Vairamuthu Neram – Discussion abt singers who have sung only very few songs but have created impact in the few renditions itself
* * *Margazhi Poove ( Shoba Palaniappan ) * In Singapore Aiport, a lady came running towards me. She introduced herself, as a singer. She said that she was living in America. She asked for a help from me. She wanted to meet A.R. Rahman by some means possible, and wanted to leave her voice with him. When I returned to Chennai, I suggested to Rahman to listen to her voice, and if found suitable, to use it in some song. I will tell that much only. I will not recommend anyone to make them sing for him. But whosoever comes, I will introduce them to him. A.R. Rahman received the CD of that lady and I returned home. That night, he was to board flight to US. At that juncture, he had listened to that CD. He liked the voice, and desired to use it ,and tried reaching that lady. But the lady was flying on board, and was not reachable. That news was sent to America. When that lady arrived in US, there was a notice there saying that Rahman has requested her to meet him. That lady, didn't go home, and took a flight from there immediately, and arrived in India. She came, and sang a song in A.R. Rahman 's Music studio. That was the only song sung by her. That song was enough to say who was Shobha Palaniappan, for her entire life …. *Thiruda Thiruda Songs * * * In my career , I consider the songs of Thiruda Thiruda to be the ones which blended with the music perfectly. After Roja, Rahman had the urge and the passion to do something different , and Thiruda Thiruda was that movie. In that film, there was a tune like this , " Tha Tha Thattata thaaa….. ( Thee Thee song )" There is always a confusion for the lyricists, when the songs are to be written in one letter, one language ( oreyzhithu ; oru mozhi ) There are so many letters in Tamil, which are elongnated ones . ( Nedils ) For eg. Maaa meaning cow. Vaa ; theee; poo; yee… These are the Elongnated words, which stand separate. When we have to put these words into the song, there wont be much scope for writing them. The place given is small, but we have been asked to think big. We have desires to drive a ship, but we have only a small railway track which is available. The difficulty is to drive the ship through this railway track. After writing much also, this song didn't give a new effect. After getting frustrated, I told Maniratnam, that I am on my way to Yercaud ( Salem ) . I will come back and write the lyrics for you. I started off. But, then, Maniratnam told me, that the singer had already arrived, and requested for the lyrics of the song. I was on an urge to leave in my car, and gave my lyrics in a hurry, and that was " Theee Theee Thitukkum theee". ( written in a hurry by VM ) . The news that I had told till now are not that important, and there is something more coming up. I wasn't there, when this song was recorded. After writing the lyrics, I was on my way to Yercaud in train. After coming back, I asked , whose voice was that ?. a mesmerizing voice . a wonderful voice just like that of a parrot. She has spelt all the words in a superb fashion. A.R. Rahman told me that she was a Chinese girl. I was thrown aback. He told, " Sir. She doesn't know Tamil. She knows only Chinese, English. She has sung it". Her name was Caroline. The only song sung by her. This song will last till the time, there is fire in this world, and it would be sweet enough to hear it anytime. *Minmini – Chinna Chinna aasai * Many a times, we don't get Singers to sing a song immediately. We have waited for SPB for a month, for Jesudas, for Chitra. If a song has to be done then and there, sometimes, alternatively, a small time singer is used. This is natural. We couldn't finalise on whom to make a song sing, due to the time constraints. There was a singer who was sitting in front of A.R. Rahman Studio, waiting for an opportunity. They wanted to experiment with that singer. After the recording was done, it was thought whether there was any need to change the singer at all. The song blended so well. The tune with the voice, the voice with the lyrics. The feel of the singer on the song, giving it fresh feeling. The song and the voice gave a new mesmerism to everyone hearing it. We hear the voice for a day, for some days, and then over weeks, and decide that the voice shouldn't be changed at all for ever. This song either had to be sung by Janaki, or Chitra, or Sujatha, and this was our assumption. But, this new singer's voice got into us, and tempted us by saying, " Pls don't change me; Pls don't change me". Such a singer, who couldn't be eliminated was Singer Minmini. The song, which can never be changed or forgotten is " Chinna Chinna Aasai ". Its not a condition, that only people who know Tamil should sing Tamil songs. Any person, with any mother tongue can sing Tamil songs. But a small request to them. They should try to read the lyrics well, and then start singing it. They can sing, after learning the language. People who can spell the language properly, can learn the language and sing in it. For eg :- Magnetic voice singer TMS … His mother tongue wasn't Tamil. It was Saurasthra. How many people can spell Tamil so well like him ? 1. Susheela 's mother tongue was telugu. But she belongs to the category of singers who taught Tamil to the Industry 2. Jesudas – Mother tongue Malayalam.. he utters Tamil words to the tune of 91% perfection. 3. SPB – Mother Tongue Telugu. But, when he utters Tamil words, one can even learn from it. -- regards, Vithur ARR -- The Sweet Cube always
