Hi sweet people! long time since i blogged. Been tied up with some super-exciting work lately, about which i will be blogging in detail very soon. However, for those starving minds desperate for some new melody from me, here it eez! Well, this song is called oru vaarthai and its from a new movie Naanum en kaadhalum. Its got some heart warming songs by composer Mariya Manogar. He is very talented and has done a great job with this song.Its melody truly stands out and i for one, enjoyed working on this track. What more? I am posting this fresh and hot for my lovely followers!! happy listening:))
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Sangamam- Hits of Ilayaraja and AR Rahman on Mega Tv
Hey folks!! Wish you all a very very happy diwali! Hope you all had a blast of a diwali!! I had a very memorable and unique one too! This diwali was speacially divine and most cherished. You will discover at a later post how and why. until then hold your breath!
Before that let me offer you all a musical feast of Ilayaraja and Ar Rahman hits sung by me for Mega Tv for a show titled Sangamam. This series includes 10 classics of the musical mavens sung by me with a beautiful orchestra and great settings and lighting. songs featured include aasa athigam vachu,nenjinile, Swaasame, Kannan vandhu padugindran, medley of golden hits in rag Madhuvanthi like Ennullil engo, vanaville, thathithom and kanaa kaanum kalangal, Porale ponnuthayi, katril endhan geetham, asaya kathula and many more in two parts. so watch this video and enjoy a year full of brightness and prosperity! may mother Lakshmi bestow upon you all Subhiksham and lakshmi Kataksham on this diwali!!
Before that let me offer you all a musical feast of Ilayaraja and Ar Rahman hits sung by me for Mega Tv for a show titled Sangamam. This series includes 10 classics of the musical mavens sung by me with a beautiful orchestra and great settings and lighting. songs featured include aasa athigam vachu,nenjinile, Swaasame, Kannan vandhu padugindran, medley of golden hits in rag Madhuvanthi like Ennullil engo, vanaville, thathithom and kanaa kaanum kalangal, Porale ponnuthayi, katril endhan geetham, asaya kathula and many more in two parts. so watch this video and enjoy a year full of brightness and prosperity! may mother Lakshmi bestow upon you all Subhiksham and lakshmi Kataksham on this diwali!!
Friday, October 8, 2010
MATHRUBHOOMI- A UNIQUE CONFLUENCE OF CULTURES INDEED!
It was a fine Saturday evening, the eve of Gandhi Jayanthi, the birthday of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi- one of the most noblest and purest sons of Mother India. Mathrubhoomi concert by Event art featuring current flavours of music Shankar Mahadevan and Rock star of Carnatic music (as said by Shankar Ji) Smt. Aruna Sairam was rightly premiered on this special day as the concert aimed at showcasing the various hues of our Mathrubhoomi but concluding with the note that no matter how many different cultures India holds together, the soul at the core is one and non-fragmentable.
The artistes had pre-planned their attires I guess for their outfits were themed on Orange, the colour that signifies dawn, awakening, jubiliance, gaiety, warmth and other positive emotions. Aruna ji wore a beautiful arakku colour brocade saree suitably accessorised with traditional diamond jewellery. Shankar ji wore a pattu Kurta with elegant stone work and Dhoti. Aruna ji had violin, Mridangam, Ghatam and special effects accompanists and Shankar ji was accompanied by and array of Hindustani instruments like Harmonium, Tabla, Flute and Guitar. I have sung several live shows with shankar ji and look up to him as a Guru and my inspiration for great music. I happened to meet him as soon as he entered the venue. We exchanged pleasantaries. I was seated back stage so that I could closely observe the concert. After the artistes were introduced, an audio clip was played. What we heard was the famous poetry of Mahakavi Subramania Bharati ‘Bhaarata desam endru peyar solluvar’. Shankar ji explained that when they were approached to do such a unique concert, both artistes did not want to do the run of the mill stereotypical jugalbandhi competing type of concert showing off their respective vocal abilities. Instead when they were brainstorming about a concept that could bring together both artistes’ emotive skills and present a whole new enriching experience about our motherland, they immediately jumped at taking up this Bharatiyar poetry as the backbone and sailing through it to present the musical forms of different states and take the listener on a magic carpet ride through Bharat.
The entire poetry was recited and the meaning was explained in both tamil and Sanskrit. A surprise guest who stayed on for the entire concert was namma thalaivar super star Rajinikanth who’s Hi-Funda Endhiran had just released the day before. He wore a simple white dhoti and white shirt and made a non-fussy subtle entry as just a lover of music arriving dot at 7 pm asking the organisers if he was late for the concert!! I realised what made a super star!!
Shankar Mahadevan kick started the concert singing his ‘ shree ganeshaya dheemahi’ from his private album Ganesha and was joined at places by Aruna Sairam. The artistes made use of this piece to get warmed up to the BOSE sound systems, accompanists and ambience. After this, Aruna Sairam recited the first line of the poetry
‘Velli panimalaiyin meedholaavuvom adi melai kadal muzhudhum kappal viduvom’
Mother India is flanged by the mighty snow-clad Himalayas on the North and her feet are washed by the confluence of three oceans, Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal and the Arabian sea in the south. The Himalayas remain a mountain range of majesty with their imposing appearance and breath -taking splendour. It is in these Himalayas, wherein according to the Vedas, Lord Shiva resides with his eternal consort Devi Parvati the daughter of Himavan, the king of the Himalayas. The artistes rendered ‘Namachivaya vaazhga’ prelude and glided into Papanasam Sivan’s crisp composition ‘sabapathikku veru dheivam’. The Neraval passages in abhogi saw both the artistes crossing each other’s territory with aruna ji embarking on Hindustani styled phrases and shankar ji giving a taste of his Carnatic prowess. But it turned out to be a treat for the audience at the end!!
