Aditya Rao is an alternative singer-songwriter/drummer from Chennai, India who pulls inspiration from bands like Twenty One Pilots and Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Aditya has won multiple cultural music competitions around the city of Chennai as a drummer and guitarist. He also made it into the top 15 of IIT Saarang’s prestigious music competition, Decibels.

In this interview spotlight, I chat with Aditya Rao about the music, adapting during worldwide lock downs, technology and more,

Full Q&A along with links and music below.

Where are you from and how do You describe your style of music?

I am from Chennai, India and have been here for the most part. My style of music as of now is completely inspired by the 80’s. Artists like David Bowie, The Bee Gees and the classic rock legends such as Led Zeppelin and Red Hot Chili Peppers and modern inspirations are Twenty One Pilots and Panic! At The Disco. I would say my style could be referred to as Indie Pop but I’m hoping to branch out into the other genres of music very soon.

The two singles I have released as of right now, the first one is a dream pop psychedelic vibe and the second is a classic pop type and both can be found on all streaming platforms.

How did you get here? As in, what inspired or motivated you to take on this journey through music and the music biz?

I have always been surrounded by music ever since I was a kid. My dad being a drummer would have jam sessions and rehearsals which I would sit through and just observe the whole band. I’ve always wanted to be in a band ever since I was a kid, watching live concerts I was being inspired constantly.

When I joined a new school to start off my 11^th grade, my friends were also musicians and they’d encourage me and that would result in an enrichment of my skills. Soon, we started a band and participated in school events. This was a very important part of my musical journey because that’s what started it all.

Last year, I made the decision to pursue music full time and it was one of the best decisions I’ve made.

How does your latest project compare/contrast with your previous release(s)? Were you setting out to accomplish anything specific, follow a specific theme, or explore different styles of creation?

Exploring different styles of creation would be the perfect description as to what I’m doing. I wouldn’t say I follow a specific theme but just experiment with different genres. I even have this idea for an album which is an exploration through almost all the genres, each song showcasing them one by one but that’s barely in its planning stages.

My latest project is a song called ‘Starcity’ which I released last October. It’s a retro indie pop track sung from the perspective of a boy dreaming about escaping the city with his romantic interest and sailing away to a place where they would have the time of their lives.

Comparing this to my previous release, I would say that the styles are different but there’s definitely improvement in the way I produce and mix and from here on, it’s only going to keep getting better.

Name the biggest challenge you faced as a creative during these unprecedented? How did you adapt? How have you kept the creative fires burning during all this?

I would say the biggest challenges have been marketing myself and trying to do live shows with covid around. Last year being the year, I started releasing music is also when I started getting offers to play around town at clubs and small venues but all those opportunities to perform were shot down because of the pandemic.

Now just as the scene was about to get back on its feet, the third wave struck and we’re back to being stuck at home and not able to step out.

People did try to revive the gigs with the whole online arrangement but that just takes away all the elements from it from like the fans, the nerves, the environment is just not there and for now I guess there isn’t much we can do other than wait for the cases to go down to resume the gigs.

What was the last song you listened to?

The last song I listened to was ‘Modern Love’ by David Bowie. It’s easily one of my all-time favorites.

I switch my playlists pretty often but there are some songs which just stick and Modern Love is no doubt a part of that list. The other songs that are in my loop now are ‘Instant Crush’ (Daft Punk), ‘Black or White’ (Michael Jackson), and ‘Speed of the Night’ (Abe Grossman) just to name a few.

Which do you prefer? Vinyl? 8-tracks? Cassettes? CDs? MP3s? Streaming platforms?

The generation we’re in right now, streaming platforms in the method everyone’s using to listen to music. I mean it’s great, it’s convenient but there is something about listening to music on the more vintage players which hits differently. Personally, in my childhood I used to listen to Boney M CDs on my way to school and I’ve always wanted a cassette player. I actually bought the cassette for the Scaled and Icy album from Twenty One Pilots but have to find a cassette player.

I would love to release stuff on cassettes and vinyl and who knows, there’s a possibility it could happen in the future.

Where is the best place to connect with you and follow your journey?

I’m constantly active on Instagram to promote all my upcoming projects and to grow my fanbase, so I would say just drop me a message on Instagram.

When fans message me on Instagram and they’re like ‘we can’t stop listening to your song’ and like ‘it’s such a vibe’, I honestly don’t have the words to express my gratitude and if not for the people listening to our music, we musicians wouldn’t be anywhere in this world.

There are also constant updates there about when my new projects will be coming out so definitely my page in Instagram would be the place to follow my journey.

I really appreciate Your time. Anything else before we sign off?

I want to thank Songdew and IMD for this wonderful opportunity. Being an independent artist in a country dominated by the film industry, we don’t get a lot of exposure but the work being done by you guys really does help us a lot and I just want to say thank you.