A homecoming for Hyderabadi vocalist Keertana Bhoopal

Bengaluru band Ketonation’s weekend show in Secunderabad was a special homecoming of sorts for the vocalist Keertana Bhoopal.
The 21-year-old Hyderabadi, who goes by the stage name Keto, moved out of the city two years ago to lay a stronger foundation for her career in music. In the city with her band, which comprises of another vocalist, Cameroonian Kem Brian, drummer David Boon, bassist Shalini Mohan, keyboardist Jason Zachariah and guitarist Sylvester Pradeep, Keertana tells us that music has been her passion and companion since she can remember.
“Growing up here in Hyderabad, it was music all day, even when walking! So my family kind of knew that ultimately I would end up making music for the rest of my life,” says Keertana who studied in Nasr School and then went on to do her degree in music in Singapore at the Lasalle College of Fine Arts. But in between all the academic, there were music classes. She began training in piano, drums and ukulele at a very early age.
Having been exposed to a variety of music throughout her life, Keertana loves experimenting with all the different forms and genres too. “I started out with Carnatic music. That gave me a proper foundation. It taught me breath control, pitch, other tonalities and technicalities. Now I’m exploring Hindustani music, which explores emotions and different moods of life. In fact, it’s that drive to explore and experiment that brought Ketonation together. The band comprises of different musicians who bring their own influences to the table — creating a unique mixture of blues, neo soul and funk,” says Keertana who shifted base to Bengaluru two years ago and has since then released seven singles with Ketonation.
“Moving to Bengaluru was a decision based purely on music. I wanted to lay a foundation in the live music scene. I also was confident that I would find a lot of like-minded musicians there. I plan to move to Mumbai soon to be part of the vibrant music scene there. But home is where the heart is, and I definitely would love to come back to Hyderabad and play my music here more often.” And after witnessing her live during the weekend gig, that feeling is mutual.