Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle have had a profound influence on her, says Mahalakshmi Iyer, the voice behind hits like Yaaro Yaarodi and Kandukondain Kandukondain. “My sisters and I listened to an eclectic collection of music. I would listen to a lot of film songs, too,” says Mahalakshmi, who will be in the city as a part of Manabendra Smaraney, a musical event to be held on September 3 at Music Academy.
Born a Mumbaikar, she had her formal training in Hindustani music under Pandit Ratan Mohan Sharma. Language has never been a barrier for Mahalakshmi, who has sung songs in many Indian languages. “Since I have lived all my life in Mumbai, I have been exposed to many languages. Your accent and diction have to be perfect. Only then will the listener be able to perceive the meaning of the song,” she says.
The singer made her debut in the Tamil film industry with Meetatha Oru Veenai, from Poonthottam. “Illaya Raja Sir is a great taskmaster. When one is called by him to sing his compositions, one is inevitably forced to satisfy a truckload of expectations. I was zombie-like when I sang in front of him for the first time. Every word that he utters is a lesson,” she says.
Mahalakshmi is also one of AR Rahman’s favourite singers. “There are no boundaries or parameters while singing for him. He sows the idea in the singer’s head, hums a half-baked tune and all of a sudden the composition just unfurls in front of you,” she says.
Does Mahalakshmi nurture ambitions of becoming a music director some day? “I have experimented with music direction when I took part in the TV show Mission Ustad. There is a music director hiding in me somewhere. She will make her appearance some time, for sure,” she says as she signs off.