GMI Students Speak: Riya Dugar

10 Sep GMI Students Speak: Riya Dugar

The student community at GMI cut across age groups, musical backgrounds, and interests. In our Students Speak section, our students share what drew them to GMI, how they see their artistry maturing, and their path forward.

Riya Dugar // Voice 

Delhi // India

Riya is the youngest student to start her music education at GMI, having enrolled at only 15 years old. Raised in and based in New Delhi, she is currently pursuing the Artist Diploma Program at GMI. Riya’s exposure to a variety of genres – from Bollywood classics to punk rock – at an early age led her to pursue music full time right after the 10th grade.

In this interview, Riya reflects on her experience visiting GMI, a “space entirely dedicated to music,” what drew her to enrol, and being the youngest student in her classes. She recollects performing a challenging piece for her ensemble class, the joy in finding a profound understanding of harmony and melody, and her future plans.

How old were you when you joined the program? 

I was 15 years old when I joined GMI in 2018. I started out with two part-time programs to ease into music education. I have currently finished three semesters of the Artist Diploma. 

When did you become interested in music?

I grew up in a very musical family. My father introduced me to old Bollywood classics and he played the guitar and sang new songs to me every morning. My brother was a huge influence on me, and I always listened to his music. We listened to a lot of pop and punk rock together, and it drew me closer to the world of music.

I distinctly remember when I was 7 years old, I loved watching live performances of artists on Youtube and daydreaming about performing my songs in front of a huge audience like that one day. That made me realise that I want to pursue music as a career.

What drew you to study at GMI?

After 10th grade, I took admission into private schooling to finish school on the side, and pursue music full time. I found GMI through a friend and went for a campus tour. I had never been to a space that was entirely dedicated to music and I was in awe of how inspiring and exciting the vibe of GMI was.

Later I met Aditya sir and learned more about GMI’s vision for the students and plan of action to bring that vision into reality. It made me realize that GMI was the place for me to blossom and that here I’ll find all the tools that I need to grow as a musician. The chance to interact and learn from new faculty every semester drew me to join GMI.

How did you feel about being the youngest in the class? 

It always felt odd to give up traditional schooling to pursue music education at an early age. Although this decision made music education feel very natural to me. I used to feel overwhelmed after realizing that my peers had much more experience than I did.

I later realized the importance of believing in my own journey and taking my own time to grow. At the same time, I was surrounded by people from whom I could learn a lot. This gave me a great opportunity to mature as an artist!

A memorable experience at GMI: 

There are countless memorable moments at GMI, from the practices for our weekly performances to exciting workshops and also jam sessions with our peers – these are things I’ll always love about being a student at GMI.

One of my favorite memories was performing a very challenging piece in my ensemble class. It was the first time I felt the beauty of the melody and harmony together. I remember being so immersed in the song that I felt incredibly emotionally overwhelmed.

What do you intend to do after GMI?

After GMI ends, I wish to focus on performance and practice for a while. Then I plan to continue my music education abroad.

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A fun fact about yourself: 

Apart from music, I have an affinity for learning languages.!

Your favourite food: 

I can always go for a warm and spicy bowl of ramen!

If you weren’t a musician, what would you be?

I’d probably be a chef, an artist or a photographer.

An artist that currently inspires you:

A few of them are: Gretchen Parlato, Tim Henson, Porcupine Tree, Tarun Balani

A track that currently inspires you:

Rejuvenation Agenda by Gerald Clayton and You & You by Micheal Mayo

Your musical idol:

Jacob Collier and Esperanza Spalding

Your dream collaboration:

Tigran Hamasayan and Jacob Collier

How do you spend your free time?

I love creating artwork, playing video games, and trying out new recipes!

A quote that keeps you going / inspires you:

“We have to find the ugliness in the beauty, then there is hope that art may just happen” – T.M Krishna.

“We’re too beautiful, each one of us to feel like we’re falling short” – Tarun Balani

An instrument you wish you could play / want to learn:

I really want to learn how to play the bass guitar and drums one day!

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