HYDERABAD : Every time the world around us got a little too overwhelming, a lot of us headed straight for the balcony or the terrace with our phones and headsets. Arts books, movies, painting and music — gave us a brief respite from the chaos. All the moods during the quarantine love, loss, loneliness and sudden need for inspiration — have also coincided with the themes of the most popular songs written since the beginning of time. Just like there is a playlist for every mood, there is a playlist for quarantine too.
From uploading cover songs on Instagram to creating independent songs with minimal technology, people in Hyderabad have bonded with music even more during the past year. Ann Mary George, a research scholar in Hyderabad, says she preferred to listen to upbeat music throughout her quarantine period. One of the artists who takes up a lot of space in her quarantine playlist is Doja Cat.
Manasa, a freelance writer, used to listen to popular Hindi indie artists earlier. “During the pandemic, I did a deep dive into indie music in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Marathi. Music helped me weather through some very rough spells during the 2020 lockdown. I made a variety of mood-based playlists, religiously tracked new indie music and recorded covers of my favourite songs.” Telugu rapper Roll Rida remembers SP Balasubrahmanyam whose sudden demise shocked the country’s music fraternity. “I recently attended the Tollywood musical tribute to Balu Sir and two of my favourite songs by him made their way back into my playlist. I also explored the work of Roddy Ricch, Lil Nas X and Billie Eilish. I’m creating more music and making a playlist of my own songs too,” he says.
Suresh Bobbili, music director of the much-awaited movie, Virata Parvam, is a die-hard fan of Santhosh Narayanan. “Santhosh’s songs are a big part of my playlist. Enjoy Enjaami is a recent favourite. Apart from that, AR Rahman’s Yuva Album and Balu sir’s songs in Aapadbandhavudu have comforted me during the pandemic,” he says.
Actress and Bigg Boss fame Divi is a lot of us when she talks about categorising playlists based on her moods. Her quarantine playlist is filled with Adele’s numbers and popular melodies by Ilayaraja. Kittu Vissapragada, who penned the lyrics of Arere Manasa, kept himself entertained by listening to Coke Studio. Music continues to be a source of warmth and comfort while people heal from the pandemic.
Comforting tracks