Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarathi Garimella.
Sarathi, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I grew up singing Indian Classical music for eight years. With much influence from my mother, who is also a musician, I continued to study music throughout middle school and high school. At this point I didn’t realize that I would end up trying to balance what I loved doing and doing well at school. As I grew older, I really had a hard time committing to classes and that really showed in my grades, to a point that I barely graduated high school. The last two years of high school was when I really questioned what I wanted to do with my life. Do I study something I have absolutely no passion for or do I take a risk in something I rather be doing for the rest of my life even if it means that it won’t be stable? Many of my peers were getting into Ivy League schools with scholarships and I was stuck trying to make one of the biggest decisions of my life.
In May of 2014, I got the opportunity to go to college in Boston, and that was the first time I knew what it felt to be free. Being surrounded by so many talented people was surreal and helped me realize that I have all the control in the world. There’s a certain point in everyone’s lives when you get the chance to experience something that you never thought you would experience. That’s what I live my life by. If I don’t feel uncomfortable doing something, then there’s something wrong.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I create music, mainly in the genre of Indie Soul. There’s a lot of jazz, r&b, and soul influence in the music that I make. Usually, I start out with writing a song and laying out the basic structure that I’d want to go with. Then I take the song to my computer and produce a beat, harmonies, and instrumental parts. After this process, I will take the track and bring it to my band and they will help me execute the energy and vibe of the song that I want to convey.
The process is very fluid and may take from days to years to get a solid version of a piece of music. I really enjoy the experience of hearing my song grow into something that was completely different from where it started. I guess that’s what really fuels me to make music. Time is relative and art is relative to time. We probably see Andy Warhol’s “Red Disaster” completely differently in 2019 than when it was first created in the 60s. It is the integrity of our humanity and that’s what I want people to notice.
What do you think it takes to be successful as an artist?
I feel like there are many ways you can see success. If I can live everyday of my life creating music and connecting with like-minded artists around the world, then that would mean success to me. Being open-minded, hard-working, and goal oriented are characteristics essential to success as an artist. I deal with the fear of not being good enough all the time, but I have dedicated my life to doing something that I love doing, so I have no reasons to back out.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
I have two singles out on Spotify, a few videos on Youtube, and a few tracks out on SoundCloud. I have a Website, Instagram, and Facebook page. Currently, I am going through a bit of a reconstruction with my social media, but there will be more music out this year. I really love hearing back from people who have listened to my music and I try to engage as much as possible with my followers on Instagram. @_sarathi_
Contact Info:
- Website: thesarathimusic.com
- Email: thesarathimusic@gmail.com
- Instagram: @_sarathi_
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarathimusic/
- Other: https://soundcloud.com/sarathimusic
Image Credit:
Lifestyle pictures by Holy Smokes Photography, Perfomance Picture taken at Berklee Performance Center
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