Singing stars on social media

Sadwini, Ankita and Saanvi have earned a huge following by posting Kannada songs, writes Pranati A S

Social media is brimming with talent. And many up-and-coming musicians are using it as a platform to showcase their craft and gain recognition. Showtime spoke to three such Bengaluru-based artistes, who are experimenting with classical music. 

Sadwini Koppa

Sadwini, who started singing when she was three and a half, covers genres such as classical, Sufi, film and folk. The 25-year-old initially trained in Karnatik at the music school run by her parents in Koppa, Karnataka. 

Growing up surrounded by musicians – her father is a mridangam player and keyboardist – she automatically took to music. She started performing on stage with her father’s team at the age of five. She would perform sugama sangeete and classical music among other genres. “This exposure is what helped me pick up different genres of music,” says Sadwini, who was the runner-up in season 15 of the reality music show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. Subsequently, she became part of the jury in season 17. 

She also enjoys experimenting with different genres. She gives jazz compositions a Karnatik spin and does mash-ups of old and contemporary songs. Her mash-up of ‘Nee bandu nintaga’ and ‘Love you chinna’ gained popularity during the lockdown.

She shares that Facebook and Youtube have also helped widen her reach. Her rendition of ‘Raghuvira Gadyam’, the popular Sanskrit hymn won her recognition from Telugu actor Mohan Babu. ”He called to tell me he enjoyed my version,” says the Sadwini who performed a breathless composition of the hymn.

Apart from appearing on television, the violinist and Bharatanatyam dancer has performed with noted artistes such as Vijay Prakash, Rajesh Krishnan and Rajesh Vaidhya at Mysore Dasara and Bangalore Ganesh Utsava. She also received numerous awards including the ‘Kalashree’ Award from the Karnataka government. Sadwini has also donned the hat of a music composer for the Kannada film, ‘Jalapata’. 

Ankita Kundu

Ankita, who was born and raised in Delhi, started training in music at the age of four. Her first teacher was her maternal uncle - Arun Kumar Chakrabarti - a direct disciple of Ustad Amir Khan the founder of the Indore gharana. 

Later on, she trained under Pandit Hari Kishan Pahwa. During this time, she was exposed to ghazals and semi-classical forms (like?). After voice culturing and voice therapy from Rajan Nagendra, she is now learning Hindustani from Pandit Kaivalya Kumar. 

Ankita (21) was introduced to Kannada music through a tape recorder that was given to her by her father. She used the device to listen to Kannada songs by Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghoshal, and the compositions of Rajan Nagendra. . 

After finishing as a runner-up on Zee Kannada’s Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, she was approached by music director Arjun Janya with an offer for his next project — the Kannada film ‘Ricky’. She recorded her first playback song ‘Malage malage’ (‘Ricky’) at the age of 13. 

“Instagram reels are wonderful. It is amazing how much one can do and convey in less than a minute,” she says. “My YouTube has a lot of content but Instagram is so friendly, it helps you get more connections. YouTube, on the other hand, is geared more towards monetary gain,” Ankita adds.

Saanvi Shetty

Saanvi Shetty’s journey with music began with Karnatik classical at the age of six. Training in light music followed and she eventually participated in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa season 10 and Voice India Kids in 2016.

“My teacher Narahari Dixit noticed my talent and told me to participate in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. Post that I competed in The Voice India Kids,” she shares. She was one of the nine contestants and progressed till the quarter finals in The Voice India Kids. She is currently learning Hindustani music from Prameshwar Hegde.

Saanvi is the voice behind the title track of Vasishta Simha’s recent release, ‘Lovely’. She has also recorded a song with singer Vijay Prakash for the film ‘Kushka’ and a yet-to-be-released rap song with Chandan Shetty.

On Reels, she often collaborates on songs with her sister. She credits her fame from both the reality shows for her increasing popularity on social media. “Usually my mother selects songs for me, she sees what has the potential of getting viral,” reveals the 19-year-old. Her rendition of ‘Tavaroora Daarili’ which went viral on Instagram was chosen by her mother, she shares.