![](//www.4rfv.com/images/no_image.jpg)
Student Spotlight: Shivaraj Natraj The vocalist, konnakol beatboxer, and percussionist reflects on his musical journey from Oman to India and beyond, and how he's working to bridge Western and South Asian musical styles.
By
Keerthana Sudarshan
March 1, 2024
Shivaraj Natraj
Image by Mason Davis
What's it like to study at Berklee? Our Student Spotlight series asks current students all about their Berklee experience-what they're learning in class, what kinds of projects they're involved in onstage or behind the scenes, how they recharge, and of course, what they're listening to. In this installment, get to know vocalist, beatboxer, and percussionist Shivaraj Natraj, an eighth-semester contemporary writing and production (CWP) major from Bangalore, India. Shivaraj's band, Project Mishram, which fuses South Indian classical and progressive metal influences, was recently announced as part of the lineup for the major hard rock festival Louder than Sound this September in Louisville, Kentucky, where they will perform alongside acts such as Slipknot, Judas Priest, and Evanescence.
Follow Shivaraj on Instagram and Facebook.
Tell us about your path to Berklee. What made you decide to come here?I began my training in the Carnatic (South Indian classical) style of vocals when I was just five years old, under the guidance of my father, Natraj Pushpavanam. I grew up in Muscat, Oman, where I continued my studies until the tenth grade. Later, I moved to Bangalore, India, for high school and started learning how to play the mridangam, a South Indian percussion instrument.
While in college pursuing a bachelors degree in mechanical engineering, my videos on konnakol (Indian vocal percussion)-beatboxing became viral, and this led me to form my Carnatic fusion band, Project Mishram.
In 2020, I had to make a critical decision between choosing music and my career as a business analyst. Eventually, I decided to leave my job and pursue music full-time. I applied to Berklee College of Music and was awarded a scholarship, which was a dream come true. I aimed to expand my music knowledge and create a global music career, which was inevitable with the diversity of musicians coming from all over the world.
Listen to Sera by Project Mishram:
Given Berklees vibrant international community, how do you envision your distinctive role in contributing to this environment?Although I come from a Carnatic music background, I enjoy different styles of music, including EDM, progressive metal, jazz, and funk fusion. When I applied to Berklee, I was interested in exploring jazz harmony despite my lack of knowledge about the theory behind it. Since arriving at Berklee, I have been able to use my knowledge of swaras (Indian solf ge) to interpret the concepts of harmony and arranging and have found it to make perfect sense!
I create video content that explains how I bridge the gap between these two genres, which can be easily understood by Indian classical musicians and others. Additionally, I have taught five guest lectures where I explain the basics of raga and tala (melody and rhythm) in Carnatic music to diverse classes of Berklee students using Western music notation and references.
Being one of the few konnakol beatboxers in the world, and one of the few mridangam artists at Berklee, I have had several wonderful opportunities presented to me during my time here.
Whats been your favorite class so far, and what has it taught you?One of my favorite classes at Berklee has been Writing for Big Band, taught by Manuel Kaufmann. Although I was warned that it would be one of the hardest classes in CWP at Berklee, I surprisingly connected with the subject matter on a deep level. Writing for a big ensemble like a big band, which has around 17 players, can be quite challenging. However, in this class, I learned the art of intricately weaving sections together without creating a traffic-jam-like chaos similar to the ones commonly experienced in my city, Bangalore.
Whats a project youve worked on since coming to Berklee that youve been especially excited about?The biggest project I worked on while at Berklee was a tour across the UK and EU with my band Project Mishram in August of 2023. This was our third international tour and it centered around the prestigious ArcTangent festival, sharing the stage with legends like Devin Townsend, Heilung, Haken, etc. . . . It was a 20-day tour across eight countries where we drove ourselves through a roller coaster of an experience.
Our latest development is that we are the first Indian independent band performing at the Louder than Life Festival in September of 2024, alongside massive artists like Evanescence, Slipknot, Judas Priest, M tley Cr e, Slayer, Anthrax, Breaking Benjamin, Skillet, and others.