‘Pallithalam anaithum kovil seiguvom’
Aruna Sairam explained that, as far as India is concerned, Gurus or teachers are considered second to only god. After being in the mother’s care, the first person that every child looks up to is the teacher. In olden days, we had the Gurukulam system. Children stayed at the guru’s ashram, did seva or service to the guru and his wife and lead a disciplined life. The Guru selflessly taught all he knew and imparted all necessary knowledge required to survive in this world to the child. Bu today, schools have also become corrupted. Gone are the days when the purpose of education was to ultimately reach the divine and gain knowledge about the absolute truth. So Bharathiyar lets out a plea to convert all schools again to temples of wisdom to reach god.
True to this meaning, the artistes embarked on the Gopalakrishna Bharati kriti ‘Eppo Varuvaaro’ in Raag Jonpuri. I enjoyed the cascading sangathis in Shankar ji’s Robust voice.
Sindhu nadhiyin misai nilavinile
What followed next was unexpected. The magic carpet took us to sindh. Shankar Mahadevan tied a kerchief on his head and so did the instrumentalists. It was amazing to see the versatile artists switch gears from genre to genre and doing full justice to whatever they sang. They rendered a Gurbaani compsosed by Guru Nanak in Raag Brindaavani. Much to our surprise, They sprinkled carnatic styled swara passages in the end of the Hindustani styled Gurbaani. Shankar Mahadevan shined in ragas like Brindavani and its cousin ragas that evening.
Sundara telunginil paattisaithu thonigal otti vilayaadivaruvom
Aruna Sairam explained about saint Thyagaraja, the first and foremost of the Trinity composers, Thyagaraja, Muthuswamy Dikshitar and Shyama Shastri who lived in the 17th century. Thyagaraja’s mother tongue was telugu. He was born and brought up in Thiruvaroor, the lap of carnatic music in Tamilnadu, where coincidentally Dikshitar was also born. He composed in Telugu and Sanskrit. He lived as an example of national integration as far as music was concert. He was a devotee of Shri Rama and composed in the praise of Rama and Seetha. It is said that Rama was so impressed and touched by Thyagaraja’s devotion that he , along with his wife Seetha, brothe Lakshmana and eternal devotee Hanuman, personally paid a visit to Thyagaraja;s house and blessed him. Such was his devotional fervour and each on of his compositions reflects this and gives peace to the performer and listeners alike.
After a shared brief sketch of Hindolam, The artistes rendered ‘Samajavaragamana’. I thought they would sing a telugu kriti after all!! But this one happened to be in Sankrit! But hey, no complaints!!
Gangai Nadhi purathu godhumai pandam
In Aruna Sairam’s words ‘We will now take you to Varanasi where Mother Ganga flows with all her beauty, command and grace making fertile the entire region and bestowing all goodness to it. Ganga is the core or the root of our civilisation. Along the ganges, we find musicians singing Thumris, Khayals and every third person is an ace table player!!’
Shankar Mahadevan shot out a Thumri made famous by Bade Ghulam Ali saab. Unlike other Thumris this one was folkish and had a lighter tone to it.
Rajaputhaanathu veerar thamakku
Rajasthan is known for valour and courage. Even the women of Rajput clan do not fear to tuck in their swords, mount a horse and bravely face the enemy on the Warfield. The wedding songs of Rajasthan are very jubiliant and are full of celebration. Though many folk singers of Rajasthan are not formally trained their vocalising techniques are complete with zeal, Harkaths and mazza. ’Bannire’ meaning little desires was a super fast wedding number and got us all clapping along and cheering them. I am sure the artistes had a ball performing this piece.
Singa Maraattiyar kavidhai kondu
Aruna ji made a witty comment saying there was a Marati Lion sitting right in front of them!! Guess who?? Yes the one and only super star Rajinikanth!! She then belted out her speciality Abhang ‘Theertha vittala’ on the presiding deity of Pandharpur Lord Vittala. When two Artists at the peak of their creative journey vibe together, find their common wavelength and decide to produce magic, the result can be mind blowing!! This is exactly what happened in the next item ‘Kalinga Nardhana Thillana’, The master piece of the earliest composer Oothukadu Venkata Subbier, a master blaster of the 14th century. It was a well deserved standing ovation that they got spontaneously from the de’ la crème’ of Chennai!
This is definitely an evening that I will remember for a long long time to come and those who missed it, hard luck!
The artistes had pre-planned their attires I guess for their outfits were themed on Orange, the colour that signifies dawn, awakening, jubiliance, gaiety, warmth and other positive emotions. Aruna ji wore a beautiful arakku colour brocade saree suitably accessorised with traditional diamond jewellery. Shankar ji wore a pattu Kurta with elegant stone work and Dhoti. Aruna ji had violin, Mridangam, Ghatam and special effects accompanists and Shankar ji was accompanied by and array of Hindustani instruments like Harmonium, Tabla, Flute and Guitar. I have sung several live shows with shankar ji and look up to him as a Guru and my inspiration for great music. I happened to meet him as soon as he entered the venue. We exchanged pleasantaries. I was seated back stage so that I could closely observe the concert. After the artistes were introduced, an audio clip was played. What we heard was the famous poetry of Mahakavi Subramania Bharati ‘Bhaarata desam endru peyar solluvar’. Shankar ji explained that when they were approached to do such a unique concert, both artistes did not want to do the run of the mill stereotypical jugalbandhi competing type of concert showing off their respective vocal abilities. Instead when they were brainstorming about a concept that could bring together both artistes’ emotive skills and present a whole new enriching experience about our motherland, they immediately jumped at taking up this Bharatiyar poetry as the backbone and sailing through it to present the musical forms of different states and take the listener on a magic carpet ride through Bharat.
