Finding Companies with Apsara Kasiraman
Apsara Kasiraman (’22) is a recent graduate of SMU and the founder/CEO of two companies, Malibu View Records and Malibu View Productions. As a result of her years of study at the Colburn School, Apsara is a musical powerhouse and has written several pieces of composition that have won her multiple national awards. In her free time, Apsara is also an equestrian.
It was arguable that fate was at work on Apsara’s 2nd birthday when she received a toy piano as a gift from her mom. Taking a particular liking to it out of all the other toys, Apsara's gravitation towards the black and white plastic keys landed her in piano lessons when she was just three.
When Apsara was five, she and her family attended a small concert in Venice, Italy. Upon hearing the orchestra perform Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons”, the inspired pianist asked her mother to put her in violin lessons as well.
It was apparent that from a very early age, Aspara had found her love for music and took the initiative to immerse herself in that world. From the age of five up until she graduated high school, Apsara attended the Colburn School. In this highly selective performing arts academy, she honed her skills as both a pianist and a violinist while learning composition, orchestral conducting, and music theory. Apsara emphasizes that while Colburn raised her to be an exceptional classical performer, it also shaped her “as an academic in the context of classical music. So not just [answering], how do you play music, but also how do you truly perform, how do you read music, how do you analyze music—just understanding music at every angle possible.”
Apsara chose OHS because it allowed her to pursue music and academics at equally high levels. Holding her education and demanding musical extracurriculars both close to her heart, it would be a dealbreaker if she had to give up one for the other. She fondly recalls the OHS community as a group of passionate students who were “truly learning for learning’s sake.” In her academic life as a full-time OHSer, Apsara excelled in maths, taking classes up to the post-AP level, including Linear Algebra, Real Analysis, and Complex Analysis.
At Southern Methodist University, where Apsara attended college, she explains that her time there helped her to grow into a multi-genre artist by producing music in genres other than classical composition. For example, she “branched out to pop music because of certain recording, technology, and music industry classes. College helped me expand my palette," she shares.
College also helped Apsara discover what she wanted to pursue. When asked why she chose to minor in finance, Apsara revealed that by the end of high school, she had serious doubts about continuing down the artistry path as a career choice. “Arts is a very tough profession to have, and there’s a lot of highs and lows,” she admits; “It doesn’t pay well unless you are at the very top, and I really questioned if that was something I could handle and something I was prepared for.” So given her aptitude for math, Apsara gave herself a fallback option by originally majoring in both music and finance. However, about a year in, Apsara faced her truth: “Finance wasn't for me. And as much as I could do the work, I didn’t enjoy it. I couldn't see myself going into banking...I loved music more.” Accepting that fact, Apsara scaled finance back as a major to her minor.
Although she ultimately decided to listen to her passions, Apsara knew that the realities of the music industry couldn't be ignored. The idea to start her very own record label spontaneously came to her as she was waiting for a flight in Terminal 5 of the London Heathrow Airport. A rapper had messaged her asking if she could help with production and distribution, and it dawned on Apsara that her skill set could be used to start a business. While being on the artistic side of the music industry was a gamble with its highs and lows, the business side was constant because the artists will always need the support of the business side. Apsara's rationale was, “If I put myself on the business side, [it would] be more sustainable as a long-term career” while staying close to what she loved. She also focused her company, Malibu View Records, on being a multi-genre record label, a characteristic not typical of labels as their artists are usually exclusive to a specific genre. “I wanted it to be more about the artistry and not about what boxes it fits,” Apsara remarks.
What advice would Apsara give to OHS students? “If you love something, don't give it up. No matter what people say. Even if statistically it seems like the worst thing you could do in terms of a career, don’t let go of it entirely because your passion combined with ambition can make some amazing things happen.”
Although Apsara started off unsure of her future, today, she is the founder and CEO of two companies, Malibu View Records and Malibu View Productions, the latter being a film production boutique she founded a year after her record label. Apsara’s future projects include a major rebranding by extending her record label to include involvement in artists' live events. While it is a step outside a record label’s usual job, the freedom to let imagination and creativity dictate direction comes with owning your own company. Apsara’s story goes to show that misdirection, redirection, and a bit of faith will always be part of the process to success. Because she followed her passions, Apsara can continue listening to music for 12 hours each day, composing pieces, without regret.