Redd Alluri’s song, ‘Man of Truth’ comes ahead of the London-based singer’s EP, ‘Who Are We?’, which is set for release at the end of this month. A diarist to his core, Alluri’s songs wrote themselves during a six month travel break between completing his Master’s degree in Finland and returning home to India. We caught up with Alluri and asked him nine quick questions.
EP: What’s the Alluri story?
A: All the stories are in the songs.
EP: Talk us through ‘Man Of Truth’ – what’s it all about?
A: It is a song I happened to write in one go. I had travelled for a year around the world before I had written this. I had a smile on my face as I was writing the lyrics down. It was very enjoyable. The singer of the song has a split personality which he reveals as the song unfolds.
EP: You’re well travelled – what do you consider to be the major differences between the countries you’ve lived in, and what are some of the positives and negatives of each?
A: In England, human communication is verbalised in tremendous detail. In India, there is more body language used. Playing cricket in England is paradise. The food in India is where it is at. Finland is most peaceful. A sort of a modern utopia. I tend to ignore all the negatives. They would be too contentious for an interview anyway.
EP: We really like ‘Texture Composure’ – it gives off a vibe of something between New Order and The Smiths. How would you describe your musical style, and how did it happen?
A: This is one of the most weird songs I have written. The initial idea for the song had a pseudo Italian Opera feel to it. My musical style comes from listening to artists I love and playing their songs on the guitar. This is how I learnt to play the guitar. I eventually started to write.
EP: Referring back to the previous question, who would you say are your major musical influences? What about your influences in life?
A: I have listened to a lot of Radiohead, The Smiths, Joy Division, The Beatles, Lou Reed. Outside music I am a big fan of Ricky Gervais, Louis CK, Derren Brown and MS Dhoni.
EP: What’s your take on the current state of the music industry?
A: Extremely fragmented.
EP: If you could do it all over again, what, if anything, would you do differently, and why?
A: I would change nothing.
EP: What three artists should we be looking out for!
A: I am completely out of the loop. I have lately been listening to Ananda Shankar, Noel Gallagher and Michael Chapman.
EP: What question do you wish someone would ask you in an interview, that nobody ever does?
A: What is your deepest, darkest secret?
Find Redd Alluri online on Facebook and Twitter.