The entire poetry was recited and the meaning was explained in both tamil and Sanskrit. A surprise guest who stayed on for the entire concert was namma thalaivar super star Rajinikanth who’s Hi-Funda Endhiran had just released the day before. He wore a simple white dhoti and white shirt and made a non-fussy subtle entry as just a lover of music arriving dot at 7 pm asking the organisers if he was late for the concert!! I realised what made a super star!!
Shankar Mahadevan kick started the concert singing his ‘ shree ganeshaya dheemahi’ from his private album Ganesha and was joined at places by Aruna Sairam. The artistes made use of this piece to get warmed up to the BOSE sound systems, accompanists and ambience. After this, Aruna Sairam recited the first line of the poetry
‘Velli panimalaiyin meedholaavuvom adi melai kadal muzhudhum kappal viduvom’
Mother India is flanged by the mighty snow-clad Himalayas on the North and her feet are washed by the confluence of three oceans, Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal and the Arabian sea in the south. The Himalayas remain a mountain range of majesty with their imposing appearance and breath -taking splendour. It is in these Himalayas, wherein according to the Vedas, Lord Shiva resides with his eternal consort Devi Parvati the daughter of Himavan, the king of the Himalayas. The artistes rendered ‘Namachivaya vaazhga’ prelude and glided into Papanasam Sivan’s crisp composition ‘sabapathikku veru dheivam’. The Neraval passages in abhogi saw both the artistes crossing each other’s territory with aruna ji embarking on Hindustani styled phrases and shankar ji giving a taste of his Carnatic prowess. But it turned out to be a treat for the audience at the end!!
‘Pallithalam anaithum kovil seiguvom’
Aruna Sairam explained that, as far as India is concerned, Gurus or teachers are considered second to only god. After being in the mother’s care, the first person that every child looks up to is the teacher. In olden days, we had the Gurukulam system. Children stayed at the guru’s ashram, did seva or service to the guru and his wife and lead a disciplined life. The Guru selflessly taught all he knew and imparted all necessary knowledge required to survive in this world to the child. Bu today, schools have also become corrupted. Gone are the days when the purpose of education was to ultimately reach the divine and gain knowledge about the absolute truth. So Bharathiyar lets out a plea to convert all schools again to temples of wisdom to reach god.
True to this meaning, the artistes embarked on the Gopalakrishna Bharati kriti ‘Eppo Varuvaaro’ in Raag Jonpuri. I enjoyed the cascading sangathis in Shankar ji’s Robust voice.
Sindhu nadhiyin misai nilavinile
What followed next was unexpected. The magic carpet took us to sindh. Shankar Mahadevan tied a kerchief on his head and so did the instrumentalists. It was amazing to see the versatile artists switch gears from genre to genre and doing full justice to whatever they sang. They rendered a Gurbaani compsosed by Guru Nanak in Raag Brindaavani. Much to our surprise, They sprinkled carnatic styled swara passages in the end of the Hindustani styled Gurbaani. Shankar Mahadevan shined in ragas like Brindavani and its cousin ragas that evening.
Sundara telunginil paattisaithu thonigal otti vilayaadivaruvom
Aruna Sairam explained about saint Thyagaraja, the first and foremost of the Trinity composers, Thyagaraja, Muthuswamy Dikshitar and Shyama Shastri who lived in the 17th century. Thyagaraja’s mother tongue was telugu. He was born and brought up in Thiruvaroor, the lap of carnatic music in Tamilnadu, where coincidentally Dikshitar was also born. He composed in Telugu and Sanskrit. He lived as an example of national integration as far as music was concert. He was a devotee of Shri Rama and composed in the praise of Rama and Seetha. It is said that Rama was so impressed and touched by Thyagaraja’s devotion that he , along with his wife Seetha, brothe Lakshmana and eternal devotee Hanuman, personally paid a visit to Thyagaraja;s house and blessed him. Such was his devotional fervour and each on of his compositions reflects this and gives peace to the performer and listeners alike.
After a shared brief sketch of Hindolam, The artistes rendered ‘Samajavaragamana’. I thought they would sing a telugu kriti after all!! But this one happened to be in Sankrit! But hey, no complaints!!
Gangai Nadhi purathu godhumai pandam
In Aruna Sairam’s words ‘We will now take you to Varanasi where Mother Ganga flows with all her beauty, command and grace making fertile the entire region and bestowing all goodness to it. Ganga is the core or the root of our civilisation. Along the ganges, we find musicians singing Thumris, Khayals and every third person is an ace table player!!’
Shankar Mahadevan shot out a Thumri made famous by Bade Ghulam Ali saab. Unlike other Thumris this one was folkish and had a lighter tone to it.
Rajaputhaanathu veerar thamakku
Rajasthan is known for valour and courage. Even the women of Rajput clan do not fear to tuck in their swords, mount a horse and bravely face the enemy on the Warfield. The wedding songs of Rajasthan are very jubiliant and are full of celebration. Though many folk singers of Rajasthan are not formally trained their vocalising techniques are complete with zeal, Harkaths and mazza. ’Bannire’ meaning little desires was a super fast wedding number and got us all clapping along and cheering them. I am sure the artistes had a ball performing this piece.
