Sid Sriram - The Hard Way

What this video is

Released July 14, 2023, 'The Hard Way' arrived as the lead single for Sid Sriram's debut Def Jam album Sidharth — a landmark crossover moment for one of Bollywood and Carnatic music's most prominent contemporary voices stepping fully into Western indie and R&B markets. Sriram, a Chennai-born, Fremont-raised Berklee graduate, had spent years as a celebrated playback singer in Telugu, Tamil, and other South Indian…

Why it matters

Represents a documented and commercially significant moment in the South Asian diaspora's integration into Western indie-R&B infrastructure — signed to Def Jam, collaborating with Bon Iver-adjacent producers, and receiving GRAMMY.com coverage. The song's drum-and-bass groove bridging Janet…

The director

Lucas Ochs-Messick is a freelance videographer and director. His directorial credit for Sid Sriram's 'The Hard Way' official music video was confirmed in a July 2023 press release from Universal Music Canada announcing the single and album Sidharth. LinkedIn…