He has the voice that has charmed over tons of YouTube fans. For those familiar with clarinet player Shankar Tucker’s work, Aditya Rao is no stranger. For those of you who are not, the talented Indian born American singer renders a beautiful version of Manmohini Morey in the Shankar Tucker production of the same name. Aditya takes us through his musical journey.

Aditya’s life has always had musical influences, especially since his mother is a trained veena player and his father an excellent singer. “Music is a life necessity for me,” he says as he reminisces his days in Bengaluru when along with his parents, he would ride along the quiet streets on a Kinetic Honda, singing Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga… from the film 1942, A Love Story. “Back in ‘97, traffic and noise weren’t clearly an issue and so, passersby could hear three people on a bike singing loud and proud, even if it was waiting for a traffic light to turn green. I was just six years old then, but that’s a memory I haven’t forgotten.”
Although he moved to the US when he was seven, Aditya has stayed true to his Indian roots and continued to learn music from his master in India. “Back then, telephone costs were sky high and broadband was virtually unheard of, let alone Skype. My music teacher, Ramesh Sir, used to record 90-minute cassette tapes with music lessons and mail it to me in Pittsburgh. I would then spend a few weeks learning the lessons, re-record my voice on to the same tape, and mail it back to Bengaluru. Essentially, I learned one complete song each month,” he laughs. Summer vacations though were the best time to learn music as he used to come down to Bengaluru and learned music face to face. Aditya continues to take weekly lessons on Skype now.
The collaboration with Shankar Tucker for Manmohini Morey happened quite by accident. “I am an avid fan of his work and was mentioning to a friend how interesting it would be to work with him. I never thought more of it, but my friend actually sent him an email with my YouTube link on it. Thus began my collaboration with Shankar.” Aditya also says that the power of the social media cannot be undermined. “I’ve not only found fame, but also have made new friends around the world just because the video has been shared across the world. It’s a clear roadmap to where the entertainment industry is heading today,” he asserts.
Currently studying for his Masters degree in Entertainment Industry Management and pursuing his musical passion in addition to working with Qyuki (an online platform for people to share their creative talent with industry experts), Aditya has his plate full. But that has not stopped this young man from working with composer Manikanth Kadri (son of celebrated saxophonist Kadri Gopalnath) in a Kannada film.
Says Aditya, “I owe the opportunity to social media. I came across Manikanth’s work online and sent him a message on Facebook, with a link to my YouTube page. In less than an hour, I got a response to visit his studio when I came to India. In January 2012, I met him at Chennai and recorded two songs for 8 hours straight. It was my first shot at singing for a film and I enjoyed the experience. The film even won an international jury award at the Dutch Film Festival,” he says.