Gayathri
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Gayathri

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"RollingStone ME - Power of the People"

Singer-songwriter Gayathri, who recently moved from Dubai to the U.K., has employed a unique method to fund the production of her upcoming record; a crowd-funding campaign through website indiegogo.com, inviting financial pledges from supporters. “I liked the idea of having people who listened to my music be part of the creation of this album from the get go,” says Gayathri from London. “I also saw it as an amazing opportunity to solidify, and appeal directly to, my supporters and have them be part of my journey and shape my career in some way.” By carefully judging the rewards accorded to contributors – which, depending on the size of the donation, range from a signed copy of the record all the way up to an executive producer’s credit and a personalized song – Gayathri managed to hit her $20,000 target after just 10 days. Any funds beyond that (at the time of writing, there were six days of fundraising remaining) will be spent on marketing the record once it’s finished, and covering the cost of the campaign and rewards. “At the end of the day I want to have enough funds to promote an album I've worked on for more than half a year,” the singer explains. “As amazing as an album could possibly turn out, I think that, as an independent artist, the most important thing is knowing how to market yourself and the things you make. I have concocted many a guerilla-style marketing stunt, as well as conventional promotions through tours and extensive gigging. As of now, that’s the plan for the extra money.”

With all the support that’s poured in, is there a danger that Gayathri might now feel beholden to those who’ve propped up the funds for the record? “Absolutely not. It has the opposite effect on me. Its the same feeling of when you set out to do something like climbing a tree as a kid, knowing you might fall, but the fact that all your friends are rooting for you to get to the top is a comfort and luxury akin to nothing else. If anyone has decided to put their money on this album, I think they believe in it and in the seriousness with which I plan to approach it. So if anything, that has just motivated me further.”

Gayathri expects the record to be completed in November. - RollingStone ME


"RollingStone ME - Power of the People"

Singer-songwriter Gayathri, who recently moved from Dubai to the U.K., has employed a unique method to fund the production of her upcoming record; a crowd-funding campaign through website indiegogo.com, inviting financial pledges from supporters. “I liked the idea of having people who listened to my music be part of the creation of this album from the get go,” says Gayathri from London. “I also saw it as an amazing opportunity to solidify, and appeal directly to, my supporters and have them be part of my journey and shape my career in some way.” By carefully judging the rewards accorded to contributors – which, depending on the size of the donation, range from a signed copy of the record all the way up to an executive producer’s credit and a personalized song – Gayathri managed to hit her $20,000 target after just 10 days. Any funds beyond that (at the time of writing, there were six days of fundraising remaining) will be spent on marketing the record once it’s finished, and covering the cost of the campaign and rewards. “At the end of the day I want to have enough funds to promote an album I've worked on for more than half a year,” the singer explains. “As amazing as an album could possibly turn out, I think that, as an independent artist, the most important thing is knowing how to market yourself and the things you make. I have concocted many a guerilla-style marketing stunt, as well as conventional promotions through tours and extensive gigging. As of now, that’s the plan for the extra money.”

With all the support that’s poured in, is there a danger that Gayathri might now feel beholden to those who’ve propped up the funds for the record? “Absolutely not. It has the opposite effect on me. Its the same feeling of when you set out to do something like climbing a tree as a kid, knowing you might fall, but the fact that all your friends are rooting for you to get to the top is a comfort and luxury akin to nothing else. If anyone has decided to put their money on this album, I think they believe in it and in the seriousness with which I plan to approach it. So if anything, that has just motivated me further.”

Gayathri expects the record to be completed in November. - RollingStone ME


"Dazed & Confused Digital - Satellite Voices"

Champion of Broken Hearts Launch Concert
I'm sitting amidst the chaos of half-eaten sandwiches, cables and paper that litter the surface of a ping-pong table in the front room of the Traffic Gallery. Gayathri's haunting voice fills the space, rudely interrupted by feedback from her mic as she rehearses. Just 3 hours later almost 200 people will cram themselves into the room for the launch of "Champion of Broken Hearts".

Working with producer Reiner Erlings, the pair took their time to make sure they did the song justice in the studio. "It can be difficult to add anything without fearing it would distract from the raw honesty of her music when performed acoustically," says Erlings.

