Premiere: Indo-American Artist Aditya Rao Finds Serenity on ‘SND’

A known name in South Indian film music circles who’s worked with the likes of A.R. Rahman, Austin, Texas-based singer-songwriter and producer Aditya Rao is marking a new level with his shapeshifting electronic-fusion single “SND.” Pronounced “sound” but also referring to the sung notes “sa ni dha” in the song, the track sees Rao collaborating with Brit-Indian multi-instrumentalist Shri, among others.

Rao, who began releasing music as early as 2011 with covers and mashups, wrote “SND” right around at the start of his music career. He says in a statement, “’SND’ has gone through multiple iterations dating as far back as 2011, when I met the featured artist and songwriter, Shri Sriram.” While Shri is mostly based out of the U.K. and Rao is from Austin, the duo met in Mumbai and quickly turned their hotel room into a makeshift recording area. “[We] immediately hit it off with multiple ideas that fused genres together to truly create a sound that bends the norms and colors outside of the margins,” Rao adds.

This was just one chapter of the long road to finishing the airy, synth-informed fusion song. Rao adds, “’SND’ has been recorded, produced, and developed in so many different locations and studios. I’ve recorded inside closets, at hotel rooms, in echoey bedrooms, and in my home studio. I’ve produced mid-flight, in-between meals, and in-between moving from Los Angeles to Austin. And I think this unconventional way of getting things together all came together in the most beautiful manner.”

“SND” follows a ton of material Rao has been releasing this year alone, including his EP Broken Suitcase and singles like “My Oh My.” Outside of his own material, Rao joined the music team of multilingual Indian film Rocketry: The Nambi Effect, directed by actor R. Madhavan. Rao serves as the lead vocalist and vocal arranger for nine songs on the soundtrack to the biopic, which will release on July 1st.

Watch the lyric video for “SND” below.