We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Aradhika Raturi . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Aradhika below.

Aradhika , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

There have been numerous, unforgettable moments that confirmed to me that music is what I want to do, professionally- these are two of the most important.

As a child, I existed in a state of constant creativity- music was almost all I did. I became so used to living in deep intimacy with my music that I didn’t realize how much it meant to me until it was taken away- the result of an accident that left me with a sprained wrist for over a year. When I returned to my music (piano primarily, at the time) I realized, again, the extent to which music existed in me, and that I must find a way, even while recovering from my injury, to articulate and share it with the world.

Another memorable moment was in the studio, while recording vocals for my newly-released single, Let Me Feel Your Love. As I sung the chorus, I entered into a very altered state- one of such heightened emotions that I felt intoxicated, but with pure joy. When I heard the vocals played back, I began to cry, and it was the most beautiful, divine feeling I had experienced in years. I felt closer to God, and in that moment, I knew, without a doubt, that I was meant to do music- that I was meant to unravel my emotions, feel them deeply, and use them to create music that would allow others to feel deeply too, and bring them closer to themselves, to others, and to God.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Born to Cuban-Indian parents, I have had the privilege to experience two, beautifully different cultures. It has taken me years to learn how to embody both of my cultures, in a way that feels authentic, and now, at twenty-four, I feel the pieces coming together.

I studied both piano and sitar for over eighteen years, from the age of seven, with various masters including renowned sitar maestro Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan.

From childhood into my teenage years, I listened to Indian and Western Classical music, devotional music (Qawwali and Shabad Kirtan), movie scores (primarily Hans Zimmer), and a wide range of ghazals and Bollywood tracks- Mohammad Rafi, Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, and Jagjit Singh, to name a few. I also listened to flamenco (my mother studied flamenco for many years), salsa, and bachata. A few of my more modern musical influences are Shakira, Rosalía, Arijit Singh, and Katy Perry.

Music always felt, and continues to feel, intuitive. Creating music feels like the act of breathing- effortless and natural. Through every turbulent moment of my life, music has brought me home, every time.

My mission as a musical artist is to celebrate not only both of my cultures, but to celebrate life in an impactful and honest way. I want to inspire people to embrace who they are, compassionately, and without shame.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is being able to create meaningful experiences for other people.

My heart feels so full every time someone tells me how much my music impacted them, how it made them feel something beautiful. Every time someone tells me that my music brought them to tears, I feel blessed to have been able to give that person the opportunity to feel deeply.

With every song I write, my intention is to create an experience that articulates emotions we have all felt and continue to feel- love, romantic or spiritual, longing, heartbreak, and passion, so that the people who listen to my music feel understood and supported, as they go through those emotions.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Returning to the music world after my injury was one of the hardest and most humbling chapters of my life. I had to exercise extreme patience with my body, as I eased my way back into my daily practice on both piano and sitar.

There were so many nights I wept, inconsolably, because I could not play as well as I once did, particularly with sitar.
I listened to old recordings of myself playing, and my heart ached, because I remembered what it felt like to play, and to play well, and now I was barely able to play scales properly.

Out of all heartbreaks I’ve experienced, being separated from the sitar, for over a year, was the most painful. I had given everything I was to sitar, sacrificed so much, invested years of my life to an instrument I believed would always be in my life, would always be my life, until it wasn’t.

I could not understand why God had allowed this to happen.

But with time, I reconciled with my injury. I discovered my passion for singing, which has taken me to places I never could have imagined. And it is because of my injury, because of the existential crisis that followed, forcing me to re-make myself, that I have become the person I am today.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aradhika_eclectica/
• Youtube: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mmR0ciR6JB2nreGkpia0vZH9KwB1s7O-Y&si=uQLoMlHtXvmW8qaq

Image Credits
Photo Credits: Zoe Gomez