CHENNAI: Munbe vaa en anbe vaa... echoes a melodious voice, with an impressive diction and control over pitch. Besides me, over a thousand people are engrossed in listening to a contestant sing in Voice of Clubhouse, the first-ever Tamil singing contest show on Clubhouse, a social audio app.
Started on July 24, the bi-weekly show has become a global launchpad kick-starting the careers of budding singers. Hosted by Ashwin Vinayagamoorthy, film composer and music producer, and singers Chinmayi Sripada and Swagatha S Krishnan, the show received 1,000-odd entries via WhatsApp and email from singers all over the world. The judges have been shortlisting participants for the finale on September 25.
A promising platform
“With a listener count of 1,500 to 2,000 people every episode, we’ve been getting feedback regularly from our listeners and we value them. People look forward to it as a stress-buster. This has given an opportunity to contestants from the US, the UK and Vietnam, and enabled people from various backgrounds and time zones to compete on fair grounds. We even have contestants who aren’t native Tamil speakers learning a Tamil song every show to deliver to the audience flawlessly,” says Ashwin.
One such performer who has made it to the top 20 is Priyankshi Pachani from Assam. “Being an Assamese, I have to challenge myself to learn Tamil songs and push myself out of my comfort zone. The feedback from listeners, and getting to interact with legends has given the exposure and an experience of a lifetime,” she says adding that “virtual participation eliminates unnecessary tension.” Concurring, Anusha Vishwanathan, another participant adds, “Unlike other reality shows, people get to hear our original voice without any processing, mixing or backing instruments. This is very important for learning and evaluating.”
Over time, the show has had celebrities like vainika Rajhesh Vaidhya, singer Nikhil Mathew, singer Saindhavi Prakash and actor-director Rahul Ravindran as guest judges in various episodes. While the judges are normally used to looking at the contestants when they perform, for the first time, they have just been listening to them on this platform. Emphasising on why judging on a virtual medium is tougher, Vaidhya points out, “In reality, a singer’s performance on a mic is fed into our headphones and we can judge their performance critically. In a virtual space, there are a lot of factors like one’s network connection, they’d have to perform correctly into their phone or microphone set-up and set levels themselves for optimum reproduction.”
The way forward
Performing on a virtual platform has its pros and cons. It takes out many external factors like showmanship, stage fright, being conscious of one’s looks. Striking a comparison between reality shows and live audio-only shows, Chinmayi says, “A classic throwback to the old days when radio was king and voices lent personality, emotion and imagery for the listener instead of on-stage props and show business. There are no retakes. You’ve got one shot in every show. That’s a first! We even announce selection, wild card and elimination results live as the action happens and contestants are present, keeping the show open and fair to everybody on it and tuned in.”
While this is just the beginning, here’s why Rahul Ravindran thinks the idea is here to stay. “With a platform like this, nobody has to spend any money to audition, get dressed and put their talent out there. There are a lot of great singers, musicians and music directors tuning in to the show at various points. As a director, I tuned in and took note of some voices. Hopefully all these talents get an opportunity tomorrow. It’s the easiest, most fuss-free and democratic way where everybody gets a chance.”
The winner will bag a grand prize money of `50,000 and the runner-up will get Rs 20,000. The winner will also get a chance to sing for prominent music director and get a demo reel production.
To listen, visit clubhouse.com/club/voiceofch at 7.30 pm on Wednesdays and Saturdays