rra team spotlight: suhana jagadesan
2 min
Hey y’all, Meera here and I’m so excited to kick off our new spotlight series on our fellow Ravi Ray Audio team members! Outside of RRA, they are all talented singers, dancers, and creatives that put out amazing work!
For our first spotlight, let’s meet our Marketing Lead, Suhana Jagadesan!
Suhana began performing at the age of 5 where she was classically trained in Bharatnatyam, Carnatic music, and Western Classical music. Her love for the arts continued as she spent her free time performing with student groups while attending New York University. After graduating with degrees in Neural Science and Journalism, she began her career in healthcare consulting before she switched gears to become an analyst for Gilmartin Group LLC. Looking to continue her creative spirit, she began creating original singing and dancing content on Instagram and TikTok to share her passion with her followers and fellow creatives.
I had a lovely time chatting with Suhana, so join me as we learn about her life as a creative!
What drew you to performing?
I love the growth you can visibly measure in performing as well as the feeling of shedding your skin on stage. Whether it’s an audience of 3 or 300, it’s your job/role to make your audience feel transported, even for a brief period of time. The more confident you are in your performance, the more entranced your audience is. There’s no feeling like it.
What does your creative process look like?
I usually find a song that sparks my interest and go from there or craft the project around a gifted item from a small business. From there, I choreograph, record (and re-record), rehearse, gather feedback, and book a studio (or plan around an outdoor shoot). I keep my workouts light and flexible during the week of the shoot, have the shoot day, receive footage, send back edits, receive the final project and then plan a release date!
What’s your advice for those seeking to pursue content creation while balancing their professional career?
Work your content into your schedule 90% of the time, and work your schedule around your content 10% of the time. Often my shoots/recordings take place before work (when I’m already ready).
What has been your favorite project you’ve worked on and why?
It’s hard to pinpoint a favorite, but in October I worked on a project with a company called ShopJSK. The project featured Gujarati folk-style dancing called Garba and Raas and the difficulty of the choreography plus the vocals, combined with the elaborate set design truly made the project so memorable. ShopJSK created a custom, vibrant yellow and red lehenga for me to wear that truly made the video so authentic to the vision we planned.
If you could change one thing about the music/dance content creation space, what would it be and why?
The need for comparison. Styles, preferences, and training all vary immensely from artist to artist. The same routine or song can look different from person to person when performing.
What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced as a performer and how did you overcome them?
Finding a stage to build my confidence. It’s a work in progress, but I realized that it was possible to build a stage for yourself through your platform. By releasing work on socials, I’ve been able to connect with my audience and boost my stage presence.
Fast facts:
First album you bought: A New Day Has Come by Celine Dion
One song that describes you: Can’t Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley I love the line that says “wise men say only fools rush in,” because it reminds me of why I love the arts. Sometimes is foolish to rush in, but the end result of a creative project is oh-so-satisfying.
Go-to karaoke song: My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion
Favorite live performance: Bruno Mars
Artist you want to see live: Celine Dion
After chatting with Suhana, I learned so much about what goes on behind the scenes of being a content creator in the dance/music space. She provided great insight from how to balance being a professional and creative to advice about pursuing this field. Her commitment to sharing her passion with others is admirable and I can’t wait to see her content grow and evolve!
(Are you an aspiring content creator or currently a content creator? Do you want to create high-quality original music, covers, or mixes? Learn about how RRA can help you polish and elevate your music here!)
Stay well, shine bright.
~Meera