How do you typically recharge or find new ideas outside of class?I usually get new ideas from my peers at Berklee. I use Instagram often, but Im unsure if its always helpful. It helps keep me up-to-date with whats trending in music nowadays.
Sometimes I miss listening to full-length albums during my long commutes, but now I have music available 24/7, which is great. To overcome fatigue, I like to work out, do chores, or spend time with my friends.
Watch Shivaraj perform with fellow student Reeshabh Purohit on Berklees Two Track video series:
When you think towards your future, who inspires you most?I have been pondering this question for many years. My ultimate goal is to achieve internal happiness without relying on external factors. However, I do have goals such as fusing various genres from around the world with Carnatic music. I desire to have in-depth knowledge about them and do not like doing things halfway. Moreover, I love teaching and the learning that comes with the process.
I find inspiration in the rounded musicianship of Jacob Collier, the p
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
26/07/2024
by Ianeta Le'i
I honestly don't remember the first time I met Bryson Ch...
26/07/2024
(L-R) Louise (Karen Gillan) and Antonina (Margaret Sophie Stein) strike up an un...
26/07/2024
Last month, Spotify's annual Songs of Summer predictions made their return, ...
26/07/2024
Summer is peak season for some of our favorite sports and events. Whether you're rooting for the home team at the ballpark or cheering for your country as i...
26/07/2024
Nine talented young professionals completed their vocational training at SGL Carbon in Meitingen from the beginning of June to mid-July, achieving an overall gr...
26/07/2024
Orders1 of $5.2 billion; book-to-bill of 1.0x
Revenue of $5.3 billion, up 13%
...
26/07/2024
(Editor's note: TVTech reached out to several station groups to determine the impact of the CrowdStrike outage on operations. Many, including NextStar Media...
26/07/2024
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. Bitcentral has integrated Pixalate's ad fraud protection, privacy and compliance analytics solution Post-Bid Analytics and Reporting i...
26/07/2024
Aldous Huxley's classic novel Brave New World is a science fiction thriller set in a murky future with a highly ordered society. While Huxley and other sc...
26/07/2024
Hollyland Adds Pyro 7 All-in-one Video Monitor, TX and RX to Pyro Series
Brie Clayton July 26, 2024
0 Comments
Seven-inch 2.4/5GHz wireless monitor wi...
26/07/2024
Geddy Lee Asks Are Bass Players Human Too? Graded Using DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton July 26, 2024
0 Comments
Blackmagic today announced that t...
26/07/2024
Another reminder of the popularity of ad-supported connected TV comes in a survey by Premion and Advertiser Perceptions which found that 61% of the marketers th...
26/07/2024
Nielsen's Gracenote unit said it is selling its metadata about the content of television shows and movies for use in targeting connected-TV advertising camp...
26/07/2024
CBS premieres 13 Days in Ferguson, a special about the aftermath of a police shooting of a young Black man in 2014, on Friday, August 9. The special features Ce...
26/07/2024
Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery announced the launch of their long-awaited premium streaming bundle for the United States. For $16.99 per month, subscribers w...
26/07/2024
It provides multi-voltage output (14.4V, 28V, and 48V) through two XLR4 outputs and one XLR3, offering power to cameras, monitors, and lighting equipment
By Je...
26/07/2024
The lawsuit submitted by investor Scott Baker claims the deal would cost Paramount shareholders $1.65 billion
By Jenny Priestley
Published: July 26, 2024
...
26/07/2024
Florida-based Video Village Miami provides on-set video assist for local commercials and music videos. Frank Collins established the outfit in 2019 after a 20-y...
26/07/2024
QuickLink, the leading global provider of multi-camera video productions and remote contribution solutions, will present QuickLink StudioPro at IBC 2024 (Stand ...
26/07/2024
Relo Metrics (formerly GumGum Sports), the leading AI-powered sponsorship analytics platform for real-time data decisions, today launched an industry-leading in...
26/07/2024
Anton/Bauer, a leading provider of mobile power systems for the film and television industry, has announced the launch of the VCLX LI 1600. The latest evolution...
