Today we’d like to introduce you to Rohith Jayaraman.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Rohith. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I grew up like most other first-generation Indian-American kids from the Bay Area — homework, tennis, basketball (I was terrible), swimming, music, etc. The one thing I was lucky enough to have that some other Bay Area children didn’t was a really nurturing, open, encouraging home environment. There were no topics that were off-limits at home, and they’re definitely wasn’t anything that I wasn’t allowed to do as long as we had a discussion first. It’s impossible to imagine that I’d be here today if I didn’t have that growing up. I was able to do theatre instead of speech and debate. Take only one AP course per semester instead of five. And I was able to apply to Berklee College of Music where I studied Music Therapy.
During my first semester at Berklee, I joined the Berklee Indian Ensemble by chance, and in it, found an incredible group of friends who have been family for the last seven years. After graduating, I spent some time at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), where I completed my music therapy internship. I spent my evenings taking comfort in happy hour nachos and bread pudding at The Morrison on Los Feliz Boulevard. Not too long after, I accepted my current job as the Assistant Manager of Berklee India Exchange (BIX), an institute founded after the incredible success of the Berklee Indian Ensemble. Working with Berklee now comes with its own set of challenges, of course, but each month leads to a different crossroads… definitely keeps life exciting!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Out of context, I’d say no, but knowing what others have had to go through to get where they are, I think for me it’s been fairly smooth sailing. I was on the tail end of the Indian-American community shifting into a very different mindset. It’s definitely a whole lot easier now for young Indian-American kids to pursue a career in more than just three fields (and it was much harder for the generation before mine). Funnily enough, the biggest struggle now is finding the time to actually write, perform, and record music.
Having a job at Berklee tends to make people think I’m constantly making music, which couldn’t be further from the truth. While I do get to rehearse and play shows with the Berklee Indian Ensemble, being one of a tiny team that manages an institute takes time and creative energy. Coming home from work at what is essentially tomorrow morning doesn’t leave a whole lot left over to work on my own music. Over the last year though, our team has made a conscious effort to create the time for each of us to be people, which allowed me to Kickstart, record, and produce a duo EP with one of my closest friends and collaborators, Layth Sidiq.
Can you give our readers some background on your music?
I’m a vocalist, vocal percussionist, occasional hand percussionist, composer, and educator. I specialize in Carnatic (South Indian Classical) music and its intersection with other traditions around the world. I’m probably best known for genre crossover with jazz/jazz fusion, improvisation, and vocal percussion. I spent a lot of time a few years ago working on specific repertoire that required me to sing at very fast speeds, and that’s become something people have come to enjoy (or at least respect I think). It’s not all I do to be sure, but social media has made it maybe my most recognizable musical characteristic.
Getting to know incredible musicians and people from different walks of life has given me a… shall we say… relaxed perspective on music. I’m lucky to have developed my musicality on the fringes of the Carnatic world, which has allowed me to draw inspiration from what resonates with me, while not feeling bound by the norms of a specific tradition. While it’s sometimes confusing to be in a musical “no man’s land”, that’s also the most exciting part — seeing what can come next.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Two quite different things come to mind, not necessarily in order.
I’ve gotten the chance to perform a couple times with the incredible A.R. Rahman. I grew up on his music, so getting to share the stage with him is an experience unlike any other. It’s fascinating because when left to my own devices, that kind of music is not what I would create, but the combination of his music and persona it something special just being in the same room with him.
The second is the EP I just released with Layth Sidiq — Hamsa. It’s a very personal project and working on it with my close friends was a dream come true. Exploring the intersection of Indian and Arabic music continues to be exciting and this small collection of songs is just a primer for what we hope this project will grow to be. We want to tour Hamsa, in our home countries, in the regions that inspired the music, and around the world.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.rohithjayaraman.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/rohithyourboat
Image Credit:
Sharon Renold, Esha Asser, Dylan Aiello, Samuel Adams, Studio Sree
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