Premiere: Singer-Songwriter Sruthi Vj’s Shimmering Video for Debut Song ‘Jee Bharke’

Pondering the bigger picture when it comes to purpose and clarity, San Francisco-based singer-songwriter Sruthi Vijayachandran aka Sruthi Vj crafts an airy bilingual pop song in Hindi and English with her debut “Jee Bharke.” Now, the artist has turned director as well for the music video, which we’re premiering below.

The artist writes about societal expectations and being “pulled in various directions in our daily life” in a statement about “Jee Bharke.” She adds, “Our lives are so immersed in running from one goal to the next that we often forget to pause and think about where we are headed. Our fear – that pursuing what we love won’t result in a better, more productive life – often pulls us back from taking that plunge. And yet, it may take us just one moment of clarity – a simple, delicious meal, an afternoon spent painting, a clear blue sky – to realize that what brings us joy is what makes life worthwhile.”

The song builds upon Sruthi’s lifelong training in Indian classical as well as English music, studying under multiple gurus in India and parallelly singing in choirs and a cappella productions. She’s released mashups and covers before “Jee Bharke,” and has been mentored by Bengaluru-based producer Richard Andrew.

Carrying forward their association into creating an original song, Sruthi worked with Andrew to produce, mix and master the debut single, while bassist-producer Yogesh Pradhan (from heavy metal/hard rock band Girish and The Chronicles) helmed live arrangements, and programming and composition. There was additional programming by Jaime Dudley and the track itself was written and composed by Sruthi.

Through the course of the song and the music video too, Sruthi finds purpose as she vouches for prioritizing one’s happiness. Sruthi’s statement mentions that “Jee Bharke” is “partially inspired” by her own “journey back to music.” She adds, “[It’s about] how I realized [music’s] true importance in my life and how setting out to fulfill that purpose has brought the happiness I had been searching for.”

Watch the video for “Jee Bharke” below.