Interview with British Tamil artist Kapil Seshasayee
Interview by Naz Toorabally
Photo by Sean Patrick Campbell
We chat with London-based British Tamil artist Kapil Seshasayee about Carnatic improv, fashion and what to expect at his upcoming London headline debut later this month.
Naz: How would you describe your music to new listeners?
Kapil: South Asian classical music for a new generation – somewhere between the discipline of raga and the energy of the dance floor. I grew up with Carnatic Indian classical music at home but outside I grew up with Goth / No Wave / R&B / Hyperpop and all of these get referenced in the songs I write.
N: Hope I’m not giving too much away, but you’ve planned the show in two halves – one focused on the Indian classical music you’ve become known for through your livestreams and another set from your albums. Why have you chosen to split this into two distinct performances?
K: Some people think of livestreams as a stop gap dating back to the pandemic – waiting until the world could open back up again, but that's just not how I feel. I have a large focus on accessibility in my work. I grew up with two disabled parents so this has always meant a lot to me. Livestreams let me reach my listeners who might not be able to attend due to a disability or geography making it difficult or cost ineffective to travel to a venue.
N: And can we expect some Carnatic improv?
K: A whole set's worth! I'm entirely self taught so I've thrown myself in at the deep end with months of live streaming ragas to a live audience – I do love asking them live on stream what they'd like to hear next. I've gotten so many eclectic suggestions from ragas to anime theme tunes and even my own take on goth anthems from the 80s! I'm going to be asking people.
N: I also know you’ve been getting really into fashion – where did this start for you and any hints on what you’ll be wearing at the show?
K: Fashion has always been a political space – just like music, but it took me until 2021 to realise the true power of that. It's strange, but I recall very clearly the day I got "fashion-pilled" as I've been calling it. I had been booked to play the first lineup of landmark London South Asian festival Dialled In in 2021 and I wanted to make a statement so I decided to wear a jacquard print bomber jacket inspired by anti-caste rapper Arivu's outfit on the cover of Rolling Stone. This cover had arrived as a response to an ongoing controversy that Arivu hadn't been visible on his own hit release for the global hit "Enjoy Enjaami" that he released in 2021 as a collaboration with caste-privileged singer Dhee. She would appear on all covers and press for the song while he would be absent – owing to the fact that the evils of the caste system still exist and need to be spoken about. I wanted to reference this in my stage attire because I've been active in fighting the caste system in my own art for many years. This festival marked the first time I'd ever played to a majority-South Asian audience and it felt like my art "landed" as intended for the very first time. I realised a new-found interest in pursuing fashion as a medium for change and it's been an incredible journey since. I modelled anti-caste clothing by a friend of mine whose a designer on national newspaper Chennai Express last month and I've built a closer connection with my audience around my distinctive blend of Indian textile and Japanese blocky silhouettes that I wear onstage. I've just started a new content series called "styling the raga" in fact where I create new fits for different ragas (there are so many of them that this content series will be a long one).
N: You released two singles earlier this year – is there a new album on the way?
K: The album's coming together slowly – much like my 2018 concept album against caste and my 2022 concept album about Bollywood there's a concept behind this next record too but it's larger in scope so you might be waiting a minute but there'll be new music out every 6 weeks in the meantime!
Thanks for chatting with me! Any final thoughts you want to leave our readers with?
Come to the show – it's less gig and more diaspora hangout - a real community vibe for Alt South Asians. I want to build a space where we can feel welcome to be ourselves which I hope resonates with your readers.
Kapil Seshasayee’s London headline show is on 28 May 2026 at The Social. Get tickets on Dice.
Listen to Kapil Seshasayee on Bandcamp.
About Naz
Naz Toorabally is a queer, British Indo-Mauritian musician, zine maker and health educator based in north London. She is the founder of WEIRDO Zine and fronts post-punk band Dogviolet. When she’s not making music or zines, you’ll find Naz at a gig or hanging out with her cat.