Gayathri's search for excellence in Hindustani music began during her college days even though she was singing popular music for a Western band called ‘Kalinga’ during those days. Her ‘inspiration’ to take up Hindustani Classical music was Hariharan, the versatile and well-known vocalist. She also listened to performances of stalwarts like Parveen Sultana and Kishori Amolkar, which urged her to learn Hindustani music.

She initially took lessons from Ramesh Narayan, the Hindustani vocalist. In the meantime, she’d made up her mind to go to the North of India and get herself trained in the ‘gurukul’ way. It was around that time that the eminent Hindustani musician Alka Marulkar visited Kochi for a concert. Under the guidance of Alka Marulkar, Gayathri spent the next three years in Pune incorporating the techniques of Hindustani music. She is undergoing training for Thumri and Ghazals from Shubha Joshi, who is an accomplished singer of Hindustani Classical Music in Mumbai.

She started singing in Malayalam movies with the soulful song ‘Deena Dayalo Rama’ for the film ‘Arayannagalude Veedu’ whose music director was Raveendran. The song ‘Enthe Nee Kanna’ for the Malayalam movie ‘Sasneham Sumitra’ won her the Kerala State award for the best female playback singer in the year 2003. However, it is her song `Ghanasyama' in `Kochu Kochu Santhoshangal ' which is Gayathri's favourite. The music director of the movie is maestro Illayaraja, one of the world’s most prolific film music composers.

Among the people who have influenced her a lot is Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and she is an active member of the ‘Art of Living’ foundation. She has sung in many Albums and has also sung and given music for the Art of Living foundation which has been released worldwide by HMV, the royalty of which goes to the foundation.

Besides being a classical Hindustani vocalist and a playback singer, she is also a bhajan singer. She has travelled abroad quite a bit and has given Hindustani classical concerts and also programs based on film songs.

Gayathri has also recorded a cassette of Hindi bhajans called `Anahath' to her credit. She has sung along with Shahbaz in a Malayalam ghazal album, `Neeyum nilavum.' She has also composed music for an album of Hindi bhajans, which has been released by HMV Saregama and its called ‘Vishudhi’. She says that the album has a ‘contemporary’ feel to it.

Gayathri has done her M. A. in English Literature and is the daughter of two doctors from Trichur, Dr. P. U Asokan and Dr. Sunidhi. She has a younger brother, Ganesh, who is a software engineer.