Vidya Vox Explained

Vidya Vox
Birth Name:Vidya Iyer
Birth Place:Madras, Tamil Nadu, India[1]
Nationality:American
Pseudonym:Vidya Vox
Channel Name:VidyaVox
Years Active:2015 present
Subscribers:7.63 million
Views:1.19 billion
Network:Studio71
Associated Acts:Shankar Tucker, Arjun
Silver Year:2015
Gold Year:2016
Stats Update:June 6, 2024
Silver Button:yes
Gold Button:yes
Diamond Button:no

Vidya Iyer (born September 26, 1990), better known by her stage name Vidya Vox, is an American YouTuber and singer.[2] She was born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India and immigrated with her family to the United States of America at the age of eight. According to NBC News, her music is a mix of "Western pop, electronic dance music, Bollywood hits, and Indian classical music."[2] Since beginning her channel in April 2015, her videos have received over 906 million views, and her channel has accumulated over 7 million subscribers.[2] [3]

Personal life

Iyer was born in a Tamil family in Madras (now Chennai), Tamil Nadu, India and was raised in Virginia in the United States. Her family is from Palakkad, Kerala, and her mother and grandmother grew up in Kerala.[4] She speaks Tamil at home, learned Carnatic music from the age of 5, and also enjoyed listening to English music. She confessed to having an identity crisis, being bullied for being Indian, and hiding her culture while growing up, but has stated she "now feels proud" of her culture.[5]

She was inspired by her grandmother to pursue Indian classical music. She became confident of her Indian roots in college, joined the Indian Student Association, and joined Indian folk dance teams. She studied psychology and biomedical sciences at George Washington University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in biological sciences. She moved to India for two years to learn music.[2]

She collaborated on music with her sister, Vandana Iyer, and her boyfriend, Shankar Tucker, whom she met in college.[2] She also participates in bhangra and hip hop dance.

Career

Vidya Iyer regularly sings in a band organized by Tucker, along with percussionist Jomy George.[6] [7] She has performed in various locations around the world, including the White House, National Centre for the Performing Arts (India), and Webster Hall. She has also performed at Festivals Des Artes on RĂ©union; for INK Women; in Suriname; in Dubai, UAE; and at the Meru Concert Series in the Netherlands.[8]

Her most popular mashup was "Closer / Kabira", a mash up of Closer by Chainsmokers and Kabira from the Bollywood film Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani which clocked in over 55 million views in 7 months. One of her mashups is "Lean On" and "Jind Mahi", for which she had a collaboration with several other musicians, including Ricky Jatt, Raashi Kulkarni, and Roginder "Violinder" Momi.[9] She released "Kuttanadan Punjayile", a famous Kerala boat song, as a fusion along with an English song written by Tucker and herself, which was shot in Kerala with Mohiniyattam performed by Sreenidhi and Sreedevi. In 2016, she released her EP, Kuthu Fire, which was produced by Shankar Tucker, and co-written by Shankar Tucker and herself.[10] [11] [12]

Discography

Albums

2020: Butterfly2021: lost in summer2022: vanakam

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: About . Vidya Vox . December 9, 2015 . May 26, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171025023224/http://www.vidyavox.com/bio/ . October 25, 2017 . live.
  2. News: Luhar. Monica. November 17, 2017. As a kid, Vidya Vox hid her Indian roots. Now, her music merges India and the U.S.. en. NBC News. February 25, 2021.
  3. Web site: Be Free (Pallivaalu Bhadravattakam) ft. Vandana Iyer . YouTube. July 30, 2019 . en.
  4. News: Jaames . Merin Maria . January 17, 2016 . Stylish makeover for Malayalam folk song . November 6, 2022 . Deccan Chronicle.
  5. News: Vidya Vox proud to be Indian in America . . November 22, 2017 . February 25, 2021.
  6. News: Sreenivasan . Deepthi . Black or brown, Jomy George is a maestro . https://web.archive.org/web/20160911115904/http://www.deccanchronicle.com/entertainment/music/140716/black-or-brown-he-is-a-maestro.html . dead . September 11, 2016 . June 22, 2022 . Deccan Chronicle . July 14, 2016.
  7. News: Khan . Farah . Vidya Vox Returns to Her Roots With Latest 'Jodhaa Akbar'-Adele Mashup . June 22, 2022 . India.com . April 28, 2016.
  8. News: The mashup star . The Hindu . August 21, 2015 . August 21, 2015.
  9. Web site: Singer Vidya Vox on Blending two Musical Worlds: East and West . India.com . January 8, 2016 . January 8, 2015.
  10. News: The Famous Kerala Boat Song 'Kuttanadan Punjayile' Just Got A New Twist And It Sounds Awesome . The Huffington Post . January 13, 2016 . January 13, 2015.
  11. News: Vidya and Shankar Tucker gives Kerala's favourite boat song 'Kuttanadan Punjayile' a classic twist . India Today . January 14, 2016 . January 14, 2015.
  12. News: Stylish makeover for Malayalam folk song . Deccan Chronicle . January 17, 2016 . January 17, 2015.