KOCHI: A musical tribute is undoubtedly the best way to remember and honour a musician. Thiruvananthapuram-based singer Manacaud Gopan, an ardent follower of the late singer S P Balasubrahmanyam (SPB) had this thought before putting together his new song, Paadum Nila Nenjil Vazhum Nila. The offering commemorates the first death anniversary of the veteran artist. The Tamil song, released on his YouTube channel recently, stands out as the lyrics have been created with lines from popular tracks by SPB.
For over three decades now, Gopan has been rendering SPB’s songs at various national and international stages. “His demise was heart-breaking for me like every music lover. Nobody can replace his evergreen music. In the new track, I have borrowed lyrics from Ayiram Nilave Vaa, Elaya Nila, Engeyum Eppothum, Anthi Mazhaye and more,” adds Gopan.
Though the song is conceived and sung by Gopan, the lyrics are penned by C Athi Pagavan with music by Shaji Kumar. “Athi Pagavan is my friend and a retired employee from ISRO. It was a long process composing the lyrics,” says Gopan.
The song makes Gopan quite emotional as it invokes memories of SPB in him. “I know SPB to be a humble, kind musician. He respects music and talent regardless of the singer’s age. I feel like SPB is alive in this world still, through his music,” he says. It was also a means for Gopan to keep his roots in music refreshed since Covid restrictions took away stage performances in the last two years. “Live music is now limited to digital media only. So this was also an effort to keep our music active,” he says.