Kolkata Rap-Rock Act Underground Authority’s EPR Iyer Announces Exit from Band

Just two weeks after Kolkata rap-rock band Underground Authority marked 13 years in action, vocalist EPR aka Santhanam Srinivasan Iyer has announced his departure, citing his future plans as a solo artist. He will perform his last show with the band on May 13th, according to his announcement on social media. A statement from Underground Authority on the lineup change is still awaited.

EPR, the firebrand multilingual rapper and singer who has steadily built his own following and was recently a judge on hip-hop reality show MTV Hustle 2.0, signaling a growing solo career outside of being the commanding, energetic frontman of Underground Authority. In 2020, he released his solo album Protest Poetry. The rapper took to social media and spoke about his 13-year journey with bandmates Adil Rashid, Sourish Kumar and Soumyadeep Bhattacharya.

He counted it as a memorable journey and added that managing the band with his solo projects was becoming difficult. Iyer said, “Lately it has been quite arduous for me to give time and be involved with two actively operating, distinctly different musical outfits professionally at the same time and the fact, that my future plans in music align separately, for which I will be hereby bidding farewell and taking my leave from my duties of being the frontman of UA.”

He added in his statement, “I would hope that all the listeners and well-wishers of UA, would continue supporting the band as you have done in the past for all these years and would like to extend my warmest regards and heartfelt wishes, to UA’s upcoming endeavors.” While the announcement was made today, it doesn’t exactly take immediate effect. EPR will continue to front Underground Authority at “prior booked gigs” until May 13th “for one last stretch of time as I have done with the band for all these years, before the aforesaid transition.” The rapper added, “Let’s have a blast in each one of those gigs & make a truckload of memories!”

A new vocalist or an update from Underground Authority is expected, but the band did recently take to social media to celebrate 13 years in existence. In a post dated April 3rd, the band said, “There is more to look forward to and more to cherish, more to remember and more to forget, we have appreciated and loved every moment in these 13 years. Your love and support have always seen us through the best of times and the worst of times. We promise more music and a whole bunch of surprises coming your way in the coming months. We hope you are ready cause we sure are!”