Senior Srinija Chukkapalli began posting covers of her favorite songs and her own music to her Instagram account, @srinijasings, in Jan. 2025, and has since gathered almost 200 followers. Simultaneously, Chukkapalli met like-minded musicians and perform at Antone’s Nightclub on May 17.
“Being perceived by others is very scary, especially when you’re not super confident too,” Chukkapalli said. “Putting yourself out there is very scary. What I tell myself is that embarrassment is a social construct. I’ve gotten so many opportunities from my posting.”
Chukkapalli’s musical career began in a hospital bed. During her two-year spell as a pediatric patient, volunteer musicians cheered and inspired Chukkapalli to pick up a guitar.
“Music is a really big thing for me,” Chukkapalli said. “It really started as a like coping mechanism for when I was hospitalized as a kid. During that period of time, music and drawing were my saving graces, and so after that, I’ve always found myself to be very musically inclined. Music has always been such a big part of me– although the way I do it changes, music itself has been a constant for me.”
Chukkapalli navigated in-school choir, band and musical theater to settle on her own songwriting style, inspired by indie pop artists such as Laufey, Gracie Abrams, Lizzy McAlpine and Beabadoobee.
“I really gravitate toward those who are more soft and very emotional in their lyrics,” Chukkapalli said. “In my songwriting, I use a lot of metaphors. I try to think about the experiences I’ve had and turn them into a more poetic version of events. For example, a person who you know is bad for you, but you feel really happy when you’re with them, is kind of like vodka. Or when you’re blamed for something you didn’t do, you’re the big, big bad wolf, huffing and puffing the house down.”
For Chukkapalli, the songwriting process begins in the notes app with thoughts and experiences accumulated throughout the day. She then sets her thoughts to chord progressions and vocal melodies, fleshing out a finished song.
“I can’t just sit down and write a song, rather, it’s a continuous thing,” Chukkapalli said. “The process in which you want to write can vary. Songwriting is not a very standard process. You can play around with it, but I think the biggest thing that has helped me is knowing what I’m trying to say in my music.”
In expanding her social media presence, Chukkapalli found camaraderie in bandmates, forming Pterodactyl Dilemma through her music school, Radha School of Music. Chukkapalli also performed in the NHS talent show on April 2 with seniors Elliana Reed, Xavier Molina, Joy Liu, and junior Ananth Nithanas Xaiver’s Shirts’ singer.
“Srinija is one of the most authentically kind people I know,” Liu said. “It’s really refreshing to be around her and I appreciate the judge-free energy she brings to any function. Music is another language and it’s truly such a cheat code for connecting with others. Getting involved with music at a young age has provided me so many opportunities and Srinija really exemplifies this as she gathered the band together. She took initiative to make our performance work and we wouldn’t have been able to do it without her.”
Molina said Chukkapalli acts as a centripetal force, binding the band together.
“Our performance went swimmingly because we put on a song that sounded good and we had fun on stage, too,” Molina said. “Srinija always brings a leadership with her, not through command but in a sense of partnership that shows you a way that you don’t might not have though of. Although we have spent much time together, I can tell she will be successful in whatever endeavor she pursues through her perseverance and approachability.”
Involved with the International Baccalaureate program, Women in Business, Women in STEM and a plethora of family responsibilities, Chukkapalli said finding time for music proves difficult.
“It’s so hard to plant rehearsals, especially when you’re scheduling with so many other students who also have their own lives,” Chukkapalli said. “It just comes down to wanting something so badly that you’ll make time to do it. As a student, I feel like I never have time to breathe, but for me, music is that release. Rehearsing or never feels like a burden. I make it a priority in my life that, even if I do have a lot of schoolwork, I carve out time. If you act intentionally, you’ll find that time.”
In the balancing act, Chukkapalli said knowing her bandmates grapple with the same weight of academic pressures is the “biggest help.”
“It’s really easy to see big musicians on screen and feel disconnected from them because we don’t have the same experiences,” Chukkapalli said. “They’re not high school students struggling in the same AP class. Sometimes it’s hard to balance the school aspect with all of this. The fact that my band members are also going through that same experience, but we are still able to devote time to music, really inspires me.”
In Chukkapalli’s first post, she covered Gracie Abrams’ unreleased song, “In Between.”
“I want people to know is that if you want to share something on social media that you’re passionate about, but you’re scared people are gonna judge you, just do it,” Chukkapalli said. “The right people are going to find you. I’ve made so many friends doing this and I’ve been able to connect with so many people who I wouldn’t have met if I didn’t take the opportunity.”
