Q. Making a band is a dream, but carving your own identity is the real deal. How long did it take for Staccato to carve that identity?
A. I think we had a clear vision right from the beginning of what we wanted to achieve, but the path wasn’t quite what we expected. We went with the flow, yet we never lost sight of our vision. I believe we are still on the journey toward what we set out to do, and the experience so far has been great — rewarding and enriching.
Q. A bands energy is core to its appeal… something that Staccato is known for. what is the fount of your effervescence as a band?
A. I think at heart, we’re still like a group of college friends jamming together, bunking classes. That spirit hasn’t changed. We genuinely look forward to playing together, traveling together, and growing together — both as musicians and as people. That sense of friendship and shared passion is what keeps our energy alive.
Q. How much does a social cause mean to you as musicians? Is there any particular cause you have addressed through your music?
A. As responsible citizens, we believe it’s important to have a sense of social conscience. While we don’t focus on a single issue in our music, one theme that does come up often is farming — the lives of farmers and the importance of staying connected to one’s roots in an ever-changing world. Beyond our songs, we also spend time performing at juvenile centers, old age homes, and schools for children with special needs. These experiences keep us grounded and remind us of the deeper purpose of what we do.
Q. What is the weightage you give to improvisation in your music, especially during a live performance?
A. We have different setlists for different kinds of performances. In a commercial Bollywood set, the scope for improvisation is usually around 20%, as the focus is more on familiarity and crowd expectations. But when we perform our contemporary classical pieces, there’s much more room for creative freedom — the improvisation becomes more fluid and organic. Ultimately, the mood of the show and the way the audience responds play a big role in how much we choose to improvise on stage.
Q. Unlike most other bands that have fixed vocalists, does your band often keep introducing new voices? What led to this unconventional style of working?
A. Gowtham Bharadwaj and Niranjana Ramanan are our lead vocalists, but we’ve had the privilege of collaborating with some incredible singers like Nikhita Gandhi, Abhay Jodhpurkar, G.V. Prakash, Vandana Srinivasan, Ashwath Narayanan, and many others. Collaborations are important to us — they allow us to explore new ideas, styles, and genres. In fact, for our next album, we’re actively looking to collaborate with folk artists from across India. It’s a direction we’re really excited about.
Q. You had once brewed a multilingual concert and rearranged them with a choir? How did it all begin and how was it received
A. It was during the peak of the COVID lockdown, when we were all at home with time to reflect, that the idea of a larger act began to take shape. Initially, we planned to create original music with a large ensemble. But we felt a strong urge to explore how a band and choir could come together to reinterpret the music we grew up with — songs that carried a deep sense of nostalgia for us. That’s how the concept for our first Freshly Brewed by Staccato series was born. We put together a large-scale production, and we were grateful to see it received warmly by audiences, both online and offline.
Q. Tell us about your song Mathey, the celebration of womanhood?
A. Maathey’ is a very special song for us, as we grew up listening to various renditions of it by the legends of Carnatic music. The idea to reimagine it came from Niranjana, who also suggested collaborating with the incredible dancer Sudharma Vaithyanathan. Our goal was to bring a completely different flavour to the song without ever taking away its soul.
We envisioned it as an audio-visual experience, and we were fortunate to collaborate with Picturemakers on the video — a partnership that continues to this day. If we may say so, this was among the first few videos to aesthetically feature both a singer and a classical dancer, reimagined in a way that many hadn’t thought possible for a Carnatic piece. We believe this song and its visual interpretation helped spark a wave of similar artistic collaborations — blending tradition with fresh creative expression.
Q. What is your preferred mode of performance ..a studio recording or a gig and why?
A. Live performances give us an incredible high — the energy, the adrenaline, the sheer rush of it all. Our hormones are firing, our spirits are lifted, and the love we receive from the audience is truly unmatched. It’s an experience like no other. The mistakes that happen on stage, or the moments when the magic just clicks — they’re impossible to explain. That spontaneity is what makes every show unique and unforgettable.But the studio experience is a different kind of joy — it’s a space where we can dive deep into our thoughts, experiment with different musical expressions for a single idea, and continuously improvise on the structures. It’s a place that leaves us feeling satisfied and fulfilled, like a farm-to-fresh meal, crafted with care and depth.
Q. You are known for mixing genres Carnatic, film music and other new sounds. What is the sound and the overall impact you are aiming for?
A. We’re always drawn to a sound that excites us, as long as its soul remains untouched.
Q. You have many tribute videos of Sridevi, K.Balachander. Tell us your thoughts behind these shows. Do you plan to continue this in the coming years?
A. We grew up listening to the music from KB sir’s films. From his collaborations with legends like M.S. Viswanathan, V. Kumar, Ilaiyaraaja, M.M. Keeravani, to A.R. Rahman — he had the unique ability to bring out different sides of every composer he worked with. His songs were a huge part of our formative years, exposing us to a wide spectrum of genres and moods. It felt only right to pay homage to the man who shaped so much of our musical sensibilities, so we recorded something special for him. That tribute video resonated deeply and ended up being our first big hit on YouTube. A friend of ours approached us to pay homage to our diva, Sridevi. We couldn’t say no — we had all grown up watching her light up the screen with her brilliance. After that, we were approached by many to do similar tribute videos, but we politely declined. Much later, we did create something special for Mr. S.P. Balasubrahmanyam. But I wouldn’t call it a tribute — because we celebrate the man in each and every concert of ours.
Q. How do you see the future of Band music and Staccato in the coming years? What is the potential growth you envisage?
A. From competing in college cultural festivals to representing our country at the London Olympics, it’s been an incredible ride. We’ve gone on to produce music for major campaigns — from IPL and Manchester City to web series on Amazon — and have performed for some of the biggest corporates and grand weddings across the globe. Let’s see what’s in store next!