Vidya Vox

“It's all about the balance. For musicians, me personally, you just can't keep doing covers or mash-ups. It would get old pretty fast.”

“It's very important to me to stay true to who I am as a musician and the songs that I love.”

“The thing about doing mashups and covers is it's great, but a part of you never gets to really showcase what your original sound is like or what your writing voice is like.”

“I spoke in Tamil at home and ate dosa and idli.”

“I have found a groove and a combination between originals and mashups that I think works well.”

“Visuals are important, as listeners like to 'see' the song.”

“I grew up listening to dappan koothu songs and loved the fun party vibes they gave.”

“The one thing I won't do is sacrifice my Indian identity in my music, my clothing choices. It's something I tried to hide growing up, and I would never do that again because it's such a big part of me and I'm very proud of it.”

“If your intention is pure, an audience will recognise it and connect with you.”

“Most of my family speaks fluent Malayalam.”

“Most of the clothes and accessories in my videos come from my wardrobe.”

“I was once trying to find a song to fit Nicki Minaj's 'Hey Mama.' But nothing worked out. Sometimes, you can't help it.”

“I love mixing Indian and Western.”

“I'm so grateful to be able to do music.”

“I was teased about Indian food and the colour of my skin and why my knees and elbows were dark.”

“My mother had to make an unconventional decision. We had to run away from home. She made a really difficult decision to leave financial stability behind and undertake raising two girls on her own.”

“My father was actually controlling and abusive.”

“During college, I collaborated with another YouTuber and musician, Shankar Tucker. He told me, 'You can do music on YouTube and it's a viable way to put out your songs' and it worked out.”

“Yeah, I didn't ever think about music as a career. Like, it was never - it's just something like an extracurricular activity that my mom put me in. And as every South Asian, you know, like, child, I was like - oh, OK, I can do medicine.”

“My music is a whole reflection of who I'm as an individual.”