Shruti Haasan: My parents helped me develop my passion for music

Shruti Haasan has been a part of the movies for close to a decade, but she has also occasionally given us a glimpse of her talent as a musician and singer. Shruti stepped into the world of playback singing when she was still a child and she says that it was her actor parents, Kamal Haasan and Sarika, who encouraged her to pursue music.
She reveals, “While growing up, my parents realised that I was serious about music. My father is a fantastic singer himself, he would often ask me about my favourite song and sing along with me. My mother encouraged me to be disciplined about it and was keen that I learn

Hindustani classical music

. I opted for music instead of mathematics in school. I owe it to my parents for helping me develop my passion for music.”

Ask her if she prefers playback singing over composing as an independent musician and she replies, “Playback singing doesn’t give me a high, unless I can connect to the song. There isn’t any creative freedom, because it is somebody else’s songs. The musical heroes I grew up admiring have their own narrative. I have been part of a band and it’s not an easy life for independent musicians. The difference in the amount you get paid for cutting a ribbon and a band staging a show, after practising for three hours a day for a week, is appalling. Independent musicians have never got their due. Having said that, being an independent musician is special to me. I am currently working in London and I see have seen how their industry has had a chance to grow. Today, it has become a force to reckon with. In India, film music rules the roost and it’s hard to circumvent that. I have to play devil’s advocate in both cases because I have been part of both.

Independent music

needs to flourish, as this generation needs that alternative source of entertainment and artistic satisfaction.”

When asked if she ever dreams of winning a Grammy, she says, “I grew up in a house that was full of awards. My parents have won innumerable awards, but it’s not like I also aim to win as many awards as them, because that’s a bit ridiculous. But awards are lovely when you get them.”