Born in Chennai, India, Surya was exposed to a wide range of sounds, from classical Carnatic to Hip-Hop. He liked listening to music and to sometimes create it. Recognising his interest and ability, Surya was enrolled into classical vocal training at the age of 7. Relocating to London at the age of 10, his interest in music found a new dimension.

Listening to the likes of A Tribe Called Quest, The Neptunes, Kanye West, D’Angelo and Justin Timberlake, he became an avid fan of Hip-Hop & RnB. Surya started writing songs again, and began making beats on his phone during the bus rides to and from school. However, music was far from the primary focus for him at this point, academics was.

Pursuing Philosophy, Politics and Economics, Surya joined Durham University for his undergraduate education. Skipping lectures and tutorials, he began to hone in on his skills and started creating music he felt compelled to record and release. In the summer of 2016, Surya released Move It, an R&B song which infused elements of World Music and Hip-Hop. It was immediately picked by BBC radio stations for airplay, with one of the presenters quoting Surya as ‘A pop, RnB, fusion bang’.

Surya followed with the release of his first independent album, Adolessence, in November 2017. Written, produced and performed by Surya, the 11 track LP was a conceptual piece which explored topics like existentialism, sexual harassment, alcoholism, and ambition. The release gained critical recognition. All of the tracks in the album were selected by BBC Radio Stations for airplay. Surya was picked as one of the best BBC Introducing artists of 2018, and was correspondingly featured on Tom Robinson’s BBC Radio 6 Mixtape. Surya’s music was covered by blogs all the way from Britain to South Africa, with the Underground Press commending him for ‘depicting social issues in a way few can, and even less entertain the thought of attempting’.