Meet Heerraa | International Singer-Songwriter & Co-Founder of Ascendance

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

Hi Heerraa, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I have always wanted to become a singer since I was 5. However, my dream did not become a reality until I met my mentors from the social business incubator, ET Ideas, when I was 14. I was fortunate to be personally mentored by the founder, Elango Thiyagu, who I am forever grateful for as he guided me to understand the bigger purpose and showed me how to achieve my goals. That’s when I realized the power of music and how it can impact our lives without us even knowing.

Today, my mission is changing the world with music! Each of my songs has a message encrypted within the lyrics and catchy melodies, like overcoming insecurities, finding happiness within ourselves, staying hopeful on our darkest days, managing ego and more. Music has not only changed my life but has also impacted my fans around the world.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Music is every part of my being. It is how I best learn and communicate, how I learn about myself. Initially, I started writing songs to capture the important lessons I was learning from my mentors as I experienced life. Songs are a way for me to remember and apply lessons like responding to my surrounding or learning to stay true to the voice of my heart. Soon, I realized that music was not only a means for me to improve myself but also a way for others to grow.

Looking forward, I’m working on performing for more corporate events and having my songs placed on TV and film. I’m excited to see my music reach out and positively impact more people around the world.

When I write songs, I have the exciting job of exploring new sounds to best match the message I aim to convey. For my song “Wonder”, aimed at inspiring Gen Zs to unearth their inert power, we produced upbeat synth-wave music. However, my song “Fall In” was produced as a ballad as we explored the vulnerabilities of love and relationships. From R&B (“Attention Island”) to Acoustic (“Peter Pan”) and Commercial Pop (“Feel Alive”), each song is an adventure where I get to expand my abilities as an artist while learning about new genres and singing techniques.

I have this secret superpower of writing songs on the spot, something I’ve developed after conducting countless workshops for students alongside Ascendance. I enjoy the spontaneity of receiving random words from our participants and challenging myself to create a melody and lyrics on the spot. It’s a fun way to engage students in our session while enabling me to improve my craft as a songwriter.

Being a pop songwriter, I was blown away by the positive responses I received for my first R&B single, ‘Attention Island’, which won the “Best Female Solo Artist” award at the California Music Video Awards and “Best Music Video (Bronze)” at the Global Music Awards in San Diego. Each victory is an avenue to impact more people through my songs.

I still remember the first time I won an award from the US in 2021. I was halfway across the world in Malaysia and got the news amid the pandemic. International Singer-Songwriters Association (ISSA) Awards presented a Gold Award for “Female Single of the Year (International)” for my song ‘Feel Alive’. At this time, ‘Feel Alive’ was playing on radio stations in Europe and Australia. So, having my song travel to countries I had yet to visit is surreal.

I am so grateful to InterContinental Music Awards (ICMA) for believing in my potential and showing me new opportunities to explore the music industry. One of the defining moments in my career thus far was being named the “ICon Award” at the ICMA (Los Angeles) for making the strongest overall impression on the judges.

It’s been a decade of being guided by ET Ideas and Ascendance to get to where I am today, and I still have a long way to go. The days get longer. The work I do with Ascendance is what keeps me grounded in my music career. Many of my skills and character were built through Ascendance. Presenting to companies for funding, liaising with hundreds of teachers, getting approvals from government ministries, and driving across the country to conduct programs for Gen Zs. All these experiences shaped me into the singer I am today and enabled me to pursue my undergrad at Harvard.

Attending classes by professors who are the best in their field, I thoroughly enjoy my classes at Harvard Extension School as I get to apply the lessons from my lecturers to my real-time work. For example, I’m doing my first psychology paper, Music & The Mind, by Professor Dr. Patrick Whelan this semester. It is super exciting as I learn about the science behind how music affects us, which complements the music I produce as an artist.

With my passion for music, I want people to know that however difficult it is if you just do what you love in life, you are already creating an impact. You are already changing the world. So I’m not just a singer. I am sharing the lessons ingrained in each word, chord, and melody. I hope that even a tiny part of my music ignites a spark in you to change the world.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Although I’ve been very fortunate to win numerous awards from LA for my music, I only made my first trip to the West coast in February (last month!) when I attended the California Music Video Awards. The whole trip was surreal!

From the moment I landed, LA just took my breath away. One of the most memorable parts of my first visit to LA was having one of my music mentors, Shahed Mohseni (Founder of the InterContinental Music Awards), show us around Hollywood and its iconic spots. Driving around the city of dreams, seeing the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Hollywood Bowl with my own eyes, felt like a movie moment.

As a musician, the esteemed Walt Disney Concert Hall was a must-have on my list of places to visit. We got to catch John Legend’s legendary concert echoing the walls of the acoustic theatre, which still gives me chills just thinking about it. Seeing a musician and performer of his caliber in person was incredibly inspiring and breathtaking.

During my trip, I also had a chance to meet up with friends and fellow musicians at the beautiful South Lake Avenue in Pasadena. So if you’re looking for a chic place to hang out or stunning views, The Commons in South Lake Avenue was one of my favorite spots.

My trip to LA has an exceptional place in my heart and I can’t wait to be back again.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
It takes an entire village to make a person successful. My growth over the past 10 years and for the years to come is attributed to ET Ideas and Ascendance. ET Ideas and Ascendance is an environment of purpose-driven entrepreneurs who run businesses aligned with their passions while staying true to their hearts.

While ET Ideas works with adults like me to turn their passion into an everyday career in various industries (tourism, finance, creative arts, chess, IT, education, etc.), my friends and I wondered how we could replicate this platform for students in middle school or high school.

With the mission to empower the young to discover their potential and achieve holistic success while still in school, my friends (Mathura Kannan, Sanadtkumar Ganesan, and Harsha Ravindran) and I co-founded Ascendance in 2015. Today, Ascendance is an international youth organization and one of the fastest-growing social start-ups in Southeast Asia, led by Gen Zs for Gen Zs. We have impacted 50,000 students across 26 countries over the past 8 years. We were also awarded The Diana Award (UK) in 2019 for our humanitarian work.

ET Ideas and Ascendance are my family, guiding me throughout my career while anchoring me on the bigger picture of why we do what we do – to change the world. Without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

Lastly, one of my biggest supporters and driving force behind what I do is my mother, Valsala Krishnan, who has been by my side since the beginning of my journey. While pursuing my career in the entertainment industry, she was very wary of where I was heading. But, despite all the protectiveness as a mum, she never once discouraged me from following my passion, even as I took a 5-year gap after high school to grow my music and career with Ascendance. Until today, she points out the lessons behind everything that occurs in life and never loses faith in my pursuit to become an international star. So, thank you, mum!

Website: https://Heerraa.com/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/heerraaofficial

Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/Heerraa/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeerraaOfficial/

Facebook: https://facebook.com/HeerraaOfficial/

Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/HeerraaOfficial

Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/00w754f5rPht5LTVc45U4w?si=8-5fFLFyRpiGo60AMcV2CA Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/my/artist/heerraa/1379076574

Image Credits
Personal Photo: ET Boost Additional Photos: 1. Photo at Harvard Yard: Bing Chen 2. Photos of Ascendance: ET Boost 3. Professional Photos of Heerraa: ET Boost