THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: When sisters Amrutha and Abhirami Suresh debuted as Amrutam Gamaya—at Infopark’s Onam celebrations last year—they never imagined their band would get international booking enquiries in just six months. But that’s exactly what happened when lead vocalist Amrutha’s rendition of the traditional Hebrew folksong, Hava Nagila (Let us rejoice), went viral among the global Jewish community and gained over 20,00,000 views on Facebook.
Now, after a sold-out six-city tour of Kerala and Tamil Nadu — and playing their cover versions of popular regional songs for the Pepsi IPL show in Bengaluru — the seven-member band is prepping for their JTPac debut and one of their biggest shows in the city. “But our first show at Infopark will always hold a special place in our hearts. When we walked on to the stage, no one knew us but by the end of the show, they were chanting our names,” shares 19-year-old vocalist Abhirami, who has also forayed into acting with films like 100 Days of Love.
Though Amrutam Gamaya (meaning Towards Immortality)—with its core members including the girls’ father, PR Suresh (flautist), and Ralphin Stephen (keyboards) — has primarily been singing covers, including a peppy interpretation of Ayala Porichathundu, which got over 1,00,000 views on Youtube — they’re now “evolving as a band”. They have composed multiple new originals, including Katturumbu and Ayyo-yyo. “We are especially excited about Harps of Peace, an English track we wrote and composed to reach out to our growing global fanbase,” concludes 24-year-oldAmrutha, who rose to fame after participating in the popular reality show Star Singer.
July 26, from 7.
(Courtesy: Indulge, http://indulge.newindianexpress.com/)