Aditi Sri, first Indian American singer on prestigious nationwide tour

It was her first performance in public, 5-year-old

Aditi Sri

was very excited. She had no clue that thirteen years later, she would be the first Indian American to get selected for the prestigious nationwide tour. This is a national tour set to perform in the 48 states of the USA. The tour is designed to advocate for those who experience bullying or violence in and out of the home, resulting in self-harm suicide, or homicide. The tour will begin in April 2019, there will be concerts every month.

In an interview with the TOI, Aditi remembered her first stage performance and said, “I was a kid who wanted to be on the stage and enjoy every moment performing on the stage. I have always been inspired by the legend Bollywood singer, Asha Bhosale and Sunidhi Chauhan.” She is just 18, but she has performed in more than 100 concerts so far. Some of these shows were with Bollywood stars Preity Zinta, Arvinder Singh, Kailash Kher and Lucky Ali.

She has also made her entry into Hollywoood with 2 singles, “On Your Own” and “Shine”. “On your own” delivers the message of finding your own way through this world. “Shine” is an infectious dance pop cut

.

“ I always wanted to become Bollywood and Hollywood singer.”, said Aditi.

Her mother Shalini who is herself a Carnatic singer said, “ Initially we didn’t really realize that singing was her passion. She started learning

Carnatic music

at age of 4. She started performing at temples and local programs since the age of 5. She started her Hindustani classes with Alka Bhatnagar, well-known bay area singer and music teacher. Alkaji taught her ragas and gave her some tips to sing Bollywood songs. She started accompanying Alkaji in the concerts. That’s when we realized that she wanted to pursue music as her career, we were there with her at every step, helping her take the decisions that brought her closer to her goals. ,”

She went to a teacher in

Los Angeles

, who taught her western vocals. When asked how Hollywood singing is different from that of Bollywood, Aditi replied, “ In Hollywood singing, there are some breathing techniques to get control over breath and different variations. Some Hollywood songs have a high pitch, reaching that pitch is really hard, however, with proper training over a few months I was able to get to that level, but it took time and lot of practice.”,

Aditi is currently pursuing management studies from Ohlone College in Fremont. She studied in Washington High School at Fremont. During her school years, she performed in many concerts. Singing in concerts never disturbed her school schedule. She practiced singing for 2 hours every day. “There is no rule what time I practice. The only rule is that I have to do it every day.” she said.

Aditi’s father, Srini said, “She had to work very hard to get shortlisted and finally, selected for the concerts. Her determination, persistence, and talent helped her sail through high competition in the field. Her education did not suffer because of music. She maintained good grades all through her school years”.

Aditi likes to help with event management of her concerts. Other than the upcoming tour, she will perform in some concerts in the bay area including one on Valentines Day. She will be the lead singer in Vietnamese Tet festival 2019.

When asked about her goals, Aditi responded, “I hope to find my recording table & get an opportunity in Bollywood, I would love to be a playback singer for Bollywood.”

Aditi’s advice to youngsters is whatever they are doing, whether singing or dancing or studying, they should do it from their heart. “You want to follow your passion, then do it, but work hard and practice a lot," she signed off.