She’s been known in classical circles for a long time now and is a muchcelebrated ex-contestant in many televised competitive singing shows across the country.
From Super Singer on Star Vijay to Indian Idol on SET India (from which a recent audition video of hers has clocked more than 1.7 million views on YouTube); she has stolen the hearts of millions with her amazing voice and absolutely adorable demeanour. Maalavika Sundar just released her first independent single, Vaa Sakhi, on maajja and we caught up with the curly-haired beauty to find out more.
We have come to expect beautiful contemporary takes on classical music from you and Vaa Sakhi does not disappoint. Tell us more about the composition?
Vaa Sakhi is a song for all the beautiful women out there who want to bring out the best in themselves. Being a woman is a unique energy and every single woman in this world is truly beautiful in her own way.
This song speaks about the beauty of women and how at every stage of her life, she rises above everything and gives nothing but love, affection and care. She is born to achieve whatever she wants. Vaa Sakhi is based on the Carnatic ragam Nattaikurinji and the sarangi solo is based on ragam Rageshri.
How would you define the sound of this single?
Carnatic music has been an integral part of my life and I have always been in awe of artistes like Ganesh Kumaresh, Hariharan and Pradeep Kumar, to name a few, who are not only classical performing artistes, but also have collaborated with artistes around the world and been the reason why a lot of music listeners enjoy the Carnatic art form. Vaa Sakhi takes inspiration from the contribution of such artistes with regards to sound and musicality.
The song is pure musical magic, above and beyond the great vocals. Tell us a little bit about the musicians you collaborated with.
The musicians I have collaborated with are all exceptional artists in the city. They have worked for all the leading music directors in the Tamil music industry and are very well known in the live gig scene. We have been performing for years together now and share an amazing chemistry, always trying to bring out the best from one another. The song features Ravi G on keys, Akshay Yesodharan (lead guitar), Reshwin Nishith E on bass, Ramkumar Kanakarajan on drums and Sayee Rakshith (violin).
Will this song be a single or will it be a part of a larger album?
The newly-launched platform maajja has helped me enter the indie scene and I wish to put out more originals in the near future. While I have been working on them, Vaa Sakhi is as of now a single. Streaming on all major music platforms.