Harini Raghavan, better known as Rini, is a brilliant vocalist, composer and violinist born in Chennai (India) and currently based in New York City. Harini and her band perform a fantastic mix of Carnatic music, progressive jazz-rock and electronica.
Rini has recorded and performed with acclaimed Grammy winning composer A.R. Rahman, Bill Whelan and Israeli singer-songwriter Idan Raichel. Her band includes Rini on vocals and violin; Aleif Hamdan on guitar; Achal Murthy on bass; Yogev Gabayon drums; and Íñigo Galdeano Lasheras on saxophone and electronic woodwind instrument.
Rini’s discography includes Kural EP (2016); Alone in the Blue EP (2016); Maya (2017); and Blue Carpet Sessions Vol. I (2020).
Harini talked to World Music Central about her career and latest recording.
What are your fondest musical memories?
My grandma teaching me the basics of Carnatic music when I was 4 years old. My brother was already learning and I used to sit next to him during his private lessons so she made sure I had my basics down before starting my private lessons officially. She was an amazing musician who never got to perform outside much because women of her generation did not have many opportunities. In a way she made sure my brother and I were taught music so she could live her dreams through us.
What do you consider to be the essential elements of your music?
At the core, my music has a carnatic (or sometimes Hindustani) influenced melody and most of them are raga (mode) based. I work off the raga scale to create modal harmony and interesting electronic synth motifs. Some of my compositions have sections where I deviate from the raga to show a different color or change the tonal center to show a different raga.
You studied music in India and also in the United States at Berklee. What was the experience like and did you find any major differences in the way music is taught?
I studied different kinds of music in India and at Berklee so definitely it was very different. In India, it was mostly Indian classical where you learn by ear and don’t have music notated much (except for the early exercises you learn). Indian classical is monophonic so it was only about melody and different ways we could play with melody and rhythm to improvise. I was exposed to Western chords and arrangement through Western Pop and Indian Bollywood music that takes elements from Western music. Though I did learn a little bit of Western classical violin in India, most of my western music education was at Berklee.
How did your musical ideas evolve over the years from your first album to your most recent recording, Blue Carpet Sessions Vol. I?
Meeting various musicians and collaborating with them definitely influenced the musical ideas for my albums over time. I also moved away from lyrics to have more of the music conveying the feeling than words – as a personal choice and also because my audience is diverse and I didn’t want language to get in the way. My song forms have become more fluid and I experiment with a lot of different instruments now as well.
How did you meet the musicians on Blue Carpet Sessions Vol. I?
Most of them went to Berklee with me – some of them went after me and I connected with them via other Berklee friends. The community of Berklee alumni is pretty tight in New York City and also easy to work with cause we have a common musical language of communication via lead sheets and other tools that Berklee helped us learn.
Did you work in person with the musicians or was it remotely via the Internet?
Most of the music was recorded pre-pandemic so it was all in-person. This album was actually a product of 2 years of my series ‘ Blue Carpet Sessions’ – it started out as a casual jam of my band and me in my living room. We got a very good response for our videos and I started experimenting with each song, blending different elements with Indian classical and using different instruments.
What came first, your vocals or the violin?
Both actually cause my grandma taught me the basics of both when I was 4. However I focused on voice after a while for Indian classical and learned Western classical a bit on the violin.
What type of violins do you play today?
Acoustic 4 string and Ned Steinberger Electric 5 string violin
Why did you choose those specific violins? Is there a favorite?
I love the electric violin to play with my band cause I can have different timbres with my pedal and can also cut through with all the other electric instruments. Also, the amplification helps with bringing out the really subtle Indian ornamentations I play. However, I prefer my acoustic violin for the studio recordings (most of them) for the natural tone and timbre.
Do you play Indian bowed instruments like the sarangi or dilruba?
No. Would have loved to learn them though!
Who makes the violins you play?
The acoustic violin was a Chinese violin I bought in India. The electric violin is made by Ned Steinberger(NS Design) NXT violin and is a 5 string ( with one extra lower C).
You also use electronics. What devices do you use and what role do they play?
I use AKAI’s APC mini controller with Ableton Software on my laptop to trigger electronic loops (these timbres act as a bed for us to play over) – the electronic sounds also help amplify the dynamics of the song or set the mood in different parts.
How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected you in terms of work and livelihood? What are you doing these days while there are frequent lockdowns and restrictions?
I am doing a lot of remote collaborations – both for my own project and for other bands. I recorded for artists and bands like JSWISS (New York City based hip hop artist), Volper (New York City based band), Pattern Seeking Animals ( Los Angeles based rock band) and Polyhedron (Bay Area based artist). I released a couple of Blue Carpet videos and recorded a remote set for Los Angeles performing arts center Skirball (when restrictions were a little easier).
I have upcoming work as a composer on an Indian Netflix show (alongside another New York City based composer). COVID-19 has really taken away all our live gigs and we miss performing and touring a lot. I am trying to focus on writing and collaborating with artists I have always wanted to work with but never had the time to.
Currently, I am working on a song with a popular Indian singer-songwriter based out of my hometown Chennai. I also perform some virtual gigs. I am performing soon for Desifest, a South Asian music promoting organization based in Canada.
In what ways are you promoting your music?
I use social media a lot, specifically Instagram right now cause its a great way for people to discover your music. From there, I try to get them to subscribe to my YouTube or Spotify or some other medium where its a better way to consume my music and get updates for new releases.
If you could invite additional musicians or bands to collaborate with, who would it be?
I would love to collaborate with artists like Nitin Sawhney, Karsh Kale or some amazing artists like Imogen Heap (she is a big inspiration). I was fortunate to record for Idan Raichel and perform with him once, I would love to work more with him.
Do you give classes or workshops?
Yes. I do workshops on and off, I have been teaching quite a few students over the past few years.
What advice would you give to beginners, especially young women, who are anxious and want to make music outside of pop and trendy mainstream music?
I would tell them to be true to their music and identity. Find the right avenues to perform/promote that kind of music;- possibly finding similar artists and having bills together or collaborating. Building a network of like minded musicians can help a lot and we all learn from each other seeing what others are doing, even in these times of the pandemic.
In addition to the release of Blue Carpet Sessions Vol. I, do you have any other projects to share with us?
I am currently writing music along with another Indian American singer-songwriter Rianjali, for a musical that tells an Indian immigrant story. Its a very special project for us cause we are creating a new sound blending my style with hers and tailoring it to the story. It’s called ‘Bollywood Kitchen’ and its in the initial stages right now. Apart from that, I am very excited to work on my Netflix project that will be starting very soon.
More about Rini.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.