Singa Maraattiyar kavidhai kondu
Aruna ji made a witty comment saying there was a Marati Lion sitting right in front of them!! Guess who?? Yes the one and only super star Rajinikanth!! She then belted out her speciality Abhang ‘Theertha vittala’ on the presiding deity of Pandharpur Lord Vittala. When two Artists at the peak of their creative journey vibe together, find their common wavelength and decide to produce magic, the result can be mind blowing!! This is exactly what happened in the next item ‘Kalinga Nardhana Thillana’, The master piece of the earliest composer Oothukadu Venkata Subbier, a master blaster of the 14th century. It was a well deserved standing ovation that they got spontaneously from the de’ la crème’ of Chennai!
This is definitely an evening that I will remember for a long long time to come and those who missed it, hard luck!
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Sri Ganesh caller tunes by Think Music
This Ganesh Chathurthi Think Music( Music label of Sathyam Cinemas) have launched exclusive caller tunes for mobile phones. These comprise of bhakthi songs and slokas and special mantras on lord Ganesha, the cute god who removes obstacles and always paves way for victory. These are rendered by me and my sister and singer Charulatha Mani of Isai Payanam and En uchi Mandaila fame. Catch your fav mantras like Ganesh Gayatri, Jai Sumirat Sidhi hoi, Gajananam, Vakrathunda mahakaya,Mooladhara Moorthy, ganesha Charanam Chanting etc rendered by me.
Following are codes for airtel, aircel, Docomo, Vodafone and Idea users!
Track Title Vodafone Airtel Idea BSNL Aircel Docomo
GaneshaCharanam 10467053 5432111916182 918602 918602 DT565522 463971
GaneshaGayathri 10467054 5432111916183 918603 918603 DT565523 463972
Jai Sumirath 10467055 5432111916184 918604 918604 DT565646 463973
Maha Ganapathim 10467056 5432111916185 918605 918605 DT565647 463974
Mooladhara 10467057 5432111916186 918606 918606 DT565648 463975
Mooshika Slokam 10467058 5432111916187 918607 918607 DT565649 463976
Vakrathunda 10467063 5432111916192 918726 918726 DT565655 463981
Gajananam 10467064 5432111916193 918727 918727 DT565521 463982
Sri Vigna rajam 10467066 5432111916195 918729 918729 DT565653 463984
Following are codes for airtel, aircel, Docomo, Vodafone and Idea users!
Track Title Vodafone Airtel Idea BSNL Aircel Docomo
GaneshaCharanam 10467053 5432111916182 918602 918602 DT565522 463971
GaneshaGayathri 10467054 5432111916183 918603 918603 DT565523 463972
Jai Sumirath 10467055 5432111916184 918604 918604 DT565646 463973
Maha Ganapathim 10467056 5432111916185 918605 918605 DT565647 463974
Mooladhara 10467057 5432111916186 918606 918606 DT565648 463975
Mooshika Slokam 10467058 5432111916187 918607 918607 DT565649 463976
Vakrathunda 10467063 5432111916192 918726 918726 DT565655 463981
Gajananam 10467064 5432111916193 918727 918727 DT565521 463982
Sri Vigna rajam 10467066 5432111916195 918729 918729 DT565653 463984
Mayakkum Malai Pozhudhu 2010
Mayakkum Malai Pozhudhu- An evening of lilting melodies 2010 was held at Kamarajar Arangam this july and it felt so great to perform golden melodies from past and present. I began the show with my favorite melody katrinile varum geetham from Meera. Myself and singer/composet Unnimenon sir were the star singers for this evening. Mouna raagam provided awesome back-ups for this show done by Universal events. I felt on top of the world performing south indian melody queen P Susheela amma's Malai Pozhudin Mayakkathile from Bhagyalakshmi movie as the theme song for the evening. It came out so well. I sang duets with unnimenon sir like Pudhu vellai mazhai, Paarta Mudhal naale and my own hits like Kanaa Kaanum kalangal, Enna indha matramo etc.,
The chief guest fro the evening was legendary playback singer Malaysia Vasudevan sir, before whom i performed Aagaya gangai from Dharmayudham, one of his greatest hits in Maestro ilayaraja's music. It was one evening to remember with all proceeds benefitting a home for orphaned special children.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Mere tho Giridhar Gopal
Hey folks! Its been quite a while since i have blogged. I was pretty shaken by the death of one of the greatest singers of our times- Swarnalatha, Lady with a golden voice. Well , anyway this post is about my recent concert for Janmashtami at ISKCON Hare Krishna temple, Thiruvanmiyur on September 2nd. I am a devotee of lord Krishna and share a special bond with the lord. the connect that i feel when i render Bhajans on lord Krishna is not quite explainable in words. So when i was approached by ISKCON to do a 2 hour concert of Bhakthi Sangeeth on Lord Krishna, i jumped at it.
This was organised on Janmashtami, Krishna's birthday. So it gave me more joy and happiness to be blessed enough to perform for the lord's pleasure on this auspicious occassion. The Hare Krishna temple at first seaward road is located by the seashore. It is a very beautiful place surrounded by palm trees, pools, green lush lawns and the lord's temple to crown all this beauty.
a pretty pandhal was put up and on the stage the decorated idols of Krishna Balarama were placed amidst much paraphernelia. krishna Balarama looked really beautiful dressed in specially designed Pink and blue outfits that made them look really smart and attractive!!
I was accompanied by sunder on the tabla, Shri. Subbu on the keys and shri. Muthukumar on the flute. I planned this concert as an evening of Bhakthi sangeeth featuring an assortment of Krishna Bhajans by various composers who have glorified krishna Bhakthi through decaded like Meera Bhai, Purandaradasa,annamacharya and the Alwars , the noted , among many great composers.
I began the evening with the evergreen katrinile varum geetham from Meera, immortalised by Bharat Ratna Smt. MS Subbulakshmi. I felt this would be a fitting beginning to the concert. This piece in Sindhubhairavi Rag was the first song that i performed on Tv show sapthaswarangal way back in 1997 when i was a kid. This earned me world fame even as a child. i guess the power of the song is such.I have always loved performing this song .