A week earlier, between slurps of a McDonalds vanilla softy, Gayathri murmured to me that she's ready to take on the world. And while she wouldn't turn down a contract with Cherrytree (US) or XL (London) she muses, "Artists today don't want to give up creative and financial control to record companies. It's a dilemma: finding the right balance."

Gayathri's performance at Traffic is spine-tingling. If everyone weren't already standing she'd have had a standing ovation. The EP, packaged in a hand-made case by artist Vikram Divecha, sells out. The accompanying video is a sleek piece by Bombay-based director Mrinal B that will soon debut on MTV and VH1. In it, Gayathri leads a gaggle of suspenders-clad men in an elegant dance sequence with a distinct 1950s flair.

"Artists put so much of themselves into what they do. But you get all of it and more back from your audience," Gayathri says. Her fans span near and far: New York based Tom Coyne, (the engineer behind Adele's "21") not only mastered "Champion of Broken Hearts" but also claims he could listen to it all day. Rolling Stone Magazine called it a: "beautifully crafted tale of love and loss." And music webzine DiS is keenly interested. "I love sharing the experience of my music with a crowd," Gayathri says in her mesmerising voice, "When people listen to you they feel they know you. And through music they feel you know them."
- Dazed Digital


"Dazed & Confused Digital - Satellite Voices"

Champion of Broken Hearts Launch Concert
I'm sitting amidst the chaos of half-eaten sandwiches, cables and paper that litter the surface of a ping-pong table in the front room of the Traffic Gallery. Gayathri's haunting voice fills the space, rudely interrupted by feedback from her mic as she rehearses. Just 3 hours later almost 200 people will cram themselves into the room for the launch of "Champion of Broken Hearts".

Working with producer Reiner Erlings, the pair took their time to make sure they did the song justice in the studio. "It can be difficult to add anything without fearing it would distract from the raw honesty of her music when performed acoustically," says Erlings.

A week earlier, between slurps of a McDonalds vanilla softy, Gayathri murmured to me that she's ready to take on the world. And while she wouldn't turn down a contract with Cherrytree (US) or XL (London) she muses, "Artists today don't want to give up creative and financial control to record companies. It's a dilemma: finding the right balance."

Gayathri's performance at Traffic is spine-tingling. If everyone weren't already standing she'd have had a standing ovation. The EP, packaged in a hand-made case by artist Vikram Divecha, sells out. The accompanying video is a sleek piece by Bombay-based director Mrinal B that will soon debut on MTV and VH1. In it, Gayathri leads a gaggle of suspenders-clad men in an elegant dance sequence with a distinct 1950s flair.

"Artists put so much of themselves into what they do. But you get all of it and more back from your audience," Gayathri says. Her fans span near and far: New York based Tom Coyne, (the engineer behind Adele's "21") not only mastered "Champion of Broken Hearts" but also claims he could listen to it all day. Rolling Stone Magazine called it a: "beautifully crafted tale of love and loss." And music webzine DiS is keenly interested. "I love sharing the experience of my music with a crowd," Gayathri says in her mesmerising voice, "When people listen to you they feel they know you. And through music they feel you know them."
- Dazed Digital


"What's On Artist of the Month"

They might not know it yet, but the UAE's cool crowd is about to lose one of its own. Gayathri - part of the fabric of Dubai's independent music scene for the past four year - heads to pastures new at the end of next month, as she continues her search for music stardom. (read full article by clicking on the link below) - What's On Magazine


"What's On Artist of the Month"

They might not know it yet, but the UAE's cool crowd is about to lose one of its own. Gayathri - part of the fabric of Dubai's independent music scene for the past four year - heads to pastures new at the end of next month, as she continues her search for music stardom. (read full article by clicking on the link below) - What's On Magazine


"The National - Crowdfunding"

The Dubai-based musician Gayathri Krishnan has crowd-funded the cash she needs to get into the studio and finish her debut album. "I've done what a record label would do for me," says Krishnan, who used Indiegogo to raise a total of US$23,130 (Dh85,000) in just one month - $3,000 above her original target. "Raising the money yourself makes you more street-smart and engaged with your audience. It pushes you to learn about marketing. Social media has made everything fun and less of a struggle. I think crowd-funding is a new way for artists to become successful on their own."

