New York-based fusion artist Rini’s Moon Drops India Tour kicks off in Chennai

Rini on stage during a performance | Photo credit: special arrangement

The city and its many facets feature frequently in Harini ‘Rini’ Raghavan’s music. “Performing here feels like coming back home… it is home, after all,” she laughs. The Chennai-born artiste, who lives in New York, will perform in the city on Saturday as part of her multi-city The Moon Drops India Tour.

Born and raised in Chennai, Rini is a composer, singer and violinist. She pursued a degree in Electronic Production and Design at Berklee College of Music and was a part of the renowned Berklee Indian Ensemble. Of course, it is her Chennai connection that has brought her to this position.

“I have always been fascinated by melodies, textures and synthesizers, and I remember very well hearing AR Rahman introduce the synthesizer in 1992. RozaEvery sound heard in those songs was so refreshing,” she recalls. In her music as a fusion artist over the years, Rini has brought it all together with her strong background in jazz and Carnatic music.

Violinist, singer and composer Rini | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

In Chennai, Rini will perform with Ranjoy Das from Delhi on drums, Achal Murthy from Luxembourg on bass, Andrew Cheng from Malaysia on guitar and Shahar Amador from Israel on saxophone. Singer Shakthisree Gopalan will also join Rini on stage, performing an indie collaboration single ‘Magazini’ recorded in 2023.

“We will probably perform original music along with some covers. The setlist will include my old songs like ‘Mango Shower’ and new songs like ‘Kapi in Rio’ released last year,” says Rini. The songs span a variety of genres – Carnatic fusion, jazz, alt rock and more. “For example ‘Kapi in Rio’ has Latin music influences and clave claps where the audience can clap and join in with the song,” she adds. The tour is named after Rini’s 2023 song ‘Moon Thuli’.

In partnership with Curiosity, Bengaluru is the first destination for the Moon Drops Tour, followed by Delhi, Kochi, Mumbai and Hyderabad after the performance in Chennai.

She says, “I have an instant connection with my audience in Chennai as many of my compositions like ‘Marina’, ‘Mango Showers’ and ‘Filter Kapi’ are based here. I am really looking forward to it.” Though it has been a little over a year since her last tour and performance in Chennai, Rini says she hopes to visit India at least once a year going forward.

@Barracuda Brew on September 21, from 7pm. Tickets are available on Skillbox.