Great Singer I like him compare to lot of today's contemporary Singer

Srinivas

Profession: Playback Singer, Bollywood. Family: Wife.   Srinivas’ name might not ring an instant bell as a singer, but when you think about  the hit songs he has sung, viz. Ooo la la la (Sapnay), Dola dola (Dil Hi Dil Mein), Ta ra rum pum (Doli Saja Ke Rakhna), Yeh jo zindagi hai (1947 - Earth) and (Raja Ko Rani Se Pyar Ho Gaya), you know that he is among the few good singers with an appealing voice.   He had developed the fine ear for music early in his life. When he was a mere kid growing up in Trivandrum, followed the bhajanai groups, who sang and went by the street during the month of Margazhi.He started listening to Semmangudi, M.D. Ramanthan and others through my aunt Mrs. Padmanarayanan,his guru in music. Then the soul-stirring voice of Kishore Kumar deeply influenced him during the length of my schooling years. Once in the Bombay University Department of Chemical Tecnology  for his B. Tech in textile dyes, He fell in love with the ghazals of Mehdi Hassan and started representing his university in youth festivals.   He worked as a chemical engineer for 10 years, before his passion for music got the better of him. In those 10 years, he progressed in his career, moved to Coimbatore, and got married. He approached the music maestro Ilayaraja, the numero uno in the tamil filmdom during the 80s, who offered an opportunity but unfortunately it didnt work .   The singer is impressed with Rahman’s dedication to music. "He’s totally absorbed in his music, and there’s nothing else that affects him," says Srinivas in praise of the maverick composer, "For him music is God. And he gets the best out of a singer." A die-hard fan of ghazal maestro Mehdi Hassan, and also addicted to R.D. Burman-Kishore Kumar hits, Srinivas has earlier sung for a couple of Hindi albums like Pagalpan and Ahsaas.   The playback singer from South cuts his first private album in Hindi titled Yeh Duniya Sab Ki, which boasts of a new sound on the Indi-pop front.... Also he worked as a co-composer to Praveen Mani for "Little John" now.   His first break came from Mahesh, for the Tamil film 'Nammavar'. Its 'Sorgam enbathu namakku' was a runaway hit, and his career in singing launched successfully.Right from the start, Srinivas was keen to sing for Rahman, after he heard his haunting score in Roja. And his aim was fulfilled soon.He went and met A. R. Rehman after the phenomenal success of 'Roja' who auditioned him. He was then employed with a Trivandrum based company, as it's regional manager. He made Chennai his base thereafter in 1994-95 and started doing the track for advertising jingles and devotional albums. To start with he did the chorus for Rehman's 'Manamadurai maamara kizhiyile'.   But he actually got noticed as 'Oo..la la la' happened (Film: Minsara Kanavu) to him. Then came 'En Uyire...' in Maniratnam's 'Uyire', the tamil version of his hindi movie 'Dil Se', and Srinivas was catapulted into fame. So much so that people started calling him 'Uyire' Srinivas ! After that, there has been no looking back for this singer.   Srinivas has sung for leading music directors like Ilayaraja, Deva, Rahman, Vidyasagar, and in languages like Tamil, Malayalam, etc. He has made a foray into music direction through the tamil movie 'Ae Nee Romba Azhaga Irukke', in which he was one among the five music directors of the movie. And his composition 'Ini Naanum naanillai' in that film is a major hit. His famous albums include 'Ussele Ussele' and 'Paarvai'.His did Hindi assignments include "Doli Sajake Rakhna", "1947-Earth" and "Raja ko Rani se pyar ho gaya" .   Best Of Srinivas: Song Movie Kaisi Hai Yeh Rut Dil Chahta Hai Mitwa, Tu aaja re Lagaan Dola Dola Dil Hi Dil Main Yeh Jo Zindagi Hai(Part 1) 1947 - Earth Baar baar haan, bolo yaar haan Lagaan

`Music has a spiritual quality'

It was after "Oo la la la" which won a lot of accolades — Srinivas

Resplendent in a deep pink pattu sari, Nithyasree Mahadevan's eyes light up when she talks about her legendary grandmother, D. K. Pattammal, in a business room at the Chola Sheraton. "Music is keeping her young. She looks frail and tired only till her students arrive. Then she's a totally different person. Even now, she teaches complex Dikshitar kritis with the same alertness as she did 10 years ago." Then Srinivas arrives, all set for Take Two. The song "Minsara Poove" from the Rajnikanth-starrer "Padayappa" is the common factor between the two artistes. Nithyasree's playback debut song "Kannodu Kanbadhellam" is said to have captured the heart of Sachin Tendulkar. Srinivas is a name to reckon with in playback singing, having rendered over 550 songs in all the South Indian languages and Hindi. He recently turned composer. The two artistes exchange notes about their respective careers. Savitha Gautam records their tête-à-tête.

