SUVI

Part of the early wave of IndiPop in the country with a group called S5 (that also included singer-composer Benny Dayal), Suvi Suresh aka SuVi hailed from Thrissur and went on to be a featured playback voice in several Tamil and Hindi film soundtracks. She’s so far released her debut EP Game Changer in 2019. A prolific independent artist as well who’s now based in Los Angeles, she recently teamed up with Kerala beatsmith Parimal Shais for “Dopamine,” a takedown of money-making educational institutions, patriarchy over subtle South Indian percussive elements and a smooth turn to Sanskrit quotations and a Tamil hook. - Rolling Stone India

SUVI teams up with PARIMAL SHAIS's "Dopamine" and keep the high energy going with their mix of South Indian rhythm and hard-hitting hip-hop drums. The LA-based act doesn't shy away from her roots and easily merges it with a fiery performance. - Ear Milk

Suvi Released Her Latest Single Titled “Dopamine”

SUVI is a triple-threat singer, songwriter, and DJ from Los Angeles, CA. She just released her latest single titled “Dopamine” on September 25, 2020.

“Dopamine” is a beautiful collection of Hip-Hip, South Indian rhythm, and melodies with a hint of spiritualism that entices you into a state of pure audio bliss. This phenomenal songwriter has a skilled ability to write never-ending flows of lyrical gold that drip effortlessly the moment her hand hits pen to paper.

Her collaboration with Parimal Shais, a South Indian artist and producer, on “Dopamine” is absolute sonic energy. Her rapping and writing skills, coupled with her South Indian vocal melodies and scales, with rhythm and bass-driven music production, honor the roots where both Parimal and SUVI come from. The song boasts of elements such as the Panchavadyam literally meaning an orchestra of five instruments, which is basically a temple art form that has evolved in the South Indian state of Kerala. The song allows the listener to be subdued into their very own unique world as these creative South Asian artists living in different corners of the world come together on this project to create such a distinctive sound.

The music that evolved from the cultural amalgamation of the two corners of the world where these artists live, creating a sound that is the grimy, bass, and the rhythm-driven single “Dopamine.”

SUVI gives us her personal insight on what gives her the “Dopamine” she needs in life and what inspires her to keep forward as an artist and what motivates her as a human being. On her inspiration for the song, SUVI shares that, “Dopamine is about how I got out of depression. I was self-inflicting pain and emotional conflicts because I couldn’t see hope in anything around me.” She says, “The world is such a beautiful place but there was so much bad happening to so many people and most of us just dealt with it or turned a blind eye towards it. I had to save myself from going into the trenches of a Death Valley.” She continues, “So then why do we try to change things around us instead of changing from the person within? I found so much dopamine when I started looking inside.”

SUVI shares more by saying, “All along, we had been conditioned to look for more and more in the materialistic world for happiness that we fail to learn so much about ourselves. I hope that everyone can find their own dopamine because it is a gift that never stops giving. It is the untapped source of wealth that’s just waiting to be found.”

Check out SUVI’s “Dopamine” now streaming on all major streaming platforms!

“Look within yourself to find what you are looking for! The motivation, the strength, the beliefs, the code of conduct, the passion, the purpose, the inner wisdom; it is all right there.”

– SUVI - Urban Asian

SUVI just had her latest single “Wonder Woman” featured on MTV’s The Challenge, and she is preparing to tour her native country of India. Suvi is starting to see the fruit of her labor come full circle, but it wasn’t always as glamorous as you may think.

Music was not always Suvi’s passion. It fell into her lap, but I’ll get into that in a little bit. She was studying to become a biotechnologist, but life, as we all know, took a drastic turn. She would end up auditioning for a show called “Voice Hunt,” which was India’s version of American Idol. Suvi would go on to winning the competition beating out 6000 other contestants. Before she knew it, she was being signed by Sony’s division in India.

As a teenager and after winning the Voice Hunt, a band called “S5” was formed that was signed to Sony Music India. The group had some success while in India. They were able to go on tour and in essence launched almost every single members’ career.

