Her silken voice has not only won her several fans, but also a Grammy nomination, which she is “really proud of.” Her intention behind coming into the music industry was not to win awards or grab the biggest musical deals, but to simply sing and create great music. And that’s what Shilpa Rao strives to do even now. She feels that 2020 and the Coronavirus pandemic has only made her belief stronger-that you need only those many “bucks in your pocket” and even fewer things at home to lead a happy life. In a chat with us, Shilpa opened up about her recent wedding, her Grammy nomination and more. Excerpts:

When I came into the music industry, my only aim was to create good music. I never thought that I would become a popular singer someday or people would know me. I wanted to sing and create good songs and that is what I believe in doing even now. That’s how the Grammy nomination has come our way. We never set out to make an award-winning album, we just wanted to collaborate and make music that we believed in. And it has yielded results. When I came to know about the nomination, I first went online to confirm whether the news was true and after that, I celebrated it.

The legends of Indian classical music and other genres like ghazals dedicated their entire lives to reach that pinnacle. It requires a lifetime of riyaaz and undiluted dedication. Our current musical scenario in India doesn’t encourage that kind of musical upbringing. The music industry that creates stars and money has little space or patience to promote that kind of talent, and the classical genres don’t give you fame and money. So, it’s hardly surprising that there are few takers for that kind of music.

There is an entire industry that only thrives on creating music for quick consumption and that’s where the money is, but I can’t be a part of it. My friends tell me that I haven’t made the kind of money that I should have after being in this industry for so long. But I am happy this way. And 2020 has made that belief even stronger-that you don’t need that kind of money and ‘things’ to be happy. After surviving the pandemic, I can say that I have enough money to say ‘no’ to money.

Ritesh Krishnan and I were friends for a long time before we got married, so there is nothing that we didn’t know about each other. We were clear that we wouldn’t want to change anything after we tie the knot. Things have remained the same till now and I hope it stays that way in the future too.