In a move bridging traditional South Indian music with global audiences, acclaimed Indian-American vocalist, musician and composer Sid Sriram has unveiled a joint venture with Warner Music India, marking a new chapter in his boundary-pushing career.
The partnership launches with the release of “Sivanar,” a devotional track dedicated to Hindu God Murugan that holds profound personal significance for Sriram. The song draws from a 14th century Tamil anthology called “Thiruppugazh,” written by saint poet Arunagirinathar.
“I think this is the first song I ever fell in love with singing,” Sriram tells Variety. “I’d heard my mother sing it before, and I asked to learn it. It was one of the first portals for me to learn what surrender felt like.”
The deeply personal connection extends beyond childhood memories. Sriram has performed “Sivanar” extensively throughout his career, including during his acclaimed Coachella set last year.
“Every night, singing that piece would feel like this beautiful exhale that we all got to have collectively,” he explains. “To me, this piece evokes a deep sense of longing while also covering you with a feeling of understanding and peace.”
The accompanying visual for “Sivanar,” directed by Parasher Baruah, was filmed at the Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia during Thaipusam, a Hindu festival that draws over a million devotees. “Being present there during the festival was such a profound experience,” Sriram says. “To see such deep devotion at such a scale was humbling, inspiring and magnetic.”
While the composition and poetry are traditional, Sriram’s recording brings together “pulsating synths, hard hitting drums, and chopped up samples of traditional Thavil recordings,” creating what he describes as “a true coming together of worlds.”
The joint venture with Warner Music India represents more than just a label deal for Sriram. “The joint venture will be a mechanism to take the incredibly vibrant and dynamic music of South India to the world,” he says. “Through this JV, I’ll do this passionately as both an artist and business person.”
Beyond releasing Sriram’s own music, the partnership aims to discover and develop new talent. Sriram envisions artists who will draw from their unique cultural roots to create innovative contemporary music. “The ethos of this joint venture will be one that allows and encourages artists to pull from whatever their unique roots are and envision those roots in ways that make for music that’s never been heard before.”
Following “Sivanar,” fans can expect more singles from Sriram throughout the year. He promises that future releases will span a diverse range of themes “from songs about love, to songs that affirm one’s identity, to more spiritually based pieces.”
Sriram is a genre-hopping vocalist who rose to stardom with his soul-stirring playback hits across Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam-language cinema industries. After breaking out with A.R. Rahman’s “Adiye” in “Kadal,” Sriram became the go-to voice for heartbreak and devotion, fusing Carnatic roots with R&B, lo-fi soul, and indie angst. With his genre-fluid English-language solo album “Sidharth” and packed global tours, the Bay Area-raised Berklee alum has proven he’s not just a playback phenomenon — he’s a boundary-blurring artist commanding both the streaming charts and the stage.
For Sriram, this new venture represents another avenue for creative exploration rather than a pivot away from his other work.
“I’ve never really felt the need to try and strike a balance,” he says of his multifaceted career. “My journey has been and will continue to be a free flowing immersion into these different spaces.”
