‘Thani Malayalam’, the first song of singer Sooraj Santhosh’s debut solo album titled ‘The Gypsy Sun’, is a testament to his love for the language and features many stalwarts of Malayalam literature,
culture, art, and cinema
Sooraj Santhosh is one artist who has time and again enthralled people with his live performances. The singer has now come out with a solo debut album titled ‘The Gypsy Sun’ and its first song ‘Thani Malayalam’ released recently has wooed the audience with its unique theme and offbeat composition. The song’s genesis is rooted in Sooraj’s love for language. “I have immense love for the Malayalam language. So when my solo album was taking shape, I thought of doing a song to depict it,” says Sooraj.
The music video is sure to bring a smile on the face of every Malayali as it features eminent personalities from Malayalam literature, culture, art and cinema like M T Vasudevan Nair, Sara Joseph, Benyamin, Nedumudi Venu, Peeshapilly Rajeevan, Artist Bhattathiri, Methil Devika, Peruvanam Kuttan Marar, Ramachandra Pulavar.
“I’m a great fan of Benyamin and have read all his books. He has a great personality too. So, I wanted to include him in the video and also planned to feature other writers. That’s when the team pitched the idea of including performative art forms. It was challenging to shoot the video as multiple components were involved. However, I’m very happy that I could associate with these legends. Also I was fortunate to make Madavoor Sasidharan, my Malayalam teacher at Govt Model BHSS, Thiruvananthapuram, a part of my project,” adds Sooraj. The song is written by Shruthi Namboothiri and the video has been directed by Goutham Soorya. Cinematography is by Syamaprakash M S and Varkey helmed the music production.
The name of the album has also intrigued many. “I’m a wanderer at heart. Fortunately, I’m able to travel a lot due to my profession too. Sun represents my name so the title of the album has a great personal connection,” says Sooraj. The album is set to be multilingual with five more tracks to be released soon.‘Thani Malayalam’ was released by actor Dulquer Salmaan through his Facebook page and has garnered rave reviews in no time.
“The credit goes to the entire team. Everyone contributed with their ideas while the song was being shot,” says Sooraj. Though he has been active in playback singing from 2008, Sooraj says he always loved independent music. “That’s where my real love lies. I’ve composed many songs over the years. I’ve been working on this album for the past two years. Now I realise I’ve a long way to go. This album is just a beginning.”
Though the music video was set to be released earlier this year, the Covid-19 outbreak delayed his plans. “I thought it was not the right time to release it. Now, we have adapted to the situation. So, I decided to go ahead with the launch.” Being an ardent live performer, Sooraj admits the lockdown left him depressed. “I have never been stuck at home like this. But, my parents were happy to have me home. However, I started adapting to it. I practised my music, read books and conversed with friends.”