Today we’d like to introduce you to Shruti Kumar.
Shruti, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I can honestly say I remember my first piano lesson more vividly than I remember learning how to ride a bike. I started playing when I was 4 at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, and pretty soon afterwards I was performing frequently. Growing up in the classical music world is as rigorous as anyone who’s lived it will confirm — but as one of my earliest teachers used to say: I had “wandering hands”. Learning the canon was the path I was on, but it became clear that practicing led to experimenting, and eventually, composing.
I think this was because I was simultaneously exposed to so many other forms of music — my parents are big music lovers. And they’re both from India. My mom used to blast all sorts of records in the house – from The Beatles to Bollywood. So the scope of music was always wide to me — in the same year I made my orchestra debut playing a Bach Concerto with the BSO, I also premiered a 20th-century piece “by a cat” (Morris Cotel) on NPR. And participated in my first musical in a local theater (the only Indian kid in ‘Fiddler on the Roof’!) I’m lucky to have had that early diverse exposure.
Writing started to carry equal weight and when I was 11 I was accepted to The Juilliard School in New York for both piano and composition. I’d commute every weekend to NYC for music until college. This was when I first experienced the beauty of a musical community. It was the first place a friend of mine would perform a piece I wrote for him, and the first place I had access to an orchestra and choir to write for. Feeling like outsiders at home, these weekends and friendships became sacred to us. It was also the first place I experienced extreme competition – the program mirrored the “real world” in every sense; we were held to the same standards as professionals were (many of us were working already), and there was no sugar coating/cutting corners — we grew thick skins. I look back now and am grateful for the reality those years served alongside the inspiration.
I moved to New York to go to Columbia University, where I gravitated towards broader projects while continuing piano studies with my teacher. My sense of community widened– my colleagues became dancers, writers, and directors. This was where I composed my first musical and where I scored my first film. We were just experimenting then, but this time of fusing several art forms with people I love paved the way for the rest. And I still work with these friends today. After college, I stayed in New York and enrolled at NYU for a master’s in film scoring.
Now I was finally downtown! The scope was different – the possibility of putting on our own shows in different venues was a new challenge. NYU taught me the tech skills necessary for work in film, but also gave me a sense of confidence in the area of crossing genres. I was deeply inspired by a mentor/professor of mine, Julia Wolfe (co-founder of Bang On A Can), and simultaneously the indie music scene in NYC in 2008. I began songwriting and performed in my first band. I curated and conducted a live-score series at (le) Poisson Rouge called the “Unsilent Film Series” working with emerging NYC filmmakers. I co-composed a live-score performance at The National Gallery in DC and put on DIY shows in Brooklyn with experimental technology. It was really probably the most diversely creative period of my life — New York has an ear for everything.
But it’s expensive! And the film industry is in LA. So I moved to LA in 2011. And I love it. When I first moved here The Society for Composers & Lyricists took me into their mentorship program prior to my working at Remote Control Productions (Hans Zimmer’s studio) — where I found my first LA friends and collaborators. One of the most defining was with Stephen Hilton (producer/composer) who hired me to orchestrate a cinematic album of his, recorded live in London, which led to my working on a ‘No Doubt’ single with him — perhaps the seed that inspired my current career path as both producer/composer.
After going freelance, I have enjoyed where my work has taken me, and have loved seeing my peers progress with me. From scoring their films and plays in the US to films in India to creating and supervising music for their new apps/streaming platforms — I think there is real value to long-lasting, evolving collaboration. As a producer, it’s been incredible to work with singers/bands alongside film. At the end of the day – it’s all good music telling a good story. Crafting records has really brought me full circle to my original intention with music — expanding my sound and blending my influences in the same way that film often gives us the chance to do.
I’ve been able to come back to my live music roots as well– this year I conducted/musical directed a hybrid orchestral/band/choir set with Shirley Manson and Fiona Apple for Anna Bulbrook’s Girlschool LA and curated/performed original live scores at Bombay Beach Biennale. Coming up, I’m scoring a film with someone I really admire. I’m producing a record with someone I really admire. I’m on a team that’s building a studio/production house for use by those without the conventional means to access those types of resources. Can’t wait to be able to share it all soon!
Has it been a smooth road?
Like the amazing cities they live in, the music/film industries have… traffic and potholes.
I think all of us would agree that ‘getting a foot in the door’ and the initial investments (financial and otherwise) required to make that happen are no small tasks. There’s no substitute for minutes in the studio, no getting around the resources needed to create, you’re always learning on the job, and what can look like luck to some is often the result of unseen years of dedication to the craft and career. No matter how much we put in, access to opportunities can seem elusive, and it’s easy to feel like you’re running in place. Not to mention we (composers, producers, songwriters) don’t have a union – so managing our business/copyright can feel like a second full-time job.