The rewards that Krishnan has been offering to backers have certainly had an effect: $10 gets you a digital copy of the album before anyone else, $200 gets you a thank you in the liner notes, $300 lets you contribute a sound byte that Krishnan will work into the album. One generous donor, an Abu Dhabi-based restaurateur, even gave $5,000 to the cause. He gets the "executive producer package": "He's an angel investor, and he gets all the rewards perks, but in terms of royalties once the album is made - no, this is just a donation," says Krishnan. The album is set for release in November.

- The National Newspaper


"The National - Crowdfunding"

The Dubai-based musician Gayathri Krishnan has crowd-funded the cash she needs to get into the studio and finish her debut album. "I've done what a record label would do for me," says Krishnan, who used Indiegogo to raise a total of US$23,130 (Dh85,000) in just one month - $3,000 above her original target. "Raising the money yourself makes you more street-smart and engaged with your audience. It pushes you to learn about marketing. Social media has made everything fun and less of a struggle. I think crowd-funding is a new way for artists to become successful on their own."

The rewards that Krishnan has been offering to backers have certainly had an effect: $10 gets you a digital copy of the album before anyone else, $200 gets you a thank you in the liner notes, $300 lets you contribute a sound byte that Krishnan will work into the album. One generous donor, an Abu Dhabi-based restaurateur, even gave $5,000 to the cause. He gets the "executive producer package": "He's an angel investor, and he gets all the rewards perks, but in terms of royalties once the album is made - no, this is just a donation," says Krishnan. The album is set for release in November.

- The National Newspaper


"RollingStone ME Expose"

A stalwart of the local music scene, 26-year-old Gayathri Krishnan will be swapping Dubai for London at the end of March. The singer, whose quirky, multi-layered, alternative pop has earned her a solid following in the U.A.E., released her single “Champion of Broken Hearts” at the end of 2011. And, in a blow to the regional scene, Krishnan is headed for the U.K., where her artful, romantic sound and unique blending of folk and traditional Indian music has already earned her an appreciative following.

Born in Chennai, Krishnan moved to Dubai with her family when she was seven years old. The daughter of a music collector father and a classical music teacher mother, music was in her blood from an early age. “I’ve always dreamed of being on stage, of doing big concerts,” she says. “I would practice in front of my mirror. It’s strange but I don’t think I ever looked at it as something I wanted to be when I grew up, I always felt like I was [a singer]. I think it followed because I wanted it so much.” At school, Krishnan was most excited about extra-curricular pursuits such as choir and drama, finding passion for her studies only when it spoke to her artistic side. “When I came to high school, like 11th and 12th grade, I did really well because I focused on arts, instead of science or commerce. Literature was the main focus, and it was amazing. And I did supremely well. I wasn’t a very good student up until the point where I actually decided to be.”

In keeping with her family’s musical tradition, Krishnan’s brother went to Berkeley School of Music. Upon his return, he introduced his sister to a raft of artists she hadn’t heard before; everything from Bob Dylan to Fiona Apple and Alanis Morissette. “From then on I started listening to that whole troubadour, singer-songwriter-type sound,” she recalls. “I grew very fond of that kind of music.” Krishnan studied a BA in English Literature in India, and further indulged her romantic side with the writings of Keats and John Donne. “My mum had bought my first guitar for me as a birthday gift, so I remember writing a lot of music then. That’s when I started being more serious about it.” Live performances at that point were still limited to her bedroom – “I got rave reviews” – but when Krishnan returned to Dubai, it wasn’t long before her desire to share her music manifested itself. Taking a job as a journalist, she began to circulate among Dubai’s burgeoning creative community. And when a few open-mic shows started up, she decided to hit the stage. “It was a really creatively fertile time for me, because over a two-month period I wrote like 15 songs,” Krishnan says. “I was ready to show people. I had enough savings, so I decided that it was a good time to stop working, and take music more seriously.”

