<p class="bodytext">Shreenidhi G Shastry from Bengaluru has participated in four music reality shows and is currently a Top 10 contestant on Season 16 of ‘Indian Idol’. The 23-year-old views reality TV as one of the shortest ways to reach a wide audience. “It’s not just about winning or losing. I want to reach as many people as possible through my music,” says Shastry, who is the 2020 winner of ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Kannada’.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Shastry’s tryst with the stage began when he was seven or eight. “I sang ‘Chandan hai is desh ki maati’ at the Independence Day celebrations in our neighbourhood. People in my community were thrilled and told me I must continue singing,” he recalls. He keeps returning to the stage for the audience’s applause, his biggest inspiration. “The first 60 to 90 seconds on stage feel like hell. I am full of anxiety. But once the audience starts whistling or cheering, I feel at ease,” says Shastry, best known for singing songs of S P Balasubrahmanyam.</p>.Making punk rock for a cause.<p class="bodytext">A full-time musician, Shastry is trained in the Karnatik classical tradition and is also known for his guitar work. He has performed internationally. He also teaches, composes, and performs film songs with his four-member band at weddings, parties and restaurants.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He credits his parents for introducing him to music. “They used to sing Kannada songs while doing household chores. When they heard me repeat the songs, they felt I had potential,” he says. He was still a toddler at the time. “Since I was so young, no music school would admit me. So my mother enrolled herself as a student and took me along. I would sit on her lap during lessons and learn passively. By the time I began formal training at four-and-a-half years of age, I already knew a lot,” he recalls.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Despite his Karnatik grounding, Shastry listens to a range of genres. His playlist spans Hindustani stalwarts such as Pt Jasraj and Pt Bhimsen Joshi, Marathi abhangs, Kannada folk and film music, as well as Bollywood dance tracks. “You learn something from every genre,” he says.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The current reality show, too, has pushed him to expand his repertoire beyond S P B songs. Here, he attempted Kishore Kumar songs, and says that mastering Anu Malik’s ‘Julie Julie’ and Hariharan’s ‘Nahin saamne tu’ required a lot of practice.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Only a handful of reality show contestants go on to build lasting careers, and Shastry feels lucky that, six years after winning a reality show, people still come up to him for selfies. He believes along with hard work and a never-give-up attitude, longevity depends on consistently delivering strong performances during the show.</p>
<p class="bodytext">Shreenidhi G Shastry from Bengaluru has participated in four music reality shows and is currently a Top 10 contestant on Season 16 of ‘Indian Idol’. The 23-year-old views reality TV as one of the shortest ways to reach a wide audience. “It’s not just about winning or losing. I want to reach as many people as possible through my music,” says Shastry, who is the 2020 winner of ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Kannada’.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Shastry’s tryst with the stage began when he was seven or eight. “I sang ‘Chandan hai is desh ki maati’ at the Independence Day celebrations in our neighbourhood. People in my community were thrilled and told me I must continue singing,” he recalls. He keeps returning to the stage for the audience’s applause, his biggest inspiration. “The first 60 to 90 seconds on stage feel like hell. I am full of anxiety. But once the audience starts whistling or cheering, I feel at ease,” says Shastry, best known for singing songs of S P Balasubrahmanyam.</p>.Making punk rock for a cause.<p class="bodytext">A full-time musician, Shastry is trained in the Karnatik classical tradition and is also known for his guitar work. He has performed internationally. He also teaches, composes, and performs film songs with his four-member band at weddings, parties and restaurants.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He credits his parents for introducing him to music. “They used to sing Kannada songs while doing household chores. When they heard me repeat the songs, they felt I had potential,” he says. He was still a toddler at the time. “Since I was so young, no music school would admit me. So my mother enrolled herself as a student and took me along. I would sit on her lap during lessons and learn passively. By the time I began formal training at four-and-a-half years of age, I already knew a lot,” he recalls.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Despite his Karnatik grounding, Shastry listens to a range of genres. His playlist spans Hindustani stalwarts such as Pt Jasraj and Pt Bhimsen Joshi, Marathi abhangs, Kannada folk and film music, as well as Bollywood dance tracks. “You learn something from every genre,” he says.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The current reality show, too, has pushed him to expand his repertoire beyond S P B songs. Here, he attempted Kishore Kumar songs, and says that mastering Anu Malik’s ‘Julie Julie’ and Hariharan’s ‘Nahin saamne tu’ required a lot of practice.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Only a handful of reality show contestants go on to build lasting careers, and Shastry feels lucky that, six years after winning a reality show, people still come up to him for selfies. He believes along with hard work and a never-give-up attitude, longevity depends on consistently delivering strong performances during the show.</p>