I think there’s great optimism (and guidance) to be found in the success stories of self-starters that take “money gigs” (whatever they may be) to finance the “passion gigs” and build communities that open new doors to funding/promotion– and most importantly, work they believe in. There are several roads if we think outside the box, and sometimes the most left-field money gigs lead to some of the most exciting creative opportunities.
In my experience, the independent route is much smoother when I cultivate partnerships — this has been powerful for all involved in creating our own opportunities and visibility. Many times when certain projects I’m invested in aren’t conventionally greenlit, there are creative ways with friends inside *and outside* the film/music industries that bring these projects to fruition. We have more agency than we realize when we combine our skills and resources. Also, with both indie films and records — the more hands on deck, the wider the audience.
I’m not just talking ‘networking’- it’s real camaraderie. Especially within my own community/production teams – otherwise, work can feel isolating or competitive. The best music I’ve made has come from a place of sharing/learning and an explorative approach — at every stage of production and promotion. Acknowledging others’ struggles alongside my own has made creating safe and fair work environments a priority — everyone on a creative team, regardless of their role, should feel motivated to contribute the best way they can. When everyone’s excited, shit catches fire. We rise in groups, and as one of my best friends says, “it’s a long horse race”.
Lastly, I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the risk-averse (and therefore often political) nature of both the film and music industries on non-indie levels. This creates one of those roadblocks to new (and different sounding) musical voices being heard– and in my opinion is a large reason for the big diversity/representation problem in both industries.
Many factors cause all our paths to be different – and while the inclusion conversation is rightly growing – talk alone doesn’t create change. A way to combat this is to raise awareness of the wide range of talent/skill that exists and isn’t on the mainstream radar.
It’s been so rewarding working to create larger platforms for my community of diverse composers/producers/engineers and incredibly inspiring to watch so many peers do the same — notably one of my friends at Dreamworks television instituted an identity-blind composer hiring process. These big efforts are necessary, but every effort counts. If I can, on all my projects I try and bring someone on board who might not have been given that responsibility elsewhere. I love creating ways for people to flex muscles that they haven’t been given the chance to before. Promoting trust and “creative risks” (and rewards!) can happen on every level — many mentors and colleagues have taken a chance on me, and I gotta keep paying it forward.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I’m a composer, producer, and songwriter based in LA – and have worked on scores and songs across mediums (film, records, VR, TV, trailers, commercials, etc.)
Many of my earlier jobs were as an orchestrator/arranger, which has really informed the way I work now. In both a film and a song, the stories are the drivers — and if the music is serving a story, then all the instruments can be characters, right? So I really enjoy learning and re-learning the boundaries of the instruments I write for (including voice!) — and as technology progresses, they just keep expanding. Every instrument has so many ways of eliciting emotional responses. I also like switching things up – like, “what if a guitar played the violin line? And we replaced the kick drum with a Dhol?” I think this is what drew me to film originally– the fun and collaborative puzzle piecing with a director to define a unique sonic world for his/her film. It’s a clean slate every time.
My love of unconventional use of the orchestra / mixing it with electronics and band elements is probably what originally led to my collaborations on records. (That, and I’m a sucker for melody and beats. We don’t always get to write themes or drop 808s on movies.) It’s not just the instruments — it’s also the people– combining artists, players, engineers with different talents / stylistic backgrounds. With singers, I apply this same sonic puzzle piecing to lyrics and vocal performances. In that way, producing and film scoring are not all that different to me. Both are allowing music to enhance a bigger message.
In general, I like to preserve and find the humanity in my music. No matter how much time I spend writing on a computer – the elements that come from players/artists/(and engineers!) is the best – there’s always room for surprise in that stage. I also record (on my iPhone even) everywhere I go. For example, I’ve recorded tap dancers on the street, industrial sounds from stray junk metal, subway noise, and later used them in scores and songs. I’m constantly looking to diversify my palette.
I like music that familiarizes the unexpected and makes you think and rethink. Music (and film) are historically so married to culture. I think — especially now — that there’s a real opportunity for it to grow and make some impact.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I think it’s a really exciting time to be in LA as an artist. It feels like there’s a growing movement here, and every day I’m meeting incredible musicians from widely different backgrounds who share similar goals and visions. I also find the culture very approachable — if I admire someone’s work and want to work with her/him, I’ve had success reaching out cold and talking about collaborating (dancers, directors, artists, musicians, scientists, you name it.) It’s also great that here (and everywhere) people are starting to ask tough questions regarding art and the larger role it can play. It’s inspiring to be a part of that conversation today.
Doesn’t hurt that you’ve got mountains, desert, and the ocean around when you want to turn your brain off. These LA goodies have really taught me that the “off days” can be just as important (if not more so) than the “on days”.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.shrutikumar.com
- Instagram: @tamingoftheshruti
Image Credit:
Diliana Deltcheva, Jen Rosenstein
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