The only problem was in India even until a few years ago there wasn’t a platform that allowed independent artists to showcase their talent. This was all happening while she was still in college. After Suvi finished college, she became a playback singer. What is a playback singer you may ask? A playback singer is someone that sing songs that are pre-recorded for a film as a part of the soundtrack for actors or actresses as they lip-sync for the cameras. The actual singer does not appear in the film or on television. This is a very popular Bollywood culture.

After spending some years in the music industry as a playback singer, Suvi decided to search for opportunities that would allow her to expand her creativity. By this time in her life, Suvi had successfully obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Biotech and had approximately 100 songs to her credit in various Indian language, including a few with A.R. Rahman who is a multiple Academy Award winner and has composed music for numerous film soundtracks, but he is most notable for his work on Slumdog Millionaire. - The Hype Magazine

The hit song “Wonder Woman” transformed talented Indian singer Suvi into a global phenomenon, earning chart-topping success and placement on MTV’s popular series “The Challenge.” Today, Suvi brings Bollywood to the U.S. with the capitalizing debut EP, properly-titled, Game Changer.

Featuring Man 3 Faces and The Four’s Lex Lu, the four-track debut includes fan-favorite “On & On” and “Killa Kali.” “On & On” is one of a love flick written and sung mellifluously in Suvi’s soothing Indian cinema influenced melodies. It pushes boundaries, exploring intimacy at its core and is written to set the late-night moods.

On “Killa Kali,” Suvi focuses on bringing awareness to her home country that practices worshiping numerous Goddesses yet treats women like second class citizens. It talks proudly about the many faces of the female Goddess Kali who is often demonized yet celebrated and according to Hindu Mythology is considered to be powerful enough to revoke any evil.

For the debut, Suvi says, “The idea behind this project is to start simple yet mindful conversations that need to take place amongst our generation.” She continues, “Culture, Music, and History are beautiful things. I want to share my culture with the world through my music and create History.”

Game Changer is produced by legendary producer Alex Teamer. Teamer is known for his work with icons Quincy Jones, Babyface, Akon and most recent credit YG. Adding to the star-studded cast is Grammy-winning engineers ShaggyOnTheBoards and Britain Smith (“Boo’d Up”) and songwriters Swagga Bob, A.R. Rahman and Yuvan Shankar Raja.

Trend-setting, different, magnetic, Suvi’s debut is a must-hear for any R&B fan. Blending heavy bass with melodic vocals and catchy concepts, Suvi presents an undeniable crossover appeal that will result in plenty of chart-topping hits in 2020. Spice up your R&B today with this attractive new flavor. - Singers Room

Suvi is a hard working, educated artist that comes from India. She decided to give an in-depth interview on her experiences being from India and her rise to who she is today. She turned her win on American Idol India into a budding singing career. Check out her thoughts and experiences below:
India, a country with a population of 1.3 billion people, a land with an architectural and artistic history that’s beyond any other in the world is a nation with no representation that is a voice to its people in the recent times. We have no Michael Jackson, no Beyonce or no Beatles.

The Arts and Culture that is inherent to Indians are immense yet being an Artist is looked down upon because of its misrepresentation. All the art that exists in India is restricted to Bollywood, which I have great respect for as well because I was also a part of this before I moved to the US to pursue my dreams in 2011. But unless you are a stereotypical doctor, engineer or a lawyer one considers unsuccessful. Therefore a story that entails an artist has to be motivating and inspirational for the young and wild in India to aspire to become one and this stigma has to change.

A brief history of me….. I was studying to become a biotechnologist. Life took a dramatic turn when I ended up auditioning for The American Idol equivalent in South India called Voice Hunt which landed on my lap and I won amidst 6000 contestants. Before I knew it I was on a recording deal with Sony Music India at the age of 18 as part of a band called S5. While still in college pursuing my degree I recorded, toured and made public appearances to keep up with this newly attained persona.