She wasn’t messing about. Krishnan self-funded a tour of London and Paris, impressing audiences with her distinctive sound, and promoters with her drive to get her music out there. “The point is to take music that people aren’t familiar with, and make it popular. That’s what I really want to do. It’s a lofty goal, but I truly believe that I can do it.” Following her tour, she returned to Dubai and recorded an EP of material, 2009’s Disengage, with producer Reiner Erlings – a man who has had a profound effect on Krishnan’s career. Despite an awkward early meeting where she mistakenly thought Erlings appeared bored – “I didn’t send him my stuff because I didn’t see why I should send it to somebody who didn’t give a shit” – the two reconnected, and their relationship has proved fundamental to Krishnan’s sound. “I feel now like it’s one of those magic things when two people connect. He reads me really well, he completes my sentences musically.” Perhaps the best example of their compatibility, aside from the bewitching “Champion of Broken Hearts,” is the pair’s recent project, Movement. An orchestral take on Krishnan’s material, complete with home-made instruments, the project was slated to be performed with the U.A.E. Philharmonic Orchestra, before a lack of support from financiers and governmental bodies left the project in limbo.

But Krishnan is not the kind of person to be so easily deterred. “Although it was crap on toast, I still felt like I accomplished so much through that. I, along with Reiner, scored with an entire orchestra. I have a catalogue of 19 songs that can be played by an orchestra anywhere in the world. I brought together 100 people and co-ordinated all of that. I’ve grown tenfold because of this project.” It’s that perseverance that makes Krishnan’s enthusiasm about moving to the U.K. so infectious. While the prospect of an independent artist moving to one of the world’s most established (not to mention impenetrable) music industries would be daunting to most, she’s already confident about making it happen. “I’ve been in touch with a few people who are interested in representing me, and there’s also perhaps talks of getting signed. Although I don’t - RollingStone ME


"RollingStone ME Expose"

A stalwart of the local music scene, 26-year-old Gayathri Krishnan will be swapping Dubai for London at the end of March. The singer, whose quirky, multi-layered, alternative pop has earned her a solid following in the U.A.E., released her single “Champion of Broken Hearts” at the end of 2011. And, in a blow to the regional scene, Krishnan is headed for the U.K., where her artful, romantic sound and unique blending of folk and traditional Indian music has already earned her an appreciative following.

Born in Chennai, Krishnan moved to Dubai with her family when she was seven years old. The daughter of a music collector father and a classical music teacher mother, music was in her blood from an early age. “I’ve always dreamed of being on stage, of doing big concerts,” she says. “I would practice in front of my mirror. It’s strange but I don’t think I ever looked at it as something I wanted to be when I grew up, I always felt like I was [a singer]. I think it followed because I wanted it so much.” At school, Krishnan was most excited about extra-curricular pursuits such as choir and drama, finding passion for her studies only when it spoke to her artistic side. “When I came to high school, like 11th and 12th grade, I did really well because I focused on arts, instead of science or commerce. Literature was the main focus, and it was amazing. And I did supremely well. I wasn’t a very good student up until the point where I actually decided to be.”

In keeping with her family’s musical tradition, Krishnan’s brother went to Berkeley School of Music. Upon his return, he introduced his sister to a raft of artists she hadn’t heard before; everything from Bob Dylan to Fiona Apple and Alanis Morissette. “From then on I started listening to that whole troubadour, singer-songwriter-type sound,” she recalls. “I grew very fond of that kind of music.” Krishnan studied a BA in English Literature in India, and further indulged her romantic side with the writings of Keats and John Donne. “My mum had bought my first guitar for me as a birthday gift, so I remember writing a lot of music then. That’s when I started being more serious about it.” Live performances at that point were still limited to her bedroom – “I got rave reviews” – but when Krishnan returned to Dubai, it wasn’t long before her desire to share her music manifested itself. Taking a job as a journalist, she began to circulate among Dubai’s burgeoning creative community. And when a few open-mic shows started up, she decided to hit the stage. “It was a really creatively fertile time for me, because over a two-month period I wrote like 15 songs,” Krishnan says. “I was ready to show people. I had enough savings, so I decided that it was a good time to stop working, and take music more seriously.”

