Raju Ivaturi

I am a 16 year old singer songwriter living in Southern California. From a young age, I was involved in music and began learning Indian Classical Music at the age of 9. As I grew up, I realized how much I loved Indian Classical Music. My esteemed teacher, Sri Daruri Seshachary, saw potential in me, and trained me at a rigorous, professional level to make me the very best I could be. At the age of 14, I gave a solo debut performance in front of a crowd of 500 people called the Arangetram. It was 2-hours long and marked my official movement in to a senior level in the Indian Classical world. This upbringing of mine in the realm of music opened up so many paths for me.

I had been listening to western music even before I started singing, and I realized that I loved singing Western music just as much as Indian music. My younger sister had always been a great singer in Western music and she was making an album after my performance. I provided Indian classical notes on one of her songs and have received nothing but positive reviews on my contribution. From there on, I realized that I was just as much an American singer as an Indian vocalist. I began writing lyrics and making an album of my own. It was really fun to just zone out and make music that was meaningful to me, and it was a great way to escape school and the demanding sports activities that I had been involved in all throughout my musical endeavors.

My life has been a journey filled with many difficulties along the path. However, these difficult things that I face are happen to be the activities I love. I hope my personality is reflected in the music I create, and hopefully I impact at least one person's life in a positive way.