She is living her musical dream one song at a time

It is almost 5 pm when we meet Kristina Alice Ammattil at the KM Music Conservatory. She has just completed a session of teaching vocals for the summer course students at the Conservatory.

CHENNAI:It is almost 5 pm when we meet Kristina Alice Ammattil at the KM Music Conservatory. She has just completed a session of teaching vocals for the summer course students at the Conservatory. As we settle down in an empty classroom, the friendly singer recounts her musical journey. "I joined the Conservatory in 2016. I never had prior practice. Only after I joined did I realise that I can do so much with my voice. So I grew more confident and started performing," she says. The singer performed at Phoenix MarketCity recently.

Kristina was born in Kerala and raised in Africa. She returned to India two years ago to pursue music more seriously. "My mother's side of the family comprises composers and performers. They were all part of a church choir,”says Kristina. "My father was excited. He always wanted me to pursue my dreams, and gave me the confidence to do so," she says.

Her vocal mentor, Erick Foerster, played a major role in teaching her the nuances and techniques of singing, and how to apply them while singing. "If I have any problem with any song or genre like pop or western classical, I approach him for guidance. All the teachers here are encouraging and love what they do,” says Kristina.

Kristina also plays musical instruments like the violin, tabla and keyboard. She does not follow any particular timetable to practice, but instead sets targets and achieve them.

Ask her what is her most memorable performance so far, and she says, "It was back when I was 13, when I sang 'poovili poovili ponnonamayi', a Malayalam song. It was also the first time I sang in front of a large crowd,” she recalls.

Kristina performed with Rahul Vanamali at the Phoenix MarketCity. The set included old-time favourites from albums of the Beatles, John Denver, Carpenters. "It was a blast from the past - all the songs that we haven't heard in decade or two. It felt incredible to perform in front of the audience,” says Kristina.

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