26/07/2024
Bitcentral, the leading provider of professional media solutions for broadcast and digital video, today announces that it has integrated Pixalate, the ad fraud ...
26/07/2024
Cobalt Iron Inc., a leading provider of SaaS-based enterprise data protection, today announced that Secure Automated Backup with Compass , a cloud backup-as-a-s...
26/07/2024
VisualOn IBC2024 Exhibitor Preview
Sept. 13-16
Amsterdam
Stand 5.A52
As video streaming consumption surges, service providers face significant challenges wi...
26/07/2024
Quanteec
IBC2024 Exhibitor Preview
Sept. 13-16
RAI Amsterdam
Stand 1.A05
Quanteec, a global provider of video delivery technology for broadcasters, will s...
26/07/2024
Witbe
IBC2024 Exhibitor Preview
Sept. 13-16
Amsterdam
Stand 5.F84
At IBC2024, Witbe will showcase the power of its automated testing and proactive monitori...
26/07/2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. The Federal Communications Commission has announced the launch of its new Mobile Speed Test app. The new app features an enhanced user interfac...
26/07/2024
LONDON In a notable landmark for the use of cloud-based services at the Olympics, Alibaba Cloud and Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), has today announced the...
26/07/2024
NEW YORK As part of a $2.5 billion media rights deal with the NBA announced on July 24, NBCUniversal and the NBA have also announced an 11-year agreement for ri...
26/07/2024
BEAVERTON, Ore. Versatile Video Coding (VVC) promises to play a pivotal role in driving advancements in video compression technology, with organizations across ...
26/07/2024
COLUMBUS, Ohio The political news channel PurpleTV has expanded it reach with news that it has launched on Channel 25.1 in Columbus, Ohio on TV Station WXOH, wh...
26/07/2024
NEW YORK As part of a push into the contextual advertising business, Nielsen's Gracenote has announced that it is developing new contextual categories to gi...
26/07/2024
Puget Systems Returns to SIGGRAPH 2024 to Demonstrate its On-Premises Generative...
26/07/2024
Dreamtek Delivers Innovative A/V, Live Production and Post Workflows with Blackm...
26/07/2024
Dejero to bring even smarter' mobile internet connectivity solutions to IBC...
26/07/2024
The 2024 Paris Olympic Games are about to begin, and Capitol Broadcasting is rea...
26/07/2024
Berklee Alumni Nominated for 2024 Emmy Awards Twenty-one Berklee alumni received Emmy nominations this year for music composition, sound mixing, and sound editi...
26/07/2024
Jennifer Lyons, president and general manager of WBBM Chicago, is moving into a ...
26/07/2024
Kennan Oliphant has been named VP of news and station manager at WWJ Detroit. He will report to Jennifer Lyons, who has added a regional GM role that gives her ...
26/07/2024
Charlie Hustle & The Matter of Pete Rose, a four-part docuseries, debuts on HBO and Max July 24. The series details the life of the baseball superstar, includin...
26/07/2024
The 2024 Paris Olympic Games present a unique and exciting opportunity for local...
26/07/2024
Paris 2024: V varo Providing Live Media Transport Services for Leading Internati...
26/07/2024
Paris 2024: BBC Sport on Its Remote Production Workflow for the Summer Games By Heather McLean, SVG Europe
Friday, July 26, 2024 - 7:31 am
Print This Story...
26/07/2024
Paris 2024: BBC Sport Unveils the Olympic Storytelling and Breathtaking Scenery ...
26/07/2024
Paris 2024: Taking a Step Forwards with BBC Sport's Olympic Studio Combining...
26/07/2024
Paris 2024: Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe Provides a First Look at Its Ol...
26/07/2024
Live From Paris 2024: NBC Olympics Set for Historic Opening Ceremony Unilateral coverage builds on impressive OBS production as NBC dives deep into Team USA cov...
26/07/2024
Live From Paris 2024: SVG's Onsite Editorial Team Breaks Down Opening Ceremo...
26/07/2024
True-crime documentary, The Body Next Door to launch on Sky Documentaries and NO...