Suman Sridhar

Suman Sridhar

Photo courtesy Sam Mohan
Background information
Born Mumbai, India
Origin India/USA
Genres Soul/World
Occupation(s) Artist - Musician/Performer
Instruments Voice, Piano
Years active 2008-present
Associated acts Sridhar/Thayil

Suman Sridhar is an Indian singer-songwriter and actor from Mumbai-New Jersey. She has received equal critical and commercial acclaim earning her the reputation of a "vocal gymnast" traversing effortlessly between cultures, genres, languages and sounds.[1] She has been nominated for Best Female Playback Singer-Times of India Film Awards, Best Female Indie Artist - MTV Video Music Awards India, Band & Album of the Year- Jack Daniel's Rock Awards 2013. Her noted live, radio, televised and gallery performances include the Southbank Centre (UK), The Great Escape Festival (UK), Coke Studio (MTV India), dOCUMENTA (13) (Germany), Kochi Biennale (India), BBC- World Service (UK), NH7 Weekender (India), Jazzmandu (Nepal), Galle Literary Festival (Sri Lanka), Radio Mirchi Music Awards (India), One Billion Rising (India), National Centre for Performing Arts (India) etc.

Suman works between and across music, performance art, theatre and film [2] She was awarded the Google-INK Trailblazer’s Grant 2014[3] towards developing a multimedia opera integrating Tamil folk music. She is acting in her debut feature film Ajeeb Aashiq / Strange Love by award winning filmmaker Natasha Mendonca which premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, 2016 and received the Bright Future Award nomination.[4]

Early life and background

Suman Sridhar image by Asif Khan

Sridhar was brought up in Chembur, Mumbai where she did her early schooling at St. Anthony's Girls High School, Chembur. There was Indian classical music in her family, as her father played the tabla and harmonium, while her mother had trained under noted classical singer, Prabha Atre. Her family shifted to New Jersey when she was 14. Here her early musical influences were Busta Rhymes and Lauryn Hill.[5]

Suman earned an undergraduate degree in Western Music and Gender Studies from Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA.[6] Her background ranges from singing in classical choirs to jazz and contemporary ensembles and musical theatre in the NYC area.

Career

In 2008, Suman Sridhar and Jeet Thayil co-founded Sridhar/Thayil,[7] the lyrical post-pop music duo which Rolling Stone magazine acclaimed as "redefining indie music in India." Their studio album STD was released in 2012. The duo is known for "their cabaret-like attitude and improvisational chaos on stage."[6]

Suman's original theatre productions as writer-director-performer include Yoni Ki Baat (South Asian Women's Collective, USA, 2003) and The Flying Wallas: Opera Noir (Prithvi Theatre Festival, India 2009). Her performance art and sound design works include Between The Waves by Tejal Shah (dOCUMENTA 13, Germany 2012), The Kochi Intervention (Kochi Biennale 2014) and Transformation 19124 (Flying Kite, Philadelphia 2012) amongst others.

In its 2014 listing of "25 Greatest Indian Rock Songs of the last 25 Years", "Rolling Stone India" featured Punk Bhajan (STD, 2012) – Sridhar/Thayil.[8]

Discography

Suman Sridhar Malini Kochupillai

Filmography

Year Film Songs Language Composer
2016 Jaundya Na Balasaheb "Mona Darling" Marathi Ajay-Atul
2015 Bombay Velvet "Fifi" Hindi Mikey McCleary
2012 Talaash "Muskaanein Jhooti Hai" Hindi Ram Sampath
2011 Shaitan "Hawa Hawai", "Khoya Khoya Chand" Hindi Mikey McCleary
404 Error Not Found "Kya Dekh Raha Hai" Hindi Imaad Shah
Luv Ka The End "Tonight" English Ram Sampath
2010 Ayesha background score Hindi Amit Trivedi

Awards

Year Award Category Role Outcome
2013 Times of India Film Awards Best Female Playback Singer Singer Nominated
2013 MTV Video Music Awards India Best Female Indie Artist Singer-Songwriter-Producer Nominated
2013 Jack Daniel's Rock Awards Band of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Female Vocalist Singer-Songwriter-Producer Nominated
2013 Femina Women's Awards Music Category Singer-Songwriter Nominated
2012 Radio Mirchi Music Awards Upcoming Female Vocalist of the Year Singer Nominated
2012 Color Screen Awards Best Female Playback Singer Singer Nominated
2009 Jack Daniel's Rock Awards Emerging Band of the Year Singer-Songwriter-Producer Won

References

  1. ↑ http://mumbaiboss.com/2011/05/10/music-review-404/
  2. ↑ "Review: STD – Sridhar/Thayil › NH7 - Discover new music and explore alternative culture from India and around the world".
  3. ↑ "Trailblazers 2013: INK Fellows Meet - Stories, Ideas and Perspectives - 300+ Inspirational talks by remarkable people from INK events -".
  4. ↑ "Strange Love". 18 January 2016.
  5. ↑ Aditya Kundalkar (13 April 2012). "Music:Suman Sridhar". Time Out Mumbai. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  6. 1 2 "Sridhar and Thayil's full-length studio album". The Times Of India. 10 April 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  7. ↑ "STD, by Sridhar/Thayil".
  8. ↑ "The Search for Rolling Stone India's 25 Greatest Indian Rock Songs of the last 25 Years". Rolling Stone India. 8 October 2014. Retrieved 2014-11-20.
  9. ↑ "STD, by Sridhar/Thayil".

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