Singer/writer Alluri Redd on his music and his name

If Shriram Alluri Reddy became Redd Alluri it wasn’t because he plays the guitar and sings English songs. Nor was it a conscious name change owing to his student life in London a few years back. The name change happened most surprisingly at the airport when the name got spelled as ‘Alluri Redd’ on his boarding pass. “Boarding passes can accommodate upto a few letters only. I wasn’t aware of that until I casually looked at my boarding pass and dashed off to the counter thinking I was carrying someone else’s boarding pass by mistake. I was then assured and made to understand the constraint,” laughs Alluri.

Alluri Redd who wasn’t too keen about flashing his surname, didn’t think it was necessary to go back to correcting the name and continues to be Redd.

In Hyderabad to play at NH7 Weekender, he is happy to be back in the city and play to a home crowd.

This London-based alt-rock singer/songwriter is an artiste caught between two cultures but he isn’t a confused a young man. “Growing up in India and completing my studies in Europe, I have been influenced by both eastern and western sensibilities. I have used this as the inspiration behind the Man Of Truth, the album which came out this year. I was introduced to western music by my elder brother. That’s because when I would watch MTV, my brother thought I was interested in western music whereas in reality I would give company to my sister while she enjoyed the songs,” he recollects.

Alluri apparently discovered rock via Ricky Gervais podcasts and his debut recorded in Brighton shows how adeptly he was absorbed.

But the music bug bit him quite accidentally. “My brother handed me a couple of albums out of which I heard Deep Purple’s ‘Smoke on the water’ and wanted to instantly play the guitar,” he says.

So, is Alluri trained in music? I was forced into classical music as a kid by my dad. I learnt the violin for a while and gave it up. Then I learnt the piano for a while and didn’t pursue that either. Same happened with my guitar lessons. I went for a few days and when I got a copy of the chord sheet I didn’t go back to my classes. But I didn’t give up playing the guitar. Soon I started writing my own tracks but didn’t think much about it,” says Alluri who feels his Bachelor’s degree in music technology was another reason for his interest in music.

He started writing songs since 2011 and is not deterred by the low response initially. “I am a confident singer/writer and I play the guitar so that it supports my singing,” says Alluri.

As for his favourites, he is a fan of Lou Reed, Morrissey, David Bowie, Talking Heads, Beatles, Radiohead, Elbow, Nick Cave and Joy Division. Alluri is also inspired by The Smiths and Nick Cave among others.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> Metroplus / Prabalika M. Borah / October 21st, 2016