US-based YouTube star Vidya Vox says that while growing up, she tried to shun her Indian heritage as she was often bullied in school. But she is now “100 per cent” proud of her roots.
Vidya Iyer, better known by her stage name Vidya Vox, was born in the Indian city Madras (now Chennai), grew up in Virginia, and is based in Los Angeles.
Asked how she feels being an Indian in the US under Donald Trump’s administration, Iyer said: “It’s great. There are many people like Priyanka Chopra of South Asian descent in the media who are in the forefront right now. That’s really great. While growing up, I didn’t see examples like that.”
“I was bullied when I was in middle school in DC, especially for being an Indian, because there weren’t many Indian kids in school. And because of that, I tended to hide my Indian culture, but that changed by the end of high school. Now, I am 100 per cent proud of it. I am not going to hide it any more,” she said.
“Growing up, I had a bit of an identity crisis. I spoke in Tamil at home and ate dosa and idli. At school, I would listen to Beyonce [Knowles] and eat pizza and fries,” she added.
The singer, who has learnt Carnatic music, felt like she was living in two separate worlds.
“I always thought how could I marry these two worlds... even if it’s for a few minutes. That’s how we came up with the idea of mashups,” said Vidya.
In 2015, she launched her YouTube channel with mashups of western pop hits and music from India. She has amassed over 350 million views and over three million subscribers.
Being a YouTube star, cyber bullying must be common. How does she deal with it?
“I don’t look at comments. I try really hard not to. It’s very difficult... people get bullied all the time. It’s important to remember not to listen to them. Your music is personal. Some people connect with it and some don’t. That’s okay,” said Iyer, popular for mashups like Closer-Kabira and Love Me Like You do-Hosanna.
She has also come out with an album, Kuthu Fire, consisting of original songs. To promote it, she is currently in India for a multi-city tour.
As part of Vidya Vox Kuthu Fire Tour, the singer, who is in her 20s, will be performing in New Delhi on November 25.
