The night before this interview, I fell deep into a gratifying rabbit hole — the auditory kind.
It began with songs from the late 1990s to the early Noughties Malayalam cinema, all distinguished by a crystalline voice that the average South Indian millennial grew up with. One song in particular, played in loop that night: ‘Maleyam’ from the 1995 Malayalam Mohanlal-starrer Thacholi Varghese Chekavar.
Composed by Sharath, this song was the answer to sensual longing and blind adoration at the time. Boasting contemporary influences, it was, in fact, the perfect manifestation of how the sound of Malayalam film music evolved around the turn of the millennium. At the centre of it was singer KS Chitra’s mellifluous, deeply emotional voice.
Today, at the mention of the song, she simply says, “Such an evergreen song, right?” almost as if she played no part in making it so; as though she is just one among the listeners.
This is KS Chitra for you — the six-time National Award winner with over four decades in the music industry, more than 25,000 songs to her credit, and still demure to a fault.
As she turns 61 on July 27, she tells us that she is not too keen on celebrations. But she is aware that her beloved listeners refuse to miss any chance to celebrate her. “I sometimes play along for those around me,” she says between her signature, almost playful, giggles.
In these years, over 40 have been spent in recording studios with the who’s who of Indian playback music. There have been times when over 1,000 songs were recorded in a single year (in 1998, ‘99 and 2000), she recalls, “I used to have my meals and sometimes even change for shows and concerts in the car rides over to different studios.”
The busiest phases of her life are now being recorded for posterity. “We are now scanning all my diaries [where notes and appointments were recorded] and uploading them to iCloud. Almost seven to eight diaries were lost to termites. But the rest are now being documented,” she adds.
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Times have changed and life as Chithra knew it has slowed down. But how does this veteran singer remain curious while navigating the ebb and flow of a changing musical landscape? “I have never once felt bored or saturated, and it is only because the art form is music which is inextricable to my being. Even when I am not singing regularly, I listen to a lot of music and thoroughly enjoy doing it. Perhaps that’s what keeps me curious.” Even today, conversations with the art form continue, be it in the form of recordings, concerts or mentoring young musicians in the reality shows that she is part of.
More than opportunities, fame and even global recognition, Chithra believes that her audience is her biggest asset
Times have changed in the world of playback music as well. Chithra remembers a time when film songs had a defined, sometimes clinical structure, most often told through a three-stanza narrative. “That’s not the case anymore. The length of the songs itself has now been reduced to two minutes. While the attention span of the listeners is cited as a reason, I believe that if a song is good, listeners will be more than happy to listen, irrespective of its length. But good melodies are still very much around.”
Listeners too have evolved over time, Chithra says. “Back in the day songs used to be discovered on the radio, now music is being streamed on platforms like Spotify. The streaming culture is yet to catch up with me. But music is there in everyone’s life, in some form or the other.” It is through streaming that younger audiences, including Gen-Z, stumble upon seasoned musicians. According to Spotify, the singer currently has over 11.5 million monthly listeners. “I was honestly very shocked to learn this,” she says with a laugh. The singer recently collaborated with Spotify for a film that elaborates on her universal appeal.
A big cheerleader of the independent music ecosystem that is seeing a steady rise in the country’s soundscape, Chithra says, “There is great potential for growth in independent music. Musicians who compose, write, sing and record by themselves should be appreciated for their talent.”
These are all markers of time, she says, much like how the approach to recordings underwent a transition from “before-AR Rahman to after-AR Rahman”. She says, “It would be me on the mic and him on the piano, and he would later get inspired by what was already recorded to create the background music and orchestration. A lot of the music directors who came after him, followed suit.” ‘Veera Raja Veera’ fromPonniyin Selvan 2 was her latest for the composer, after several hits such as ‘Kannalanae’ from Bombay and ‘Kannamoochi Yenada’ from Kandukondain Kandukondain.
Today, with new composers, she requests for the song to be sent in advance only to assess if she can crack the pitch. Her humility once again precedes the singer famous for the ease with which she handles high octaves as she says, “If the range is too high, I would rather not attempt and spoil the song! Someone else might be able to sing it better.”
More than opportunities, fame and even global recognition, Chithra believes that her audience is her biggest asset. “Music has given me the people around me. Even strangers who are always ready to help and motivate me through life’s challenges.” A life well spent in the company of music, she now mentors many children who call her ‘amma’.
As we close the call, she laughs at my mention of her time in music as legendary. “I don’t consider myself a legend, it’s just that the real legends are no more, and by accident… I am maybe considered one.”
