Left: OTT @ottdubai Right people like us @peoplelikeus.community Earbuds Button @buttonsearbuds
Amrithavarshini Muralikrishnan @themusicaldoc Bello Creative Minds October 2025 edition
Brought to you by @buttonsearbuds
Varshini Muralikrishnan, widely recognized as The Musical Doc, is a Los Angeles–based artist, producer, and educator. Rooted in her background in Carnatic music and influenced by R&B, hip hop, and soul, she creates genre-blending work that bridges cultures and identities. A former medical student who chose to pursue her passion for music, she now runs TMD Studios, mentors creatives, and uses her art as a medium for healing, empowerment, and authentic self-expression.
B: Creativity often strikes in unexpected ways, where do you find yourself most inspired, and how do you capture those ideas before they slip away?
VM: For me, inspiration often arrives in the stillness between chaos, whether it’s early morning, late night, or during a long drive with music flowing through the speakers. Beyond that, my greatest sparks often come from my own life experiences, the revelations they bring, and the philosophy I’ve embraced of moving with the natural flow of life rather than against it. I find melodies in conversations, rhythms in the way people move, and stories in moments of silence. When those ideas come, I treat them like gifts and capture them through voice notes, scribbles in my journal, or by repeating them until they’re carved into memory. It’s a way of honoring the moment, grounding inspiration before it drifts away.
B: Every artist has a “why.” What drives your creative process at its core?
VM: At my core, my “why” is healing and connection. Growing up as the daughter of two classical Carnatic Indian musicians, I was immersed in music from the very beginning. My parents not only carried the depth of South Indian classical tradition, but also performed and taught music across the world, collaborating with artists from many different cultures and genres. That exposure to world music gave me a deep appreciation for the universality of sound and its power to bridge divides. At the same time, I explored instruments on my own, experimenting with rhythms and melodies that reflected both my heritage and my curiosity for the world. Yet as I grew older, I felt the need to step away and disconnect from it all in order to find myself outside of the music I had inherited. That separation was painful, but necessary—it allowed me to rediscover those roots with clarity and on my own terms. Now, my creative process is about honoring that lineage and the global influences I grew up with, while transforming them into something deeply personal. It’s how I heal, how I make sense of my own story, and how I invite others to see themselves reflected in the music.
B: Can you share a moment when a creative risk you took completely transformed your work or your perspective?
VM: The moment I chose to no longer separate my personal story from my artistry was a turning point. For years, I kept my background, the multiple creative hats I wore, and life-changing experiences apart from the music I was creating. I worried it would feel too vulnerable, too personal, or too different to share—but when I began to embrace it, everything changed. Owning that narrative, the fusion of my heritage, my travels, and my personal journey of disconnecting and reconnecting, inspired me to create my new upcoming single LaLa Land. Writing and performing that song was like opening a door to my audience, showing them a side of me I had once held back. It was terrifying at first, but it became one of the most powerful bridges between me and the people listening. That risk taught me, as obvious as this might sound, that authenticity is the true key to connection. By letting go of fear and leaning into vulnerability, I not only deepened my artistry but also gave others permission to embrace their own layered identities.
B: How do you balance the tension between staying true to your personal vision and creating work that resonates with an audience?
VM: It’s a dance. I remind myself that authenticity is what resonates most deeply. When I create from a place of truth, whether it’s joy, grief, or empowerment, the audience feels it…I FEEL IT. That said, I’m mindful of listening to my audience and other creatives I collaborate with: their energy, their reflections, their lived experiences. The balance lies in honoring my vision while remaining open enough to allow others to find themselves within it. My personal story, cultural heritage, and global influences shape my vision, but it’s the human emotions within them—love, struggle, rebirth, realization—that make it universal.
B: If your creative journey were a canvas, what colors, textures, or emotions would define it right now?
VM: Right now, my creative journey feels like a rebirth, a phoenix rising from the ashes. The canvas would be layered with fiery reds and deep oranges, symbolizing both destruction and renewal, with flashes of gold breaking through like light after the storm. The textures would be bold and dynamic, almost three-dimensional, reflecting the turbulence of letting go of old identities and the freedom of emerging into a new one and celebrating it all. The emotions would be intensity, peace, resilience, and hope. It’s about reclaiming power after loss, rediscovering my voice, and stepping forward with a stronger sense of purpose. My journey right now is less about returning to who I was, and more about becoming who I was always meant to be, while allowing myself to love and celebrate every version of me it took to get there.
B: Looking ahead, what kind of impact do you hope your artistic output leaves?
VM: I want my artistry to be a mirror and a medicine, something that reflects truth while offering healing. My hope is that long after a performance ends or a song fades, people carry a piece of it with them: the courage to rise after a fall, the freedom to embrace their whole selves, and the belief that their story matters and they are not alone. I want my work to live as an energy that transcends genres or borders, where someone in a different part of the world, in a different walk of life, can feel the frequency of my music and see their own reflection in it. Ultimately, I hope my legacy is one of transformation, reminding people that art can be both deeply personal and universally unifying.
Photographer / Videographer Yash Singh @yashxsinghofficial
Stylist AmbiKa B Sanjana @styledbyambika
Interview Isha Parekh @isha_parekhh
Production @bellomediagroup × @maisonprivee_
Left: OTT @ottdubai Right people like us @peoplelikeus.community Earbuds Button @buttonsearbuds