Meet Anirudh Rajagopalan

We recently connected with Anirudh Rajagopalan and have shared our conversation below.

Anirudh, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

I think from every life experience I’ve had, whether it comes from school, college, or post-grad life, there are so many events that you already face in your life (too many to name here!) that demand your resilience, even if you don’t realize it. Everyone has their ups and downs but they never give up for what they are truly passionate about.

I think it’s also a quality you learn from your parents, like I did from mine. My parents have been through enormous challenges before, and throughout anything they face, they show resilience and become stronger as a couple and as individuals. I’ve seen them become better people as I’ve grown under them and as the years go by.

For my career in music, I think my resilience comes from being optimistic that there will always be opportunities to showcase my work and perform. Even if one opportunity closes, that opens the door for another. This thought has been very important to me because it encourages me to not close myself from any opportunity that could be worth it.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

My musical journey began early, rooted in a uniquely diverse upbringing. As a kid born and living in Japan during my early years, I was exposed to a mix of musical traditions—participating in both Western and Japanese school music events, while learning the basics of Carnatic vocal music from my mother at home, and taking piano lessons from a local teacher. When you are so young and are immediately exposed to various cultures, you tend to embrace them all.

When I moved to the U.S., I had a pretty basic foundation in music, but an open curiosity to grow. I soon continued my piano training with a new teacher and further deepened my Carnatic learning as my mother began building her own music school in the Cincinnati area from the ground up. Around age 10, I started learning mridangam, which became a major part of my musical identity. I even played violin as part of my school orchestra for a few years where I gained more confidence to play in different settings. Over the years, I performed at various cultural events, locally and beyond, gaining confidence and experience in both Indian classical and Western musical spaces. And more importantly, this was when I began to understand the difference between solo and group performances, and various concert settings.

As someone who regularly engages in cultural activities year-round, I’ve always felt deeply connected to my roots. Participating in traditional rituals and events makes me feel at home, no matter where I am. These moments remind me that my culture is more than tradition—it’s a celebration of life, the foundation of where I began, and the compass that has always guided me.

In college, I was exposed to even more diverse musical influences, and by that time, my mindset had grown and changed a lot as a growing young adult.

I began to recognize connections between the musical traditions I had grown up with and the new genres and communities I was now exploring. This inspired me to start experimenting.

In the years since the pandemic, I have been teaching myself to play Hindi and Tamil film songs on the piano, blending mridangam into jazz-fusion contexts, and creating music that is a reflection of my multifaceted identity, including composing the score for a short film to be released soon from Los Angeles. Through these explorations, I realized that my culture has shaped the way I think, create, and make decisions. My roots are among the greatest gifts I’ve been given, and no matter how far I go, they always draw me back and ground me in what my identity is.

As I began sharing my music online via my socials, I saw how others were connecting with my work. People from around the world were viewing my work and I soon received “likes” and reposts from various media celebrities, especially in the Indian film industry.

It made me realize that my passion wasn’t just personal—it had the power to uplift, connect, and inspire others. Over time, this passion evolved into a sense of purpose.

This is when music became more than just an expression—it became a duty. A joyful one. I now see myself as someone serving a wider community through my music, and that motivates me to keep learning, improving, creating, and exploring other aspects. My work is shaped by Indian classical elements and World genres alike, and I see my musical journey as a way to show that there’s something greater—something deeply human and unifying—that connects us all.

Preserving culture, in my view, is most impactful when we share it. When we promote heritage, we breathe life into it, showing others—especially future generations—why it matters. My goal is to continue reaching broader audiences and create music that reflects my unique experiences and voice, while celebrating the universality of culture and sound.

I continue to perform for various events and am looking to expand my horizons even further by playing for a wider variety of events. My personal brand today focuses on creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for everyone and spreading good vibes all throughout.

Reflecting on my journey so far, I feel energized to keep going—to explore, create, and grow. I’ve learned that it’s more than okay to have a different perspective. Everyone’s story is different, and music has become the most authentic way for me.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Passion from within: I trained in mridangam and piano during my grade school and college years. I think some folks need someone to first encourage them to practice and practice, until the point where it is something that they actually like to do, and not just do it because someone else is encouraging them.
I think you have to have the feeling inside that playing an instrument is something you like to do because you have developed a really good relationship with it. Once I realized how my relationships with my instruments and work were evolving, it inspired me even more to keep going. It was becoming an indispensable part of my life.

Learning from mistakes: I always look at every practice, and every performance not just as an opportunity to do what I love, but to also learn from it. I’ve had my ups and downs with performances, some have been great and some, not. I try to look at the latter not as a failure, but how I can learn from that experience to come back stronger and better. I put myself in the mindset that it’s just a performance, and when it’s behind you, it’s behind you. This mindset has been very important to me, because it frees my mind to focus on the next opportunity and give it my all.

Openness: The world of music has no boundaries and I strongly believe that if an artist takes the time to learn the basics of other genres of music, and not just their primary style or genre of interest, it can inspire them even more. I’ve been part of a jazz-fusion band for a few years now, and I had never imagined prior that mridangam would go with jazz instruments such as trombones, saxophones, or piano. I now know that had I not been open enough to take the chance, my musical knowledge and experience would not be where it is today.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

The most impactful thing my parents have and continue to do is support me throughout grade school, college, and definitely post-grad life. The fact that they continue to believe in me every single day, no matter what I am working on, means the world to me. My mother is a Carnatic vocal teacher and instrumentalist and if it weren’t for her introducing me to mridangam at a very young age, I wouldn’t be able to imagine life without it. My dad has also been equally supportive, being the person who makes sure that things run smoothly behind the scenes of any performance I do. I continue to be forever grateful for my parents who have never stopped supporting and believing in me, that I could do something unique and share it with the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.anirudhrajagopalan.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anirudhvraja/
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/anirudhrajagopalan
• Other: Tiktok: @anirudhvraja

Image Credits

All image credits: Anirudh Rajagopalan