THRISSUR: Have you not slipped into Christmas frenzy yet? If not, take your mobile phone, tap on YouTube icon, search the Joyful6’s Star of the World album and start playing it. It’s sure to take you to the world of ecstasy. Just three days have passed since its launch and it is viewed nearly a lakh times on the video channel.
Carol of Bells, the first venture of Joyful6 — a group of six siblings — released this time last year had become viral and reached close to a million views. This time, it is a lively Christmas song.
Star of the World is shot in a shiny setting rich in deep colours. The siblings’ happiness stands out and that perhaps has made it a favourite bedtime song. “After watching the albums, many have asked us to do a live show with their children,” said Shegin Thomas, father of the six.
“What we’ve got is music and we’re focused on spreading happiness through it,” said the Thrissur-based children --- Jessica, Jeziah, Jesse, Joshua, Joanna and Johan --- who this time have rendered a song penned by Shelton Pinhero and composed by Durwin D’Souza. For Carol of the Bells, the kids opted for A cappella (sung without musical instrument) and it became popular in countries like Malaysia, Russia and the US.
“Our dad is passionate about music, but couldn’t learn music due to his childhood circumstances. When he was in the US on an official trip, we practised Carol of the Bells in private and surprised him with a performance on his return,” said Jessica, a 10th-standard student at Nirmala Matha Central School, Thrissur.
She has completed 7th grade in piano while Joshua is learning guitar and others piano. All of them are also studying Carnatic music under Guru Jayanandan.
Shegin, general manager of Windfall Productions at Koratty Infopark, said he is happy to encourage his children: “I get messages from friends and relatives about the extent to which their video has spread.”
The siblings’ mother Smitha J Luckose, an assistant professor in Diary Chemistry at Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University at Mannuthy.