Priya Ragu is a Swiss-Tamil artist making uplifting R&B that explores her independence while remaining true to her Tamil heritage. Her overnight success took years to develop and her career has exploded in the last few years with her being featured in Rolling Stone India, BBC Asian Network and Vogue. Priya is also being named as an artist to keep an eye on in 2021. She joins Ara to discuss being compared to M.I.A & being inspired by her, working alongside her brother, turning 30 & realizing there had to be more to life, quitting her full-time job and telling her parents she was going on a 6-month business trip when she was actually moving to New York to pursue her musical aspirations, and more!
"The Tamil Creator" is a podcast started by me (Ara Ehamparam). As someone who is extremely inquisitive by nature, I created the podcast to chat with, spotlight, and learn about brilliance among creators in the Tamil community - and among creators in general from all over the world.
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Timestamps
00:54 - Introducing Priya Ragu
03:13 - Giving herself 6 months to make it in the music industry
05:59 - Why she chose to chase her dream in New York
07:43 - Growing up in a musical family
11:41 - Working alongside her brother
13:40 - Wrestling with her music ambitions and parents’ expectations
18:33 - Telling her parents she was on a “business trip” when she quit her job to chase her dream
19:18 - The making of Priya’s hit “Good Love 2.0”
22:40 - How Priya viewed her strict upbringing growing up versus now
24:10 - Reconnecting with her Tamil roots in Toronto
26:45 - Did it matter where she grew up, how much luck is involved in success?
29:29 - Being compared to M.I.A. and wanting to collaborate with her
30:47 - The independent Tamil music scene
32:38 - What Priya does when she’s not making music
34:03 - Insecurities, and overcoming them
36:30 - The time Priya blacked out during her TEDTalk
38:10 - What would Priya tell her 16-year-old self
38:29 - The personal legacy Priya wants to leave behind
39:29 - Being inspired by Snoh Alegra and M.I.A.
41:43 - Advice Priya has for other Tamil creators
43:14 - Creator Confessions
47:27 - The wrap up
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