A Google search for the ten most popular things in the world is perhaps an unusual starting point for a band’s identity. But when Sumanth stumbled upon the word ‘Curry’ on such a list and shared it with his bandmates, Ria and Ashish, the decision was almost instantaneous. The name stuck.
Looking back Curry fits a band that mixes sounds, tastes and cultures just like the dish it is named after.
Curry is now building a reputation in India’s expanding live music world playing at high-profile weddings and celebrations across the world. One memorable show was a wedding in Monaco, where Curry played for an international crowd. But, behind the stages and glamorous celebrations lies a story that began much closer to home, in Mangaluru.
The three members, Ria, Sumanth and Ashish, share a connection that goes back to their college days in the coastal city. While Ria and Sumanth were classmates, Ashish was their senior.
However, their professional journeys took shape at different times. Sumanth moved to Mumbai in 2016 to study music production, while Ria and Ashish joined him later, having already been part of a band that performed across Mangaluru and other parts of India.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the three decided to come together professionally. The initial idea was to form a team that could compose music for advertisements. But the collaboration soon revealed possibilities that were much more than just commercial assignments.
“We liked how we felt as a team,” Sumanth recalls. What began as a creative partnership gradually turned into live performances and eventually the production of original music.
Over time, the band developed. They didn’t really have a specific moment that made them decide to go into music professionally. “We just really believed and felt that we wanted to do it. The wedding entertainment industry really opened up a lot of opportunities we didn’t expect.”
“Every year there are new revelations and realisations,” says Sumanth. “A few years into doing this, we realised that we want to do this for the long run.”
With weddings in India offering an enormous platform for live performers and the live entertainment market continuing to expand, the band believes it is an exciting time to be an independent artist.
But performing at weddings brings its set of demands. Unlike concerts, where the audience gathers to experience an artist’s music, weddings bring together people of different generations, languages and musical preferences. The challenge therefore is to find a sound that appeals to everyone.
Curry approaches its wedding setlists with a degree of spontaneity, often reading the room and responding to the audience’s energy. They include various songs across, including some familiar English and Bollywood retro numbers. One song they have always gotten the crowd dancing to is Made in India by Alisha Chinai.
Concerts, on the other hand, offer a different kind of freedom. As audiences specifically attend those to listen to their music. This gives the band a room to experiment with its sets and introduce original compositions. Concerts also allow them to build a community around their music, something the three say has been a dream since the beginning.
Balancing performances and original music is central to Currys journey. The visibility gained through high-profile performances has brought the band opportunities, including collaborations and projects, beyond the live entertainment circuit. It has also helped streamline the band’s operations and improve the scale of its productions.
However the band is aware that recognition from performances and covers should not overshadow its identity, as music creators. The band often adds its compositions to live sets hoping to leave audiences curious enough to explore more of its work.
There is no particular formula they follow when making music, Sumanth says. Instead, the emphasis remains on creating something that feels authentic to the three of them. As their individual interests in art, culture and aesthetics have evolved, so has the band’s sound. Interestingly, disagreements over its musical direction have been relatively rare.”We rarely have disagreements,” he explains.
“Our music has evolved over time, just as the three of us have evolved individually as people.”
Perhaps the clearest expression of this evolution is Suprabhatha, an EP that sees Curry turning its attention towards the musical and cultural landscape of Mangaluru.
While the three musicians were familiar with the traditions that they had grown up around working on the project offered them an opportunity to understand the traditions closely. Recording songs and filming videos at locations in Mangaluru brought them into conversations with local people, who shared the histories behind places and cultural practices.
The band learned more about the significance of structures such as Guthu Mane and art forms such as Yakshagana. What the band had once regarded as elements of the surroundings began revealing deeper cultural stories.
Interestingly, the EP came together rather quickly. Sumanth traces its beginnings to watching a few videos related to Mangaluru, which left him feeling inspired. Within three days, the songs had been written and produced. What followed was the process of refining the lyrics and shooting the accompanying videos.
For Curry, reinterpreting traditional music is not about recreating the past exactly as it was. Instead, the idea is to retain the emotion and essence of traditional compositions while introducing contemporary elements that feel natural to their sound.
“We wouldn’t want to keep the music very traditional because then we’d sound outdated, and honestly, that also isn’t our strength,” Sumanth says.
It is a balancing act that requires sensitivity towards the original material without restricting the music to a particular form. The band allows the music itself to determine how much to preserve and how much to change, ensuring that the traditional elements do not lose their original feeling in the process.
The journey has not been without its share of setbacks. The members acknowledge that certain collaborations and professional decisions did not work out as expected. Instead of letting those experiences weaken the partnership, the members believe that they have become stronger and the team is more united now.
Having gone through situations together the three say, they are now more able to spot problems and even support others who might end up in the same kind of situations.
Their show at a wedding in Monaco is one of their unforgettable moments. Even though the size of the party was definitely impressive, what the band remembers is the way they were welcomed.
The couple, with their friends and family made the musicians feel very welcome so the performance almost felt like playing for their own family. For a band used to adapting to audiences and settings this was a reminder that the most memorable performances are not always defined by the grandeur of the venue.
Looking ahead Currys biggest challenge is its ambition, to scale up while continuing to grow its online presence and to find time for original music amid an increasingly demanding performance schedule. The constant travelling that comes with the profession leaves the band juggling commitments but it is a challenge that Curry is eager to embrace.
There are already several projects in the pipeline, including new original compositions, collaborations and a few high-profile wedding performances.
As for what lies ahead, Curry wishes to lift its production power to a level that will surprise its current listeners. The band intends to keep moving without losing the features that have made its music unique.
Curry began when three college friends joined to create advertising music during the pandemic. They later performed at international celebrations and explored the cultural roots of their hometown. Curry’s path has always been about beginnings. Even though its name started from a Google search, the identity behind the name is slowly becoming its own.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: deccanchronicle.com