After college, I transitioned easily into being a Playback singer for the movies. After 3 years of being in this industry which didn’t enable my creativity one bit because the Music director writes the music and a lyricist writes your lyrics and all I had to do was sing the song which was then shot for the movie with an actress lip syncing to my voice. I felt like my creativity was boxed up and this led me to search for a way to expand my creativity.

With a bachelors degree in Biotech. and about 100 songs to my credit including a repertoire with A.R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire) I decided to uproot myself from my comfort zone and move to America cause I knew deep inside that I had a bigger purpose than be a voice without a face.

Within 6 months of making this decision I won a Fullride scholarship to go to a music school in Los Angeles on Hollywood blvd. Since then to now after a 7-year struggle (which can be another story altogether for another time) here I am with my song Wonder Woman getting placed on a prime-time show on MTV called The Challenge. - The MVMT

Chennai: The tomboy that she was, the teenaged Suvi Suresh never imagined that her life would change overnight when she auditioned for a voice hunt in 2004. Heralding the rise of independent music in the city all those years ago, S5 happened and there was no turning back for the gifted vocalist.

A decade on, she has shed her bubbly, pop image and is now one of California’s most glamorous, rising performers. Suvi attributes her career to winning a full ride scholarship (all expenses covered) at the prestigious Musicians Institute where she met musicians from across the globe. So, is she coming back now?



“My heart is always in Chennai. That’s the place where everything began and my journey doesn’t get completed if I don’t bring it back home. I’m always open to playback singing; in fact, I sang for Rahman sir in Highway when I visited recently. I haven’t forgotten Tamil or Malayalam or Hindi, haha! My music is getting the attention of industry heads from various labels in the U.S, but I want to sign with those who share my vision. My vision is to break out Indian artists on a world platform,” Suvi says.

After S5, she moved on to collaborate with the band, Soulsonic, while also singing playback with composers like A.R. Rahman and Yuvan Shankar Raja. Even with such highs, Suvi says she wanted more.

“It was all about stepping out of that comfort zone and doing what you are really passionate about, which, in my case, was writing music and communicating to the world through it. After graduating from Musicians Institute, I played with musicians from Sweden, Korea and India — a unique mix of talents.”

Gigs around the country followed and Suvi’s image hit the big time, the success leading to her EP, Made of Gold, a soulful R & B record.

“My then band and I had written those songs together. That EP helped me find producers who were interested in collaborating with me — these guys have written music for Robin Thicke, Madonna, Mary J. Bilge, etc. When I met them, I had a song on my journey and standing up for what is not right in our present society; how a population like ours can make a change if we set our minds to it. I took a break from performing live as I went into the studio with Storm, Devin Parker, Eric Jackson, Swagga Bob and the Drop. Music has no boundaries or language barriers," she ends.” she ends. - Deccan Chronicle

Meet Suvi, a buzzworthy new Indian pop singer known for chart-topping success overseas, making her nationwide debut with a bold new project, properly-titled, Game Changer. A four-track introduction, the new artist is magnetic with her sultry vocals, hypnotizing subject matter and cultural sound.

Featuring popular artists Lex Lu and Man 3 Faces among the tracks, the EP includes breakout fan-favorites “On & On” and “Killa Kali”.”On & On” is one of a love flick written and sung mellifluously in Suvi’s soothing Indian cinema influenced melodies. It pushes boundaries, exploring intimacy at its core and is written to set the late-night moods.

“Culture, music, and history are beautiful things,” Suvi says of the making of her new EP. “I want to share my culture with the world through my music and create history.” She continues, “The idea behind this project is to start simple yet mindful conversations that need to take place amongst our generation.”

Looking for a new artist to get addicted to in 2020? Look no further than this crossover star who is about to be the biggest thing in Pop.

Stream Suvi’s Game Changer now via Suvi Music. To continue following Suvi’s journey, follow the rising star on Instagram and Twitter. - Substream Magazine