Srinivas: So, have you taken a holiday recently?

Nithyasree: No. We (my husband and I) hardly find the time. Anyway, I travel so much that every time I visit some country, I do some sightseeing. What about you?

Srinivas: I take off now and then with my kids. Tell me, being a classical singer, do you feel it is important to be a playback singer?

Nithyasree: I think it is important for me. Why? Because playback singing is challenging. You have to keep in mind so many aspects — the actress, the situation and the audience. Most important, I enjoy playback singing. What about you? You were working when you decided to become a playback singer. How did you manage?

Srinivas: Here I must thank my wife, who stood by me. I can say with confidence that she is my first rasika.

Nithyasree: But at what point did you decide to give up your job and take up singing as a profession?

Srinivas: It was after "Oo la la la" from "Minsara Kanavu" that I won a lot of accolades. I took the plunge after that. I must thank A. R. Rahman for that. What was it like working with him?

Nithyasree: Great. I remember I got a call one evening asking me to go to his studio. I had no clue why. Anyway, we went there. After about 10 minutes, Rahman came out, gave me the lyric, told me I had to sing it, and disappeared. I was quite scared. After a while, he came back and asked me to sing it in five or six different styles, occasionally asking me to change a note here and there. Then the song was recorded, without any background score. I realised how good it was only after I heard it later. What about your experience?

Srinivas: I too think he's simply great. Most important, he gives his artistes a lot of freedom to experiment. And he's the one who set the trend of introducing new singers.

Nithyasree: True. In fact, it is thanks to him I got a chance to sing with Lata Mangeshkar. I cherish that moment. Tell me, how do you exercise your vocal cords?

Srinivas: I usually sing the notes; I try sustaining them for as long as I can. Actually, I just sing, be it a ghazal or a song or just a raga. In fact, that's how I started composing. Some tunes would come to mind and I would improve on them. (He has two Malayalam films on hand as composer) I have always wanted to ask you. How does it feel to be the granddaughter of a legend?

Nithyasree: Great. I am very proud of my lineage. D. K. Pattammal on one side and mridangam vidwan Palghat Mani on the other.

Srinivas: A great combination of melody and rhythm!

Nithyasree: (smiles) Yes. But there was pressure too. You have to live up to a certain standard. So, I was being observed carefully. But things have changed now.

Srinivas: Coming back to films, what's your opinion on the trend of importing talent from Mumbai?

Nithyasree: To be honest, not too good. They are not able to get the accent right and that hurts the ear, especially in music.

Srinivas: I completely agree with you. I think there is no melody in films today. It is all dance-oriented. I think melody must come back. At least one melodious number is needed in every film.

Nithyasree: Also, thought-provoking lyrics are not heard too often these days. I too feel a little more importance should be given to melody rather than rhythm. See those time-tested classics. They are still fresh in our memory. Will the songs of today be heard 40 years later, one wonders.

Srinivas: I think they will still listen to the songs of the 1960s and the 1970s. See the remix scene. Finally everybody is listening to remixed R.D. Burman numbers. Today, I think people want a hit for just two months.

Nithyasree: You can't blame anyone. There are so many factors involved while making a film — money, audience preference, etc. Srinivas, are your daughters musically inclined?

Srinivas: The elder one surely is. The younger one has not shown too much interest as yet. I think they have to make their own decisions.

Nithyasree: Are you a spiritual person?

Srinivas: (Thinks for a moment) I used to be 15 years ago. I am not into rituals and all that. But I believe in a higher force. And you?

Nithyasree: I too am not ritualistic. But I like to read books on spirituality. I find fulfilment in music. Music is, by itself, a spiritual experience. It helps you cope with anger or depression. It lifts your spirits and makes you happy.

"Put on your headphones, have some music come in and then try to sing, it is a completely different ball game."   Sandya chats with Playback singer Srinivas

We all DREAM!  Without a doubt, it is a definite requirement that humans dream of wonderful things that could happen to them during the course of their lives.  But unfortunately for us, economic pressures and family responsibilities usually appear as big boulders in our paths.  Despite our inherent talents and skills, many of us are forced to walk away as soon as we encounter these boulders.  Yet, there are exceptions.  With a little bit of luck and a lot of persistance, Chemical Engineer Srinivas has transformed into Playback Singer Srinivas, therefore making the exception rather attractive.  On a relaxed Wednesday morning, while enjoying the fruits of successfully releasing his tamil fusion-pop album, Paarvai, Srinivas spoke to us on the telephone.  His words thoughtful, his expressions original and his overall tone: polite, carefree and humorous.  He began describing his music background, education, experiences and progress, while we decided his narrative style was too engrossing to be interjected with questions.  Most of the questions were saved for the concluding portion of the interview.  Though Srinivas might say that he had all the pleasure of answering our questions, it was actually our pleasure to listen to him speak and relate his experiences to us.  Here's Srinivas speaking from his heart...

