After his widely publicised appearances as a prodigy, Ravikiran moved on to become a vocalist under the careful guidance of his father, Narasimhan. The latter's unique teaching methods enabled Ravikiran to develop rigorous discipline and have fun at the same time. Over the next couple of years, Ravikiran acquired a repertoire of over 500 compositions, and was also trained in the deeper and improvisational aspects of Carnatic music, including the ragam-tanam-pallavi.

Ravikiran debuted as a vocalist in 1972, at Coimbatore, India, at age five. His ability to perform full-fledged three-hour concerts with senior accompanists, displaying rare mastery over both the melodic and rhythmic aspects (such as singing a khanda ata tala varnam in khanda eka tala in the five jati-s) of Carnatic music, amazed scholars and lovers of music alike.

Ravikiran presented concerts to packed audiences for major organisations in various cities until the age of 10, at which time (anticipating a voice change),he switched over to the beautiful 21-stringed chitravina.

However, he resumed his vocal recitals in 1999 and now presents both vocal and instrumental concerts. His masterful knowledge of Carnatic music, his musical acumen, imaginative approach, breath control and diction, have made him a much desired artiste in prominent venues both in and outside India.

From the late 1980-s, Ravikiran had the rare privilege of learning from the celebrated vocalist T Brinda, widely acknowledged as a musicians' musician. His interaction with her added a whole new dimension to his perception of the microscopic nuances of music.

His thematic vocal recitals on works of venerated composers such as Tyagaraja and Oottukkadu Venkata Kavi have won approbation from music lovers.