Kalyani

Adi Thozhi Adi Thozhi (Thendral)
Unnai Charanadainthen (Thavamai Thavamirunthu)
Unnai Charanadainthen (Thavamai Thavamirunthu)
Mulai Thirugum (Kanaa Kanden)
Summa Kedantha (Thambi)
Alaigalin Osaigal (Rameshwaram)
Yen swasathil (Jerry)
Naana Ithu Naana (Vattaram)
Mazhai Nindra Pinbum (Raaman Thedia Seethai)

Few days back, I was listening ‘Hare Ram (Telugu)’ soundtrack and though I was listening to the songs casually without paying much attention, a silky voice infectiously rendering the hippy ‘Naa Na Naana na na na’ phrase in the starting of the song ‘Yakhudha zara’ suddenly caught my attention and the voice sounded familiar too. The CD inlay spelled the name of the voice as
“K A L Y A N I”. And now you know why I listed those songs.

When I heard her first in ‘Adi Thozhi’ (Thendral), I got very much impressed by her sweet, silky and exquisitely expressive voice. Infact my admiration for her skyrocketed when I saw her performing unplugged in quarter finals of A.R.Rahman’s Ooh la la la (She is the lead singer of the band Route 10). Though her band didn’t make it through to the finals, the way she sang the band’s original composition and the ‘Nee Paartha Parvaikku’ remix still lingers in my ears. It is no wonder that she has given voice for some of the best melodies that have reached my ears in past few years. Rarely do I listen to songs for its singer as I did for Kalyani’s voice.

Though I am happy that she gets best of the melodies to sing, I think our composers can use her more often. I don’t really agree with the general opinion that today’s singers lack uniqueness in their voice. A serious music listener can easily realize that there are as many different voices as it was two decades before. Sainthavi, Shwetha, Chinmayi, Mathangi, Madhumitha, Mahathi are the names that immediately come to my mind, when I think of distinct voices. When our composers - who are incorrigible when it comes to choice of singers, are busy teaching Tamil to singers like Madhusree (those who can never get the Tamil diction right) in name of freshness, this bloody bad phase of good Tamil singers will continue in the Tamil Film music scene.