Next came Hey hare dayala, a heart wrenching Bhajan in Rag Patdeep from Meera movie. The "jaya meera prabhu meera" chanting at the end never fails to take devotees to another world of transcendental bliss across the realm of Bhakthi.
I performed songs like Nanda Nandana the famous meera Bhajan, Mharo Pranam- made famous by Hindustani stalwart Kishori amonkar, Mera Shaam thu in pantuvarali, Brundavanathil, Thane Kayi Kayi, Baro Krishnayya, Dolayam and Bhavayami Gopala balam after this.
I also included " Ayarpadi maligayil" , the cute lullaby song for Baby Krishna tuned by MSV and written by Kavignar Kannadasa who was a devotee himself. this garnered much applause and i totally enjoyed every moment of this song.
This live concert will soon be released as a live concert CD. so watch out and grab your copy!! i hope to do many such bhakthi sangeeth concerts in future. Bhakthi refines, enriches and revitalises the soul.
Here is a picture from Mere to Giridhar Gopal
An ode to Swarnalatha from her fan
The death of singer Swarnalatha - The lady with the most resonant, most appealing and most sensuous voice i have ever heard is indeed shocking to the entire music industry and millions of her fans including me. I would like to share my thoughts and outpour of my heart that never failed to sway to her metallic voice, a voice that was capable of penetrating deep into the soul and shake a thousand emotions out of it.
True to her name, her voice was golden, eternal. There are some voices that are created by god that are meant to sing, to spread joy to the people.Swarnalatha's voice was probably tailor made to suit this purpose. As a young singer, the first song that i sang on Tv shows and alway won prizes was Porale Ponnuthaayi, her National award winning song. Though i was only 10 when i first sang this song, i could understand the underlying intensity of the emotions conveyed through this song through the medium of her voice and it was the first voice that greatly inspired me from within. I have met her on one occassion at a studio. she had just finished her recording and i was about to begin mine. when she stepped out of the voice console, I fell at her feet. She blessed me and kindly asked me about my work. She wore a beautiful blue salwar and wore stunning gold ornaments. Her singing reflected her persona. So full of kindness, innocence yet a lot of intense emotions stashed deep within. It is hard to believe she died of lung infection as the kind of breath control she had, only a pair of bellows instead of lungs could produce! Be it the arabic genius humming in Humma or the heart wrenching Porale Ponnuthaayi or the playful akkada or the recent Evano Oruvan or vintage Ilayaraja hit like Malayil yaaro and the longing Aalana sedhi solli in Deva's music, She has been the other name for versatality.
The other day i was driving and listening to Kuchi Kuchi Rakkama from Bombay. Her voice was crytal- like, beaming away to glory through Rahman's composition. Though she was very reserved, she was the hot favorite of top composers of our times. She held her own throne, musical kingdom in the hearts of her fans.Her voice will always remain one of its kind, Her glory will never die. May her soul rest in peace. We love you Swarnalatha ji, forever.
True to her name, her voice was golden, eternal. There are some voices that are created by god that are meant to sing, to spread joy to the people.Swarnalatha's voice was probably tailor made to suit this purpose. As a young singer, the first song that i sang on Tv shows and alway won prizes was Porale Ponnuthaayi, her National award winning song. Though i was only 10 when i first sang this song, i could understand the underlying intensity of the emotions conveyed through this song through the medium of her voice and it was the first voice that greatly inspired me from within. I have met her on one occassion at a studio. she had just finished her recording and i was about to begin mine. when she stepped out of the voice console, I fell at her feet. She blessed me and kindly asked me about my work. She wore a beautiful blue salwar and wore stunning gold ornaments. Her singing reflected her persona. So full of kindness, innocence yet a lot of intense emotions stashed deep within. It is hard to believe she died of lung infection as the kind of breath control she had, only a pair of bellows instead of lungs could produce! Be it the arabic genius humming in Humma or the heart wrenching Porale Ponnuthaayi or the playful akkada or the recent Evano Oruvan or vintage Ilayaraja hit like Malayil yaaro and the longing Aalana sedhi solli in Deva's music, She has been the other name for versatality.
The other day i was driving and listening to Kuchi Kuchi Rakkama from Bombay. Her voice was crytal- like, beaming away to glory through Rahman's composition. Though she was very reserved, she was the hot favorite of top composers of our times. She held her own throne, musical kingdom in the hearts of her fans.Her voice will always remain one of its kind, Her glory will never die. May her soul rest in peace. We love you Swarnalatha ji, forever.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Ponds alaapana award 2009, My first Telugu award
SOme more good news for all my fans and friends:-)) Just bagged my first ever Best singer award in Telugu for the chartbuster Yele yele from Ganesh Just Ganesh in Mickey J Meyer's music. This was Ponds Alapana awards 2009 held at Tirupati. I received this award from Veteran music composer Koti Garu. the highlight was that, P Susheela amma was the chief guest. She lauded me for my perfect telugu diction. felt top of the world. I performed Yele for the first time for a packed telugu audience. Could feel my heart popping out and my adrenalin levels on an all time high when i began the first Yele humming and the crowd screaming. This was indeed MY moment!! Sang before Vidhyasagar ji, Ramjogiah Sastry garu(Lyricist of Yele), MM Srilekha(composer) and other distinguished personalities of Tollywood..
Next morning had a lovely darshan of my lord Venkateshwara Balaji in Tirupati. Felt at Vaikuntaa the minute he gave me Darshan.. What an image !
