Some people are born into music, Sreelakshmi is one of them. A professional vocalist, music educator, and founder of the SSV Music and Art Foundation, Sreelakshmi's story is a testament to what happens when passion refuses to be silenced. In a candid conversation with Marzi by Primus, she shared her remarkable journey, from singing beside her grandparents in a small town near Tiptur, Karnataka, to building a thriving music education ecosystem in Bangalore.

Rooted in a Musical Heritage

Sreelakshmi grew up in a home where music wasn't taught, it was lived. Her ancestor, Veena Venkatraipa, was a distinguished Mysore Asthan Vidwan who performed at the Mysore Royal Court and taught Veena across villages in the region. Her grandmother sang, her mother sang, and before long, so did she. "Nobody pushed me to sing," she recalls. "It was just inside me." By the time she was in 4th standard, Sreelakshmi was already winning music competitions. Through high school, she performed with various music troupes in Bangalore, progressed to stage shows, and eventually to recordings and private albums.

A Corporate Detour, and a COVID Turning Point

After completing her B.Com and MBA, Srilakshmi stepped into the corporate world as a Zonal Sales Manager in the FMCG sector, working with brands like VLCC and IFB Agro Industries. Singing moved to weekends, kept alive with the help of her husband, a music director in the Kannada music industry, who organized weekend shows and recordings. When COVID struck, travel-heavy field sales became impossible. With her son in high school and family support behind her, Sreelakshmi made a bold decision: she resigned and returned to music full-time.

Building a Music Education Empire, One Class at a Time

The early days were tough. Teaching online-only via mobile during lockdown meant minimal income. But her talent caught the attention of music academies, who brought her on as a mentor to teach Carnatic, Hindustani, semi-classical, and film music, often back-to-back, 9 AM to 5 PM. As her reputation grew and students began finding her Facebook videos, she expanded: launching her own YouTube channel with free tutorial content, building a social media following of 13,000+ subscribers, and establishing Sree Lakshmi Sangita Vidyalaya for students who couldn't afford academy fees.

SSV Music and Art Foundation: Giving Back Through Song

When her students started asking, how to turn their passion into a livelihood, Sreelakshmi founded the SSV Music and Art Foundation, an NGO that provides free music education to government school children every Saturday, supported by local MLAs and corporate CSR funds. Advanced students are trained as teachers and mentored on how to earn through singing. Her sales and marketing background proved invaluable: she navigated government cultural departments, pitched to corporates, and secured recognition from SAIVA (South Indian Women's Association for Art and Culture) for outstanding work in developing art for future generations, all within just a year and a half of the NGO's founding.

A Family Affair, and a Vision That Keeps Growing

Today, Sreelakshmi runs a home studio with her husband and son, producing original songs, karaoke tracks, dubbing projects, and even recordings for local government audio jingles. Her son, who studied media arts, manages her YouTube channel and handles audio-video editing. "It is only music, music, and music, always," she says with quiet pride. With her sights now set on expanding into Western music and jazz, Sreelakshmi is proof that it's never too late, or too early, to come home to your calling.