The Interview

Srinivas on his musical influences Right from childhood, like any musician, I have always been swayed by music. In school and college, I was more known for music than anything else.  I won my quota of prizes for music. I was a big fan of the Kishore Kumar - R.D.Burman combination.  They were my earliest influences.  I learned carnatic music and my house was filled with it. That came naturally.  Later on, Mehdi Hassan, the Pakistani Ghazal singer was my biggest influence in life.   Even now, I am astounded by his earlier works and just the way he sings.  There is a ghazal that goes, Ranjeshee Sahi, which stunned me and I have heard it over 200 times. It was in a live concert by Mehdi Hassan.  You can say that it really changed my life.  I also enjoyed listening to old MSV classics.  (But melody is something you really start appreciating only in your twenties).  Madhan mohan, S.D.Burman were also my other influences. Then, the time I really wanted to be become a singer and was crazy about it was when Ilaiyaraja was at his peak.  In the 1980s, he was going beserk.   Every song was a hit and was so fresh to listen to.  It became my dream to sing for him and that's when I really wanted to become a playback singer.  Meanwhile, I completed my chemical engineering degree with a specialization in textile dyestuffs. I went out to work.  Though listening never took a back seat and was always a priority, my dreams of becoming a singer was on hold.  In college when you get up on stage and sing, you think you are a great singer. Actually you are not!  I missed all that when I was working.  I worked for almost 10 years before I came back.  Srinivas talks about his meeting with Illayaraja In 1988, I was in Chennai for a brief while.  I was just a mad fan of Ilaiyaraja that one day I looked up the directory and went to his house.  They told me that he leaves home at 6:30 A.M.  I am a very late riser, but then for him, I woke up early and went to see him.  When I saw him in flesh and blood, it was too much. I just couldn't take it.  I gathered courage to tell him that I wanted to sing for him and was obsessed by music.  He wanted me to give him a tape.  It was almost one and half months before I could get hold of him to give him a tape.  Within ten days, he called me for a recording.  Some guy came knocking on my door at 11:30 P.M. asking me to come to the recording. NaaLaikku Raja-sir recording irukku, Voice-mixing.  I didn't even know what voice mixing was. I hadn't seen headphones also.  I was down with a serious throat infection.  So, I told this guy that I couldn't come.  But he said, I don't know, I was told to tell you.  If you want to come, you come.  So, I went and met Ilaiyaraja and he asked me where I learned to sing. I was so excited that I asked him if he listened to the tape.  He said it was nice.  He asked, Inaikku paada mudiyaadha ungaLaala? and I said I couldn't.  I said that I wanted to see the recording and sat through the entire thing.  Raja then said that we would have the recording session some other day.  Meanwhile, I progressed in my career and became branch manager at my company.  I moved to Coimbatore and got married.   Srinivas's initial  meetings with Rahman In 1992, in Coimbatore, was when I went to see Maniratnam's Roja because it was a Maniratnam movie.  Dreams of playback singing had taken a back seat;  I was in Coimbatore and travelling and didn't know how to approach it now. I was just taken aback by the freshness of Roja's music.  After a long time, I had bought a tamil film audio cassette.  This new person, Rahman, had introduced so many singers; the re-entry of Sujatha, Hariharan (my favorite!), Minmini (God knows who she was at that time!) and Unnimenon.   Immediately, I realized that this person has an attitude towards introducing new artists, his music sounds fresh and he was definitely here to stay!  On one of my official trips to Chennai, I got hold of Rahman's address and went to see him directly.   At that time, he was very accessible (he had just started working on Pudhiya Mugam).  He conducted a voice test; I sang a Mehdi Hassan ghazal and he liked it.  I mentioned that I lived in Coimbatore and he said that if I moved to Chennai, he might be able to work with me.  By the time I came to Chennai in 1994-95, he had shot through the roof!.. The gates had become bigger at Rahman's place (laughs!).  It was difficult to even get through to his office.  With persistance and a little bit of luck, I was finally able to see him again.  As soon as he saw me, he remembered.  That's Rahman!.. He's human... and he's got GOD inside him as well!  He slowly started giving me singing assignments.  That's around the time I started singing advertisement jingles for some experience. The first time I ever went in front of the mike, was when I realized I was a bad singer.  When it was played back to me, I realized I was terrible.   Singing at home is fine.  Singing on stage, with all this big power, you think you sound great!.. You are not! (laughs!)  Singing at home with your tambura, with some basic sruthi, you can sound in pitch.  But singing in a studio is something else.  Put on your headphones, have some music come in and then try to sing, it is a completely different ball game. You need a lot more experience.  I was singing some jingles, devotionals and Rahman was giving me a lot of tracks to sing too.  I was kind of okay and finally in 1996, Uh..la la..la.. happened.   Even now, I am kind of okay as a singer.