Meet sari clad saxophonist of Bengaluru

Social media is intrigued by ‘a lady in a silk sari playing the sax’ at a resto bar in Bengaluru.

A post by X user @_waabi_saabi_ featured a short video of Subbalaxmi, and drew the attention of many appreciative netizens. Subbalaxmi is one of only a handful of professional female sax players in India.

“Yes, people are often surprised that a woman wearing a sari plays the sax and in a setting like this,” she says, laughing. “I’ve always liked dressing up in Indian attire as it makes me feel the most comfortable,” she adds. She is popularly known as Saxophone Subbalaxmi.  

Hailing from Mysuru and now living in Bengaluru, Subbalaxmi comes from a family of musicians. Her grandfather Rajappa was a court musician in the erstwhile Mysore kingdom, and her father M R Sainath is a well-known percussionist who worked for All India Radio. Despite the musical connection, Subbalaxmi’s journey to playing the sax on stage wasn’t an easy one.

Her affinity began at a young age, when she watched her father perform with the legendary saxophonist Kadri Gopinath in Mangaluru. “I was attracted to the sound and the style. Although I had been training in classical vocal from the time I was five, at 13, when my parents asked me which instrument I would like to learn, I knew it had to be the saxophone. This shocked everyone,” she tells Metrolife.

The saxophone is mostly seen as a ‘male instrument’. “It takes great physical strength to play it. You need to have a strong core, as you need to blow solely from the abdomen. Plus, the instrument is heavy. My parents tried to get me to pick an easier instrument. But I was adamant,” she recalls. Subbalaxmi then went on to master the instrument under Kadri Gopinath. Later, her sister, Lavanya, too grew fond of the instrument.

Today, she plays everything from Karnatik classical to jazz and pop. She has even earned a spot for herself in the Guinness World Records. In 2023, she set the world record for the longest saxophone playing marathon at 26 hours and 23 minutes.

Subbalaxmi practises for at least four hours a day. “Daily practice is key. Along with this, I also regularly practise pranayama and blowing exercises,” she adds.

She hopes to see more women pick up the instrument. “So far, most of my students have been male. The few female students I have had have been foreigners. I hope to see more Indian girls pick up the sax,” she says.

For details about Subbalaxmi’s events, check @saxophonesubbalaxmi on Instagram and Facebook.