KOCHI: The song Besharam Rang from the Deepika Padukone-Shahrukh Khan film Pathaan created quite a stir recently. Besides the sensual oomph and controversies, what made waves was the track’s soulful rendering by singer Shilpa Rao.
And the Bollywood music sensation is loving all the love pouring in. Shilpa, whose collaboration with Anoushka Shankar for the song Those Words from the album Love Letter fetched her a nomination at the 63rd Grammy Awards in 2021, recently was overwhelmed by Kerala’s love, too, as she performed live at a concert organised by Sree Chitra Thirunal College of Engineering in Thiruvananthapuram.
Known for hit tracks such as Ghungroo (War), Tere Hawaale (Laal Singh Chaddha), Khuda Jaane (Bachna Ae Haseeno), and Ruaa Ruaa (Ponniyin Selvan 2), the Andhra Pradesh native, who was brought up in Jamshedpur, says she loves Kerala and Malayalam.
“I am Kerala’s daughter-in-law,” giggles Shilpa, who is married to a Palakkad native, Rithesh Krishnan.
“Malayalam is very poetic. I am learning Malayalam from Rithesh. Long ago, I performed in Kochi; this is my second visit to Kerala. The crowd here was spectacular. It was one of the best concerts I have had in my whole life.”
‘I grew up listening to Yesudas, Chithra’
Shilpa also shares her reverence for Kerala’s legendary singers K J Yesudas and K S Chithra.
“Being a Carnatic music teacher, my father introduced me to Yesudas sir’s music at a young age. His songs were often played at home,” recalls the bubbly singer in her late 30s.
“I grew up listening to Chithra ma’am and always felt her singing was the right way to render a song. I have always admired her precision and beautiful voice. Another singer I admire is Hariharan, who is one of my mentors. Veterans like him teach us the need to keep striving to evolve better in music as well as life.”
Shilpa, who made her Malayalam debut with Rahasyamai alongside the late singer KK (Krishnakumar Kunnath) in the film Puthiya Mukham, has some pals in the Kerala indie music scene too.
“I love Avial,” she says. “I met them when they were in Mumbai to release their first album in 2008. Their bassist Naresh Kamath is a close friend.”
‘Wish to sing more in Malayalam’
Shilpa reveals her current favourite in Malayalam cinema – composer Sushin Shyam.
“I was influenced by the music of the film Kumbalangi Nights, especially the song Chirathukal. I love Sushin’s music and would love to meet him and tell him he is doing a fabulous job. In fact, it would be great to collaborate with him. I wish to sing more in Malayalam.”
Having crooned for tracks in Bengali, Telugu and Tamil, Shilpa says she sees singing in different languages as an opportunity to learn a new language and understand its essence. “Every language has its own fragrance, and the people who speak that language have their own sensibility. So, when singing a song in a particular language, I try to capture that essence,” she explains.
“If I am singing a song in Malayalam, for example, I would love to come to Kerala for the recording and fully immerse myself in the essence of the track.”
With over 15 years of experience in the industry, Shilpa observes that music transcends language barriers and songs with depth will remain evergreen.
“I may not understand Malayalam and depend on Rithesh for meanings of lyrics, yet when I listened to Chirathukal, I could understand the emotion. That’s the magic of music,” she says.
“Whether it’s Spanish, Italian, French, or any other language, you understand the song through the emotion conveyed by the singer.”
Notably, Shilpa recently collaborated with A R Rahman for PS 2. She describes the experience as “enriching”, especially the life lessons she absorbed. “He gives space to musicians, doesn’t dictate what needs to be done. This allows us to improvise and, at times, perform beyond expectations. He is very calm, observant, and has a great sense of humour,” she says.
Will Shilpa turn composer? “I don’t know,” she smiles. “But I am open to collaborations. If someone comes up with a song idea, regardless of the language, I will be in. Language is not a barrier. I will soon be collaborating with Anirudh Ravichander for our first project together.”
‘Current generation is fearless, strong-will’
Shilpa adds that the quality of music cannot be evaluated by the number of ‘likes’ and other social media parameters. Such metrics, she says, do not matter.
“Good music will stay forever. For example, last year we released the song Tere Hawaale for the film Laal Singh Chaddha. People are suddenly falling in love with the song now, and it has reached the top 10 in various music charts,” notes Shilpa, who has worked with artists such as Anoushka Shankar, Karsh Kale, Amit Trivedi, and Pritam.
“This is usually achieved only at the time of a film’s release. But after one year, we are seeing a surge in interest. Hence, artists should have faith in music. Do good music and let it be; it will be appreciated.”
Continuing her observations on the music scene, Shilpa notes that OTT has changed people’s viewing culture. “Viewers are now exposed to regional and foreign cinemas and their music. Digital platforms for music have also increased,” she adds.
“Several OTT releases, including web series, have given space for music as well. For example, the Modern Love Mumbai series had so much music in it. Through these platforms, it has become easier to discover new artists and their works. Through social media, one can reach out to them and even discuss collaborations.”
Shilpa is all praise for the current generation of artists. “I believe they are fearless, strong-willed, and clearly know what they want. These are desirable qualities,” she says.
“For many of us from an earlier generation, we were often hesitant, unsure of what we wanted. We need to learn from this generation to be fearless. One thing that the young tribe can learn from us is patience. As music is a fine art, we must dedicate more time and effort to it. Regardless of the generation, learning music in its true sense is important, be it Carnatic, Hindustani, Western, jazz, or Latin.”
In an exclusive interaction with TNIE, Bollywood singing sensation Shilpa Rao talks about her reverence for K J Yesudas and K S Chithra, her wish to collaborate with Malayalam music director Sushin Shyam, working with A R Rahman for PS 2, and more