Music is not always the reflect of the land where we are born. Susheela Raman is an example of this fact, and a proof of how sound can be multicultural depending on the multiple influences that a musician receives during his life.
The music of Susheela Raman shows all of her cultural background, as a Tamil descendant who was born in England: the sounds of pop music, mixed with the Carnatic music, a kind of Tamil music that emphasizes the singing with the melodic accompaniment of violin and the rythm of mridamgham.
Susheela, who grew up in England and Australia, listening to classical music from the South of India, came back to the her parents' country in 1995 and lived there for two years. There she improved her vocal style, which had a lot of Western influences because of her participation in a rock and a funk band when she was young.
Her sound, which adapts some of the Tamil elements to jazz and pop has a really sensual and delicate texture, with some references to the environment where she grew up. She said in this regard:
(...) my music is more shaped by growing up in Australia, going to the beach, the vibrations of the ocean... the spatial dimensions are different (of other indian musicians) and that means my music is different."
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