FIRST TAKE>
Jyothi Varma
AC TION
Trickles of
Kolakuzhal
notes
T
he girl who disliked music lessons so
much that she would run away from the
tutor is now a chart-topping crooner.
From the obscurity of the chorus to the lime-
light of a successful playback career, Shwetha
has sung her way into the hearts of music
lovers with hits such as “Mandarapoo mooli,”
“Amma Mazhakkarinu” and “Enthanennodon-
num Chodikkalle.” She even bagged the State
Award for Best Female Playback Singer for
“Kolakuzhal vili ketoo” (2007) in “Nivedyam”.
This singer comes with musical talent em-
bedded in her genes. As the daughter of
Sujatha—who enjoys a niche alongside a
generation of stalwarts such as Janaki and Su-
seela—Shwetha is widely seen as a major tal-
ent for the future of Malayalam playback.
Shwetha’s vocal signature is marked by its
soft texture, tonal clarity and fluid rendering
style. And, just as impressive as her singing
is her lady-like poise during live stage shows.
The foot-tapping number, the romantic mel-
ody or the sorrow-tinged song, Shwetha has
already shown a versatility that is also associ-
ated with her mother. Though her mother con-
tinues to be a major influence in shaping her
career, Shwetha has developed a distinct style
of her own.
“Initially, people drew comparisons between
our styles, but now I believe that I have settled
into my own groove,” says Shwetha. Mother
only gives tips about recording techniques,
and avoids suggestions on singing styles.
While Shwetha never let music assume a se-
rious role in her childhood she did sing at her
school culturals and topped the competition.
Incidentally, the jury that chose her as the
best singer also had music maestro Ilayaraja’s
daughter Bhavadharini.
Becoming the school topper in music was
perhaps the prod that this laid-back talent
required to take her natural gifts a bit more
seriously. She began training under Binny
Swetha Mohan
Krishnakumar and continues to train in West-
ern classical.
Mother and daughter had similar career
openings—Sujatha sang under the baton of Il-
ayaraja while Shwetha debuted for Ilayaraja’s
son Karthik Raja (“3 Roses” in 2003) when she
was barely 19.
However, even as a child, Shwetha sang
tracks and chorus backup for A R Rahman. She
contributed to the choral parts in “Kuchi Kuchi
Rakkamma” in “Bombay” (1995) in what was
her first visit to a recording studio. She also
provided chorus backup for “Ini acham acham
illai “ in “Indira”.
However, her first solo for Rahman came
much later in the song “Boom Boom Robot Da”
in the film “Yanthiran”.
The Malayalam industry had to wait for a
while for her entry. Shwetha’s first recording
was for “Violet”, which didn’t see the light of
day. The wait ended with the song “Sundari
onnu parayu” scored by Deepak Dev for the
film “Lion”. The song went on to become a hit.
In “Urumi”, she has sung alongside Yesudas,
who many decades ago took along one “Baby
Sujatha” to sing with him at concerts.
She recollects that the first recording with
Ilayaraja was for the Tamil movie, “Ajantha”
(2009). She was also scheduled to sing “Man-
darappoomooli” for “Vinodayatra”—her first
Malayalam song for Ilayaraja.
“The dates were all fixed for recording. On
the eve of the recording, I was down with mea-
sles, very upset about having missed a golden
chance. But two weeks later, I got a call from
Ilayaraja’s assistant asking me to come for the
rescheduled recording. I am thankful to him
for this opportunity,” she says.
Shwetha gets an adrenaline rush when per-
forming for college audience because they
cheer and hoot all the way. She also loves the
boisterous crowds in Dubai, says Shwetha.
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