Raj Tv Kodai Kondattam. Erode 2010
Hey lovely people!
Not been blogging for sometime..My bad..:(
Anyways, thought ill bounce back with some lively news..ya literally, im talking about my latest live show Raj Tv Kodai Kondattam held at Erode on May 23rd at Sengundar grounds. I sang the show with Harish Raghavendra. raj Tv Kodai Kondattam happens every year. It is a series of light music shows held at different cities across Tamilnadu. In short, it is a summer musical feast. Last year i sang at coimbatore. This year, It was Erode.
Just before the show, I went to Sennimalai Murugan temple, about an hour's drive from Erode. It is a very divine place and the weather was a little cloudy, just right to go on the Sennimalai mountain top. I could see why Lord Muruga always like mountains. They are so serene, peaceful and away from the noise and buzz of the city. I was glad my mom came along. There were not many people so i had a very exclusive darshan of muruga and his lovely wives, valli and Deivanai amman. I was blessed enough to render a Thiruppugazh in praise of Thamizh Kadavul Murugar.
The show was an extension of Muruga's blessings. It was really successful. As it was my Idol janaki amma's birthaday the previous day, I sang Kannan Vandhu Paadugindran as a gift to her. I also sang some high energy numbers like Hey atha, Daddy Mummy and some serene ones like Idhu Varai, Kanaa Kaanum etc.,
so here are some pics.. This show was aired in Raj Tv in June first week..
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Goripalayam, Kalavaani- My recent tamil outings!
Okay, here are two latest songs of mine from Goripalayam and Kalavaani. Now, into the details. Goripalayam is director Rasu Maduravan's outing after the very successful Mayandi Kudumbathar from which my song Kalavaaniye is a super hit. Am really happy to be associated with this happening team again. Enna indha matramo, my duet with Karthik in Sabesh- Murali's music is a very mesmerising romantic song written by none other than Na. Muthukumar. An urugudhe-ish song but unique and beautiful in its own way.
The next one is Damma Dumma, the song that is presently rocking caller tunes from the SS Kumaran musical Kalavaani. Produced by Nazir, this movie is set in a rural backdrop and my song is a ch-chweet kinda song with the catchy phrase Damma dumma rendered by Kids!
Check these out for now and i will be back soon with more interesting numbers and events!!!
The next one is Damma Dumma, the song that is presently rocking caller tunes from the SS Kumaran musical Kalavaani. Produced by Nazir, this movie is set in a rural backdrop and my song is a ch-chweet kinda song with the catchy phrase Damma dumma rendered by Kids!
Check these out for now and i will be back soon with more interesting numbers and events!!!
Pen Singam
Pen singam- Our chief minister Kalaignar Karunanidhi's 75th movie. I am really happy to have sung a lovely song in this prestigious project for thenisai thendral Deva ji. It happened all of a sudden when Kaviperarasu Vairamuthu ji and Deva sir wanted me to sing this lilting and fast paced duet with Hariharan ji. The recording went off really well with Deva sir's conductor Sundarrajan uncle guidiong me so well through the song. I heard that Kalaignar ayya heard the song and appreciated and enquired about me. What more can i ask for? The audio was launched recently by ulaganayagan Kamal hasan and received by Kalaignar. The golden hands that has written n number of scripts and songs for doyens like Sivaji sir, MGR and other other great singers receiving a cd with my song was a moment that i will cherish forever.
Nee sonnal thei pirai valarum, a very well-penned poetic love song by Vairamuthu is indeed a gift from above for me this year. Here is the song for all my beloved fans and well-wishers!!Happy listening:-)
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
It’s family time for Chennaiites
Wishing you all a very happy Vikruthi tamil new year!
May this year be filled with joy, prosperity and goodness for all you lovely people:-)
It is definitely family time for all Tamilians. As Tamil Puthaandu, Bihu, Vishu and Baisakhi coincide , it is definitely an overdose of festivity and quality family time for all of us. I just now had my favorite festival breakfast made by my Patti consisting of mouth-watering south-indian dishes like Poli, Vadai, idly, Neer mor and a host of other things. We did the traditional Kani Muzhi. I saw a silver plate full of Fruits, Coins, gold, Ornaments and everything that signifies prosperity and prayed to goddess Lakshmi that this new year be filled with joy for the entire world.
Also to add to the spice and show biz, I did a photoshoot at Park sheraton yesterday for Deccan Chronicle coverpage with VJ Ramya. It was really cool.I ve attached it below.
It’s family time for Chennaiites | Deccan Chronicle | 2010-04-14
May this year be filled with joy, prosperity and goodness for all you lovely people:-)
It is definitely family time for all Tamilians. As Tamil Puthaandu, Bihu, Vishu and Baisakhi coincide , it is definitely an overdose of festivity and quality family time for all of us. I just now had my favorite festival breakfast made by my Patti consisting of mouth-watering south-indian dishes like Poli, Vadai, idly, Neer mor and a host of other things. We did the traditional Kani Muzhi. I saw a silver plate full of Fruits, Coins, gold, Ornaments and everything that signifies prosperity and prayed to goddess Lakshmi that this new year be filled with joy for the entire world.
Also to add to the spice and show biz, I did a photoshoot at Park sheraton yesterday for Deccan Chronicle coverpage with VJ Ramya. It was really cool.I ve attached it below.
It’s family time for Chennaiites | Deccan Chronicle | 2010-04-14
Friday, March 5, 2010
With the master!
I had the good fortune of performing before the maestro carnatic music legend, My favorite Chevalier Dr. M.Balamuralikrishna Ji in James Vasanthanin Isai Payanam shoot in Vijay Tv. Sang my yaradhu yaro song from Yadhumaagi. Getting candid with MB !
