KOCHI: It’s the kind of song throbbing with sorrow, perhaps the most haunting rendition in her career. ‘Oduvile yathrakkayi...’ has an intense plaintive beauty that grows and grows that you are forced to press the mute button for a respite. “Most of the listeners find it unnerving.
There are people who said that it’s so poignant that they can’t listen to the song without breaking down,” says Rajalakshmy Abhiram about her latest track in Georgettan’s Pooram.
Her last outing with Gopi Sunadar was Sneham nee natha...., another Christian devotional song for DQ-starrer Charlie. “But the mood in ‘Oduvile yathrakkayi’ is entirely different. It’s a funeral song and the lyrics by Hari Narayan are simply heartbreaking. Though I have sung many devotionals before, this one is close to my heart for its sheer sadness.”
Rajalakshmy says she most enjoys melodies and can’t wait for the release of her soft and soothing track in Ramante Eden Thottam, Ranjith Sankar’s upcoming film. “I think my voice is most suited for melodies and when I say that I don’t mean slow songs. I think there is an element of melody in fast numbers as well.
The challenge lies in finding it and bringing it out,” she says. She agrees most songs that come her way are romantic and feels it’s one genre she excels in. “I believe a singer should be flexible and ready to handle all types of music. I sing folk and western, but consider melody my forte. I think I can express more through such songs,” she says.
An award-winning playback singer, Rajalakshmy thinks the arrival of indie music has changed the industry for good. “Now there are a lot of areas you can explore.
We have singers who compose music and come out with singles. I think the latest trends storming the scene are good for upcoming musicians in one way or another.”
And the best part is, the way all kinds of music and musicians getting accepted and finding a space, she adds. “Now we can see instrumentalists coming forward and their work getting some recognition, something not very common in the past.”
Rajalakshmy is equally happy about the arrival of new entrants, a whole lot of new names in credits. “Until recently, we had only a handful of playback singers, but now look at the scene.
And many of them collaborate for a single song, contributing small portions and pieces.” But the flip side, she adds, is the lack of identity.
“There was a time when you could easily identify the singer, but now it’s impossible because of the profusion in numbers,” she winds up.