Last Friday, West Kensington held the busy crowd of Carnatic music enthusiasts at The Bhavan Indian Arts Academy. Why? Well of course, we were waiting for the child prodigy singer, Sooryagayathri, 17, to kick off on her high note with her first concert in London!

Can you remember what it was like when you were 7 years old? Well, that’s the time when Sooryagayathri first skyrocketed her singing career. Born in Kerala, Sooryagayathri has always been immersed in a musical family, such as her father playing a traditional Indian drum called the miridangam and her uncle playing the violin.

One root of her fame came from a music video of her at 7 years old on YouTube, singing the popular song “ BhagyaLakshmi”; a devotional song dedicated to the goddess Lakshmi, the bearer of wealth, prosperity and peace. Her strong ability to express the harmonies clearly and confidently is what took us all by amazement. And at such a young age too! 

The event took place on Friday evening, with banners spread all around the building and people entering with dresses of all sorts of colour. Purples.Greens.Oranges. They surely lifted up the atmosphere! Even from first entrance, I was immersed by the hustle and bustle of excited parents and children, who were conversing amongst themselves as we enjoyed a free pre-concert snack. That ought to fuel us up, considering the energy needed to express our enthusiasm for the talented singer. 

As we all rushed into the auditorium, I noticed how heads were being held high towards the glimmering curtains. The audience’s anticipation could be felt from a mile away. Even as I rushed and settled in my seat, I conversed in small conversation about our awe of Sooryagayathri’s talent. 

When the curtains opened, I could visibly see people shifting up from their seats like a domino effect. There she was. She opened the concert with her welcoming speech and reminded us of how she had never been to the uk before, and how she is so thankful for the opportunity. 

There was pin drop silence as the eager audience scrutinised her water bottle hitting the ground after she had a pre-show drink, and her microphone being adjusted. She began by warming up simple notes and all of a sudden, she bursts into melodious song. All eyes were on her, and even I couldn’t seem to process that this talent was live, and not just the simple YouTube video I had watched a couple years ago. 

Throughout the show, she rhythmically sang difficult melody combinations, but she had put it all together so smoothly as if with such ease.

There was a point where I really enjoyed and that was the singing interaction with the audience. Was Sooryagayathri inviting the audience to sing with her? It was a call and response type of song, which I found very fun and perhaps very smart of her because she knows the excitement that the audience has with these types of devotional songs. 

With a 7-minute standing ovation and a line of fans shaking her hand on stage (including me), it was all well-deserved for a bright star like Sooryagayathri. Seeing her performance in real life really inspired me and gave me a new motivation for following my dreams. Her constant practice was able to bring her to many horizons and opportunities, and that’s the beauty of believing.