Monday, March 1, 2010
maro charitra audio launch
Maro charitra audio launch on maa tv with my song ninnu nannu trailer and audio function. spot me in white outfit!!
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Srimathumitha- Live
Below are some live videos i could get for my fans. One is with SpB sir in a recent show where i did Andhi Mazhai and pothi vecha songs. Felt truly blessed to perform with him on stage. The next one is with Krish for a corporate show on January 23rd. we did adiye kolludhe from Varanam ayiram with Mr.MJ shriram's troupe. Totally rocked the stage, i tried lotsa dance moves ..It was sooo much fun!!
Srimathumitha song chart on Hummaa.com
Hey people!
I just discovered that hummaa.com has my entire song collection including tamil and telugu hits, A recently released patriotic songs album of mine titled vande Mataram - this includes patriotic songs of great composers like Bharatiyar, Rabindranath tagore in various languages like tamil, telugu, bengali, hindi, marati.I strongly recommend this album to all the mahaan bharatiya log.. it simply rouses the true indian in you. it has the Lata Mangeshkar classic aye mere vatan ke logo sung by me. this has grand orchestration by Mr.Kannan (now Tamizhpadam's music director).This is an audio treat to all indians. so what are you waiting for? check it out!!
Vande Mataram Songs, Vande Mataram Download mp3 - Tamil Patriotic , Vande Mataram online music, Vande Mataram lyrics on Hummaa.com
Srimathumitha song chart on hummaa.com
I just discovered that hummaa.com has my complete song chart including tamil hits, telugu hits, my Patriotic album Vande mataram (patriotic songs in various indian languages like bengali, Hindi, telugu), now Vande mataram is a must listen.In this song chart, You can find my rare devotionals from the albums arul anandam and karagam
Now a Did you Know?
1. I have sung for AR Rahman's Vande mataram and Jana Gana Mana albums as a 10 year old..! yes i did the kids harmony for Ar Rahman ji for a lot of tamil and hindi films including Lagaan( Ganana), Dilse, Pukar (Ek tu hi Bharosa), 1 2 Ka 4 , kanathil muthamittal( Sundari, I feature solo on this) and Sangamam( Margazhi thingal allava)
2. I had the privelage of doing a Ar Rahman Musical exclusive Interview for Pongal 2009. This was for All India Radio's FM Rainbow 101.4. This experience was one of a kind..Truly memorable and cherished.
3. My first full fledged playback stint was actually for Yuvan Shankar raja for the Bala Movie Nanda. In the song kalli Adi Kalli featuring Laila, Bala sir wanted my voice for her. The sirithidum vaavi karayoram part was sung by me. I was only 13 when i sang this song.
Songs of Srimathumitha, Download mp3s of Srimathumitha, Top charts of Srimathumitha,Srimathumitha biography,Srimathumitha hit songs,Srimathumitha lyrics,Srimathumitha online music on Hummaa.com
Now a Did you Know?
1. I have sung for AR Rahman's Vande mataram and Jana Gana Mana albums as a 10 year old..! yes i did the kids harmony for Ar Rahman ji for a lot of tamil and hindi films including Lagaan( Ganana), Dilse, Pukar (Ek tu hi Bharosa), 1 2 Ka 4 , kanathil muthamittal( Sundari, I feature solo on this) and Sangamam( Margazhi thingal allava)
2. I had the privelage of doing a Ar Rahman Musical exclusive Interview for Pongal 2009. This was for All India Radio's FM Rainbow 101.4. This experience was one of a kind..Truly memorable and cherished.
3. My first full fledged playback stint was actually for Yuvan Shankar raja for the Bala Movie Nanda. In the song kalli Adi Kalli featuring Laila, Bala sir wanted my voice for her. The sirithidum vaavi karayoram part was sung by me. I was only 13 when i sang this song.
Songs of Srimathumitha, Download mp3s of Srimathumitha, Top charts of Srimathumitha,Srimathumitha biography,Srimathumitha hit songs,Srimathumitha lyrics,Srimathumitha online music on Hummaa.com
Saturday, February 27, 2010
A little rewind- Paruthiveeran
Ahem ahem... a little rewind to 2006..a cinema that shocked, surprised and jolted the tami film industry, paruthiveeran..Here is a video of my song from the record breaking movie ameer's movie in Yuvan shankar Raja's music. Its called sarigama padani , writtem by Snehan ji, my very good friend. Its priya mani's intro song in the movie where she plays around with the old ladies of the village and they tease her in return.. It was a very funny experience recording this song. I had earlier sung the pathos number Vidigindra pozhudhu for ameer sir's raam. He wanted to experiment my singing in a totally contrasting style and that is how sarigama was born in kalasa studios, chennai.
The funny part is that i had to shout ye kezhavi meaning hey old lady!!.. I became really shy and was hesitant to do so. Ameer sir immediately switched off all lights and told me to shout the line about 20 times and i did so..he picked up the best one and that is what comes at the end of the song... Recollecting this makes me laugh even today
heres the video
The funny part is that i had to shout ye kezhavi meaning hey old lady!!.. I became really shy and was hesitant to do so. Ameer sir immediately switched off all lights and told me to shout the line about 20 times and i did so..he picked up the best one and that is what comes at the end of the song... Recollecting this makes me laugh even today
heres the video
Aaraavadhu vanam
Now this is an interesting song that i have sung in Aaravadhu vanam. Its called Mayiley oh Mayiley. This movie has lovely music by debutant Mr R.Haribabu, a bangalore-based talented music director. Mayiley is a lovely melody. unfortunately, i cant find an embeddable link anywhere:(.so all u guys , if you are curious to listen to this scintillating song( i really mean it, its super cute and mesmerising), do check it out at any site..just google aaravadhu vanam..believe, it will definitely be worth your labour of googling!!
