A soul-searching Sunday morning with rain aplenty. This week I chatted with Deepka Ratra, a dear friend and wonderful artist - as we recently worked together recording a song by Peter Macnamara for the upcoming album release of Sideband, in a cool trio with marimba (Brad Gill) , voice (Deepka) and alto flute (myself!).
If you're a fan of Chai tea, or want to know more about the intersection between music and acting, or simply curious about the lives of singers at the Sydney Con, read on...
Describe your work.
I’m an Australian born Indian living in Sydney, and I work as a singer. I began studying classical singing around the age of 14, and went on to study art song and opera at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. After finishing my degree, I branched out into other genres, and now work on a range of projects such as live concerts, opera workshops and TVC recordings.
Rant for a bit about your style, and describe the sound worlds you love to create.
My style has always been rather flexible. At about age 5, my world was based around that of Bollywood films, so naturally, I danced around the house copying the voices of Lata Mangeshkar and Alka Yagnik. Once I got to high school, I started strumming a guitar and singing sad pop songs (I’ve always had an affinity for sad, emotional, over-the-top sort of music). I joined the choir where I started to learn what choral music was all about. At age 14, I got a new singing teacher, who was incredibly influential and helped pave the way to where I am now. I started learning classical technique, which was then later consolidated at university. I stuck to a classical style for about 6 years, which in turn improved my ability to sing in other styles, which is what I do today. Throughout all these years, however, my passion for dancing and singing Bollywood songs never left. I’ve even started working on improving my Indian singing style.
What’s in a typical day?
I have a few different projects going on in my working world, so the day is generally split between making as many connections as possible in the singing world, applying for as many projects as I can in regards to acting and singing, and running and promoting my small chai business. My days are never consistent, as contract jobs come and go, so the amount of time I spend practising or working on projects depends on these jobs. Honestly, this changeability is exactly how I want my life to be right now!
Where could I find you practising/rehearsing and do you have a particular routine?
It depends on how nice I want to be to the neighbours! I try my best to practise at the Conservatorium as this never bothers anybody, but if it is simply not practical to head into the city, I end up practising in my tiny studio apartment at home. I shut all the windows, even cover the gap under my door, and sing as loud as I want! This will most likely happen when I might be called in last minute for a project, or if I’m warming up for something. I don’t have a very consistent routine. I used to when I was at university, but these days I find that I don’t necessarily need it. At first, I was worried that this would deteriorate the quality of my art, but to be honest, it seems as though my instrument has actually improved. Perhaps it is the lack of perfection, or the lack of pressure of a routine; the freedom allows me to explore naturally, which in turn helps me discover things I might not have before!