Meet Ramya Pothuri | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ramya Pothuri and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ramya, what role has risk played in your life or career?
After high school I decided to take a gap year since I had no clue what I wanted to pursue as a career. That year I got a job singing at a hotel 4 nights a week at this lounge, and it was there that I realized I wanted to pursue singing as a career in whatever shape or form that would take. I had to make the decision of whether to go to college and get a degree while simultaneously trying to pursue a carrer in music, or to just throw myself in the deep end and do it full time. I went with the latter, and even though I don’t have a plan b, the risk is what really pushes me to make this work every day. I think having a plan b would’ve made me compacent about music, because even though giving up would feel like the world is ending, it wouldn’t. If you have a backup you can tend to end up falling towards that safety net. Having no backup makes me work really hard at this every day.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m a singer, guitarist, and songwriter and I make RnB and Alternative Indie music. I started my career after moving to Mumbai, India but two months ago I moved to Los Angeles! Since starting off I’ve been lucky to have gotten featured on ELLE and Colors and perform at some of the biggest music festivals in India including NH7 Weekender and Red Bull Tourbus. I’ve been working on a lot of new music for a while and I’m super excited to be dropping it all in 2022 all while starting a new chapter of my career here in LA.

When I first started off with music, my first concern was to be able to financially support myself. At the time I wasn’t really thinking past that, so I would play show after show and take any oppurtunity that came my way. Some of them barely paid, but I knew that getting my voice and my music in front of people would be the first step to getting better oppurtunities. It definitely wasn’t easy and there were gigs that were not fun to play, but it lead me to being in a position where I can now be a lot more selective with the work I recieve.

Along the way I’ve learned that a career in music requires a lot of mental strenght, but it’s not as hard as people make it out to be. It really is a mix of talent and hardwork, and a lot of that hardwork includes things people don’t think about as much as they should, such as branding, marketing, social media etc. Back then a career in music entailed being dependent on a label, manager, or booking agent but we’re living in a time where you can do it all yourself if you manage your time well enough.

When it comes to my brand and story, I’ve always wanted my music to make people feel at home, wherever they may be. When I first moved to a different country when I was 16 years old, music was what would remind me of home and would ground me whenever I was too homesick. When I started creating music, I wanted to do the same for others as what it did for me. I like to think that my music creates a sense of nostalgia and warmth that brings peace to anyone listening.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I haven’t lived in LA for too long, but there are a few places I’ve been to that I would love to see again. On a weekday I would take my friend to The Broad, a contemporary art museum in downtown LA. Post that we could go to one of the best vegan sushi spots I have found in LA, Gokuku. Also since it’s the holidays we could go to The Grove to shop and then head to Silverlake at night to eat at Agra, this little Indian Restaurant! On the Weekend I would definitely take them to The Friend.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My Dad! He wanted to be a musician when he was younger, but his parents didn’t support it so he never pursued it. When I told him I wanted to pursue music full time he was extremely supportive and almost even more excited than I was. He loves what I do and it’s been a part of why I do this every day!

Instagram: instagram.com/ramyapothuri

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RamyaPothuri

Other: https://soundcloud.com/ramyapothuri

Image Credits
Kirti Narain Noah Weiner Anna Joseph