She wasn’t messing about. Krishnan self-funded a tour of London and Paris, impressing audiences with her distinctive sound, and promoters with her drive to get her music out there. “The point is to take music that people aren’t familiar with, and make it popular. That’s what I really want to do. It’s a lofty goal, but I truly believe that I can do it.” Following her tour, she returned to Dubai and recorded an EP of material, 2009’s Disengage, with producer Reiner Erlings – a man who has had a profound effect on Krishnan’s career. Despite an awkward early meeting where she mistakenly thought Erlings appeared bored – “I didn’t send him my stuff because I didn’t see why I should send it to somebody who didn’t give a shit” – the two reconnected, and their relationship has proved fundamental to Krishnan’s sound. “I feel now like it’s one of those magic things when two people connect. He reads me really well, he completes my sentences musically.” Perhaps the best example of their compatibility, aside from the bewitching “Champion of Broken Hearts,” is the pair’s recent project, Movement. An orchestral take on Krishnan’s material, complete with home-made instruments, the project was slated to be performed with the U.A.E. Philharmonic Orchestra, before a lack of support from financiers and governmental bodies left the project in limbo.

But Krishnan is not the kind of person to be so easily deterred. “Although it was crap on toast, I still felt like I accomplished so much through that. I, along with Reiner, scored with an entire orchestra. I have a catalogue of 19 songs that can be played by an orchestra anywhere in the world. I brought together 100 people and co-ordinated all of that. I’ve grown tenfold because of this project.” It’s that perseverance that makes Krishnan’s enthusiasm about moving to the U.K. so infectious. While the prospect of an independent artist moving to one of the world’s most established (not to mention impenetrable) music industries would be daunting to most, she’s already confident about making it happen. “I’ve been in touch with a few people who are interested in representing me, and there’s also perhaps talks of getting signed. Although I don’t - RollingStone ME


"RollingStone ME Review"

Gayathri
"Champion of Broken Hearts"

Dubai-based singer Gayathri’s honeyed voice is heralded by ominous celesta chimes and anchors the off-kilter orchestral textures that duck and dive through this beautifully crafted tale of love and loss. “Champion of Broken Hearts” has the blurred clarity of St. Vincent but with a soul heart. - RollingStone ME


"RollingStone ME Review"

Gayathri
"Champion of Broken Hearts"

Dubai-based singer Gayathri’s honeyed voice is heralded by ominous celesta chimes and anchors the off-kilter orchestral textures that duck and dive through this beautifully crafted tale of love and loss. “Champion of Broken Hearts” has the blurred clarity of St. Vincent but with a soul heart. - RollingStone ME


Discography

The Unknown (CD & Vinyl) - March 2013 - First Full-length Album - Crowdfunded on indiegogo.com - raising over $23,000 in ten days.

Champion of Broken Hearts - Single Release + Music Video - 2011 - Radio Airplay in the Middle East. Music Video aired on VH1 & MTV India.

Disengage - 5 Track EP - 2009

Photos

Bio

It all started in the south of India, where I was born. Music was the nanny in my home, the language most spoken within my family and quickly became my hidden place and playground.

A family made up of people who fit the Oscar Wilde description of the some of us that are "looking at the stars" we uprooted our lives in the pursuit of the Middle Eastern dream in 1992. There started the Dubai chapter where I grew up, was bought my first guitar, wrote my first set of songs, played my first gigs and realized that music was my purpose.

With a meticulous audiophile for a dad whose dizzying collection of Indian classical music concerts got under my skin at a very young age, my own music finds its roots in my roots. Combining that with my own finds, feeding my ears with everything from Joni Mitchell, Bjork, Jeff Buckley, Ella Fitzgerald, Nick Cave to the newer crop of songwriters like Feist, Radiohead & Regina Spektor, my music has become an emblem of all that inspires me.

The thing that fuels everything for me is that I'm an independent at heart. My most recent triumph to that end was getting my first album successfully crowdfunded, raising over $23,000 in ten days.
With my first album that released online globally on 1st of March, 2013, two EPs and two self-powered European tours under my belt, I have steadily built the momentum that drives me as a musician, an artist and a person.
I was titled the highest reviewed and rated unsigned artist to date by RollingStone ME, who, in a recent expose described my music, as "artful and romantic" and dubbed me "A stalwart of the local (Middle East) scene".

Currently in rehearsals and prep mode for the launch of my debut album with concerts planned in London, Dubai & India,
in the month of May followed by a summer tour in the US.