Ambi and Bindu Subramaniam are not just siblings who have inherited a rich legacy of classical music, but are also creative partners in the fusion band SubraMania.
Born to violinist and composer L. Subramaniam and singer (late) Vijayshree, Ambi, 25, is a virtuoso musician, excelling in classical violin and piano. Ambi has created music alongside Larry Coryell, Ernie Watts, Corky Siegel, and Shankar Mahadevan. He has also performed with M. Balamuralikrishna and Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia.
His sister Bindu is a gifted vocalist who pens her own songs, and has been performing on the international stage since she was 12 years old. She has collaborated with stalwarts such as Al Jarreau, George Duke, Stanley Clarke, Billy Cobham, Larry Coryell, Ernie Watts, Corky Siegel, Matthew Santos, Pandit Jasraj, Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna, Pankaj Udhas, Hariharan, and Remo Fernandes.
In a telephonic interview with The Hindu ahead of their concert that opened the Festember celebrations at National Institute of Technology, Tiruchi, recently, Ambi Subramaniam said, “Although we are related, we are doing different things. Bindu is a singer-songwriter, and she writes lyrics in English. And I, of course, have a Carnatic background. Though we work together, our perspectives differ.”
Their collaborative effort, SubraMania, was launched in 2013, and quickly went on to earn kudos for its experimental sound that fuses Indian classical with elements of rock, pop and jazz.
They are supported by Alwyn Fernandes on guitar, Frijo Francis (keyboard), Karthik Mani (drums/percussion) and Rzhude David on bass.
SubraMania’s first release, ‘Days in the Sun,’ went viral on Facebook with over 2 lakh views.
The duo premiered its second release, ‘Flamenco,’ at the Festember concert this week.
But being star kids is not a cakewalk to industry acceptance, said Bindu.
“It’s always been difficult because the expectations are so high. There’s always going to be this sort of public perception that you are from a certain family and people expect things of you. We have worked hard to accept gratefully what our parents have given us, but also tried to create a new identity, based on what we feel in terms of what music speaks to us, through SubraMania,” she said.
Talking about Dr. L. Subramaniam as a father and a teacher, Ambi said, “As a Dad, he’s very chilled out, and supportive. As a teacher, you can tell right away when he plays that he is a perfectionist, so he won’t let even one detail go. That has really helped me to improve. At the end of the show, you might think you have made five mistakes, then once you go home, he’ll show you a hundred things that I have to work on,” he laughed. “But that kind of guidance at home is a real blessing.”
Both Ambi and Bindu Subramaniam are part of the Bangalore-based SaPa, the Subramaniam Academy of Performing Arts founded by their father that works to teach music in schools in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
At least 10,000 children have benefited from the project’s classes.
“I think the most important thing is to realise that at the end of the day we are all just servants of the music. It’s important to stay grounded and respectful that we are allowed to be part of this,” said Bindu Subramaniam.
