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Aditi Iyer
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
“Under the Roses felt satisfyingly sinister, like something bad was about to happen.” That is how 20-year-old singer-songwriter Aditi Iyer describes the emotional undercurrent of her latest track. Inspired by the Latin phrase sub rosa, meaning ‘something secretive under the surface’, the song captures a perfect façade. “We all feel ashamed of ourselves sometimes,” she says. “We all may feel these emotions when we admit truths about ourselves we do not like.”With ‘Under the Roses’, Aditi composed an entire track on her own for the first time and shattered long-held insecurities about her abilities. “In the past, I needed help or guidance to compose,” she admits. “But I had just taken this amazing songwriting class at Berklee that opened my mind and made me feel more confident as a musician.”Aditi began composing at 10 and released her debut four-track EP Dollhouse at 17, before enrolling at Berklee College of Music in Boston, USA, to refine her craft. The confidence she gained there made her write more fearlessly, she shares. “I would have never included a swear word before. I was guilty of trying to be a ‘perfect’ artiste and person when I am not.”The track, produced with Los Angeles-based songwriter and producer Ryan Benyo, takes on a dramatic, orchestral quality with strings and cinematic elements — a musical shift indicating her growing interest in film scores and storytelling.Over the years, Aditi has grown as a songwriter and a singer. Dollhouse focused on love and relationships — topics she felt expected to write about, even if they did not always reflect her experiences. With ‘The Queen’, she began exploring emotions such as anxiety and self-doubt, and by the time she wrote ‘Under the Roses’, she felt more comfortable expressing those feelings in her lyrics and music. Vocally, too, she has come a long way — gaining better technique, more control, and a stronger sound. “Under the Roses is my most honest and confident work yet.”Entering her senior year at Berklee College of Music, Aditi credits the college with transforming her songwriting and stage presence. “Earlier, I felt awkward on stage; like I could trust my voice to be emotive but not my face or body,” she says. Now, she finds performance liberating. “I feel I can connect on a deeper level to the messages of the songs I am singing.”Balancing opera and popWhile Aditi continues as a pop artiste, opera remains a personal and permanent part of her musical identity. Trained in Western classical music, she credits much of her vocal foundation to her teacher, the late Situ Singh Buehler, whose recent passing she is still coming to terms with. “She taught me everything I know,” says Aditi, who is committed to carrying forward her legacy.Aditi is also excited about exploring new genres. At Berklee, she recently discovered a love for musical theatre — a style already influencing her songwriting, with tracks like ‘Some Call It Jealousy’ and ‘Under the Roses’ drawing comparisons to stage ballads. Rock ‘n’ roll, too, is on her radar. “It makes me feel so alive,” she says, eager to experiment with its raw energy and attitude.When asked what she hopes her music stands for, Aditi says, “I hope people feel deeply when they hear it, whether it makes them laugh, cry, or dance. I want my music to be an emotional pocket where people can be the version of themselves they want to be.”She adds, “I believe music should be sincere rather than blindly formulaic. You should be able to tell the artiste had honest intent behind it, whether lighthearted or serious. I hope my music can be remembered like that.” Published – June 30, 2025 01:55 pm IST
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