Srimathumitha's Latest Tamil hits
For all those chellamaana Tamizhaga makkal who have been wondering why Srimathumitha is posting only her Telugu progress, here is a treat of all my latest tamil songs.. One is from the movie Mayandi kudumbathar its called kalavaaniye.. Its got lovely music by the duo music directors Sabesh and murali ji. this song was voted one of the best tamil hits of 2009 by a very popular TV channel.
The next one is called Yaradhu yaro from the movie Yadhumaagi.Its got music by Mr.James vasanthan of subramaniapuram fame. This song is a lovely duet with Mr.Bellie Raj. Yaradhu is based in the raaga atana with a mix of sriragam. guess only james ji can come up with something like this..the movie starring sachin and sunaina is gearing up for release on March 5th..Heres wishing the entire team of yadhumaagi including Director balakumar all success!!
The next one is a remix of yesteryear super hit Aalaana Thamra..the very sensuous number from idhu namma aalu sung in the honey like sexy voice of my idol S.Janaki amma! Guess this song was the epitome of super sexy song in those days,with its oos and aas and timely Vaango naa, it has it all!!! I ve said the vaango naas in this modern day remix by dharan. Another interesting thing is that the person whos sung it with me is noneother than the happening director of goa , Mr.Venkat prabhu:-)
so here are the three songs ..
aalaana thamara
The next one is called Yaradhu yaro from the movie Yadhumaagi.Its got music by Mr.James vasanthan of subramaniapuram fame. This song is a lovely duet with Mr.Bellie Raj. Yaradhu is based in the raaga atana with a mix of sriragam. guess only james ji can come up with something like this..the movie starring sachin and sunaina is gearing up for release on March 5th..Heres wishing the entire team of yadhumaagi including Director balakumar all success!!
The next one is a remix of yesteryear super hit Aalaana Thamra..the very sensuous number from idhu namma aalu sung in the honey like sexy voice of my idol S.Janaki amma! Guess this song was the epitome of super sexy song in those days,with its oos and aas and timely Vaango naa, it has it all!!! I ve said the vaango naas in this modern day remix by dharan. Another interesting thing is that the person whos sung it with me is noneother than the happening director of goa , Mr.Venkat prabhu:-)
so here are the three songs ..
aalaana thamara
Srimathumitha Galleria
Latest pictures of Srimathumitha,,, let the pictures do the talking!!
Guess what? the red outfits pics were taken by my sis Charulatha Mani..
Srimathumitha on Galatta Magazine
check out my latest february feature for Galatta Magazine done by Baiju.. to know about my childhood, entry into tamil field, telugu side, slumdog millionaire,, youve got to read this...
Latest Maro charitra- Ninnu Nannu
Today im in a mood to post another latest telugu song of mine...Yup..It eezz Ninnu Nannu from the upcoming most anticipated Telugu movie Maro Charitra 2010 again in Mickey J meyer's music. Ravi yadav is the director. We had a ball recording this number. The naa manase part that soars brilliantly into the higher octaves in a very pop style is the highlight of this song according to me.. I had been to the sudio launch of this movie on 14th february at Taramati Baradari fort in Hyderabad, shared stage with the whos who of telugu fraternity including MM Keeravaani garu, Anushka, VV Vinayak garu, handsome Ramcharan Teja, Mickey, Varun sandesh, Dil raju garu among others..
Though by gods grace i expect a filmfare for Yele , I really think that this song will become the anthem of youngsters because of the fact that it oozes with romance all the way.. !!
heres the song and surprise surprise...pics from the audio launch
guess where i am.. im sure most of the press people mistook me to be one of the actresses..hehe. But you never know..one day i might just do that too!! there i am in white!
Yele Yele- Ganesh my entry into Telugu
Hi Hi!!
Long time, work work, not been able to blog..:( sorry to my fans:-(
Anyways, Back with a fresh persona in 2010! 2009 has been awesome with my first full fledged entry into Telugu with the song Yele yele from the Ram and kajal starrer Ganesh Just Ganesh in Mickey J Meyer's music. Yele is a really different song.. I think ive got more fan follow for this song than my tamil hits!
It has a very south africanish feel to it. really hep and urban undertones. The english line "when eyes meet eyes, the feeling is strong, i feel your love, do you hear what i say" is the essence of the song and myself and mickey came up with it impromptu.. the picturisation is uber cool and svelte.. i must admit that i got drenched with rihannas music before i recorded this song.. if you actually pay close attention u can see rihanna in my attitude and structuring of the song.. i must mention that i have done another song rajkumari with Kunal ganjawala for the same movie..
k..k.. let me post this lovely song for you guys
Long time, work work, not been able to blog..:( sorry to my fans:-(
Anyways, Back with a fresh persona in 2010! 2009 has been awesome with my first full fledged entry into Telugu with the song Yele yele from the Ram and kajal starrer Ganesh Just Ganesh in Mickey J Meyer's music. Yele is a really different song.. I think ive got more fan follow for this song than my tamil hits!
It has a very south africanish feel to it. really hep and urban undertones. The english line "when eyes meet eyes, the feeling is strong, i feel your love, do you hear what i say" is the essence of the song and myself and mickey came up with it impromptu.. the picturisation is uber cool and svelte.. i must admit that i got drenched with rihannas music before i recorded this song.. if you actually pay close attention u can see rihanna in my attitude and structuring of the song.. i must mention that i have done another song rajkumari with Kunal ganjawala for the same movie..
k..k.. let me post this lovely song for you guys
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