telugu cinema, with several filmmakers considering him a lucky charm. While there are the soaring hits, eyebrows are sometimes raised about his pronunciation or intonations. As someone who grew familiar with Thyagaraja krithis, he says he works his way through Telugu words with the help of lyricists and composers: “The time that I would spend learning the words has reduced now. I have better phonetic familiarity now and spend more time on getting the emotional intent of the song.” 

Sid Sriram in concert
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Inside the studio

Recording a song can take two to three hours to five hours, he adds, depending on the simplicity or complexity of the composition. He picked up the vibe of ‘Samajavaragamana’ in about half an hour. Some songs take a while. “On certain days the universe is with me and everything falls in place; on certain days it takes longer. But it is never an uphill task; it is just the initial activation energy.”

There are times when recording is not a hurried exercise to meet deadlines. Like in the case of ‘Srivalli’ from Pushpa – The Rise: “DSP (Devi Sri Prasad) and I hung out an entire day talking, sharing stories and recording the song. It did not feel like work. He wanted me to explore different textures of the voice. There are different shades to my voice in the pallavi and charanam.”

He had recorded one of his first hits, ‘Thalli Pogathey’ (‘Vellipomakey’ in Telugu) in a similar fashion. A relaxed, long day at the studio sometimes leads to explorations of different versions of a song — there are two versions to his Telugu hit ‘Undiporaadhey’ composed by Radhan for Husharu. Composer Darbuka Siva came up with three versions of Sid Sriram’s renditions of ‘Maruvaarthai’ for the Tamil film Enai Nokki Paayum Thota (‘Thoota’ in Telugu).

Straddling Telugu, Tamil and Hindi film music (he debuted with Jhund in Hindi), Sid Sriram says this is just the tip of the iceberg: “There is so much to do within the realm of music. Carnatic music is a constant pursuit. I have completed another independent album. It has been a decade since I recorded ‘Adiye’ (‘Yadike’) with ARR. I present something new with my band each time I perform on stage, irrespective of the polarising opinions I receive. Sometimes it is hard on the ego to take the negative comments but I do not want to take the easy route.” 

Sid Sriram is a sketch artist and also pens down poems and adds, “At some point, I might write a film. There are concepts in my head. What I have done in the last decade feels like a stepping stone to a long journey.”

(Sid Sriram will be performing in Hyderabad on June 18, at HITEX. Tickets on bookmyshow.com)