Senior Krithi Krishna, known as “kr!thi” on streaming platforms, has started an album project with their initial single release of “eve”. A dreamy lo-fi R&B bop, “eve” details a heartbreak over a relationship coming to an end. Instrumentally, “eve” utilizes elements of classical Indian music such as tabla drums, sitars, and Carnatic inspired runs within the vocals as an homage to the artist’s roots.
“I thought about ‘eve’ as detailing the night before something big,” said Krishna, “and the song is about wanting to keep a relationship going but knowing it will harm both of you in the process.”
The Environmental Health major recently participated in Art NY, where they put a recording of “eve” on display at Frontispace during the program’s Spring 2022 cohort showcase.
“When COVID hit, I realized I wasn’t as interested in STEM and started to make and produce music, but it wasn’t until this summer that I decided that I wanted to pursue music for myself,” Krishna said. “However, I definitely use elements of my studies in my art — I think Art NY really helped me hone in on my interests, and for the first time in my life, I was just really excited to study what I wanted to study.”
When asked about their inspirations and supporters, Krishna praised the support of the University in their musical endeavors, both through academic programs such as the joint program providing Eastman lessons to River Campus students, as well as fellow student musicians on campus.
“When you surround yourself with people who already do it and are already in their element, it’s the extra push you need to motivate yourself,” Krishna noted about fellow musician and UR alum Boistory.
In addition, they mentioned a love for A.R. Rahman’s “Jai Ho” and its combination of Western pop and Indian classical influences, which helped spur the influx of Indian musicians and their culture into the American zeitgeist.
“He was one of the first Indian artists that was also a producer and a composer that I saw, and he’s from Tamil [Nadu], which is where I’m from,” said Krishna. “[…] I remember listening to ‘Jai Ho’ as a child and being so shocked that there was singing in Hindi, and I look to him now when I think about being experimental with my music while still holding on to my culture.”
In the near future, kr!thi plans to release an EP at the beginning of 2023, as well as animator created visualizers for some of their tracks.
