How Hyderabad’s Sherni is inspiring a new generation of women in Telugu rap
HYDERABAD: Ishitha Suryavanshi, aka Sherni, when steps up to the mic, she commands the room. Known by her stage name Sherni, meaning lioness, this Hyderabad-based rapper, lyricist, and performer is carving out a space no one handed to her. She built it herself, one verse at a time.
To trace her beginnings, Ishitha’s journey into music was neither planned nor straight. It began, of all places, in the comment section of a Facebook live. “Back then, Facebook lives were trending. There was a live going on about what you would do if you became Chief Minister for a day. I commented that I may not become a CM, but I want to become an RJ someday,” she told HyderbadMail in a exclusive conversation.
That throwaway comment caught the attention of a Hyderabadi web radio station, which reached out and offered her RJ training. She took it. Within months, she was working as a radio jockey, her voice, her pace, her delivery all sharpening into tools she didn’t yet know she would eventually use for rap.
From RJ to rising Telugu rap star
Delving into her background, Ishitha’s family is originally from Maharashtra but settled in Hyderabad three generations ago. She spoke Hindi at home and learned Telugu as she grew up. Her multilingual background became a creative asset. “No matter my roots, Telangana culture songs are my love,” she says.
Ishitha started her music journey by writing lyrics, not with a beat. She wrote lyrics and kept these early experiments to herself. She penned a Valentine’s Day song, a folk track, and a Holi number. Soon after, one of her tracks quickly gained traction and reached six lakh views in 24 hours. The song earned her a spot on a popular Telugu TV show, where she performed live. On Instagram, rapper Joe the Rapper noticed her performance.
“He had been searching for a female rapper for two years. Luckily, he found me,” she narrates. Further, Joe became her mentor, walking her through the structure of rap, bridges, hooks, choruses, bars. Their collaboration, Aadapuli, became her first official Telugu rap track, and she calls him her Guruji to this day.
Ishitha hustled for years without guidance. She searched for female Telugu rap artists but found none. “I got mostly male references. There were no female references in Telugu rap that I could start with not even one voice to understand what it could sound like from a woman,” she says.
Undeterred, she kept writing. She released a track during the pandemic, collaborated on Hindi rap, and worked on a multilingual project with artists in Telugu, Hindi, English, and Tamil. She has collaborated on many songs and has two film projects awaiting release.
At the same time, Ishitha performed paid gigs and produced more music, but she faced challenges too. She says indifference is the biggest obstacle. “Telugu rap does not get the same love that Hindi or English rap does. Audiences here grew up on film songs. Independent artists, especially those who write and record their own work, don’t always get the respect they are due,” she explains.
The comments section on Instagram, she says, can be brutal. “Hatred in comments is a very big turn-off. But we keep our work going.”
Sherni roars for women in Telugu rap
Adding another layer, as a woman in a male-dominated art form, Ishitha faces extra challenges. “Most rappers in Hyderabad are male. The few women in the field choose Hindi or English. I have a Hindi background, but I rap in Telugu. I wonder why more Telugu people aren’t rapping in Telugu,” she says.
Nevertheless, Ishitha feels motivated by this gap. “I want to set a stamp. I want my work to be a reference for any girl who enters Telugu rap in the future, so it’s a little easier for her than it was for me,” she says.
When it comes to her stage persona, Ishitha chose the name Sherni carefully. “I am authoritative. I have leadership qualities. When I am on the mic, I roar and people feel it,” she says. “My lyrics connect with people in many ways. Some want to dance. Others feel deeply or cry. Some listeners see their life play out in my songs. That emotional connection is what I value,” she adds.
She says emotional connection is her measure of success, not view counts or gigs, but personal messages. “Some people message me, saying, ‘I want to raise my daughter like you.’ They respect how I carry myself and what I stand for. That is the most beautiful thing anyone has said to me,” she says.
Breaking barriers in Hyderabad’s Telugu rap scene
The journey has not been without its share of doubt, and not just from strangers online. When Ishitha first began rapping, the reactions within her own community were less than encouraging. “I heard a lot. From relatives, from people around me, that I can’t do this, that rap is not for me.I heard a lot and went through a lot,” she says quietly.
But times have changed. Now, those same relatives express pride in her at family gatherings. Her mother hears others praise her daughter, the successful rapper. Ishitha says this change is especially meaningful. “Getting Shabash (applause) from relatives who once doubted me was a powerful moment,” she says.
If there is one thing Ishitha wants to tell a young girl thinking about picking up a pen and a mic, it is this, keep it real. “Make sure there is proper meaning, proper storytelling, and a meaningful conclusion. Not just noise. Keep the reality check in your lyrical game. Whether you write at 2 PM or 3 AM, make sure your writing game is always on. Drop tracks or don’t, but never stop writing,” she advises.
She urges all artists to try different styles. “Rap includes aggressive styles, R&B, hip hop, commercial, mellow, and more. Experiment with all of them. Freshness itself is valuable,” she says. She calls the music industry to notice local talent. “Movies call rappers from other states. We are right here. See us,” she concludes.
