Sid Sriram – “Do The Dance”

In Southeast Asia, Sid Sriram is a stadium-level superstar, and he’s about to release his first English-language album. Sriram was born in India, but he grew up mostly in the Bay Area, and he studied at Berklee College Of Music. Sriram specializes in Carnatic music, the ancient tradition of Indian classical music, but he also loves American R&B. Sriram sings in a number of different languages, especially Tamil and Telugu, and he’s famous for his work on Indian films. Right now, though, Sriram is getting ready to release a record that he made with collaborators like Gayngs’ Ryan Olson and Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon.

Later this year Sid Sriram will release his album Sidharth on Def Jam. Sriram recorded the album at Ryan Olson’s studio in Minneapolis, and it features Justin Vernon on guitar and backing vocals. Last fall, Sriram previewed the album by covering Linda Ronstadt’s 1970s classic “Long, Long Time.” Today, Sriram releases “Do The Dance,” a lush new R&B track.

Ryan Olson co-produced “Do The Dance” with Alex Epton, the Spank Rock collaborator formerly known as XXXChange. The song’s credits list 10 songwriters, including Sriram, Olson, Epton, and Justin Vernon. It’s a smooth, pretty song that mostly works as a showcase for Sid Sriram’s voice. That guy can really sing. Below, check out “Do The Dance” and his “Long Long Time” cover.

Sidharth is out later this year on Def Jam.