HYDERABAD: Good singers are known by their names but legendary singers are known by their melodies. And veteran singer SP Sailaja certainly rules the second category — her songs Gopilola, Kammani, and Chalaki Chinnadi are classic favourites in all Telugu households.
Sailaja, who has mesmerised audiences across the south for over four decades, recently took part in a lively cake-mixing ceremony at The Golkonda Hotel. She spoke to CE about her passion for music, thoughts on new trends, and more.
Expressing candidly that she revels in it, she says, “It is a new experience for me. Mixing cake for Christmas is an opportunity for us and what makes it truly special is that we are doing this at The Golkonda Hotel.”
Now, regardless of where a singer is or what she is doing, music is always a part of her. But ask her to name her favourite song, she states, “It is very difficult to pick one; perhaps Vedam.
It is one of my favourites among many.” How can one blame her? She is humble too, admiring singers from other industries and showing reverence to her elders. “In Bollywood, I really like Lata Mangeshkar’s music. But my inspirations are my mother and my guru, Shri Chandrashekar,” the singer expresses.
The veteran songstress has also been judging music shows for quite a while now, noting that the younger generation of musicians is filled with potential singers. “Everybody is singing well and nowadays, they have more opportunities and platforms to showcase their talent. But reality shows are not the ultimate step — they have to do many things after that. They should play in their own band and sing in films too,” she adds.
But when we look at the singers on our screens, don’t we all wonder how they manage to keep their voices melodious in every note? Sailaja says that there are difficulties when it comes to rendering melodies but explains, “We take all sorts of precautions before the show.
It is much more difficult to sing on stage than in the recording studio. But we give our best. If our throats have some trouble, we convey that to the audience, asking them to bear with us for the same.”
These days, remixes are all the rage, with old songs being given a modern touch to be ‘catchy’. Sailaja has a little something to say about this, underscoring, “It is good that old songs are getting a new twist because that makes people recognise these songs. But I will say that old is gold anyday. While the new songs may fade away one day, the old ones will always stay, remaining the same.”
To all her fans out there, Sailaja has a beautiful, reassuring message: “Always be happy, be positive and be sincere in whatever you are doing.”