Musical Star Sithara
"Most memorable incident was when I sang in front of Yesudas Sir. One of my unfulfilled dreams is to sing at least one song with Das Sir"
Sithara born in Kozhikode, Kerala to Dr. K.M
Krishnakumar & Saly Krishnakumar, was introduced to the
world of music at an early age of four. She did her schooling in St.Pauls High
School and Calicut University Campus School. She did her graduation in English
Literature from Farook College, and went on to pursue her Master’s Degree from
Calicut University, Kerala. She was trained in Carnatic Music by Sri
Ramanattukara Sathish and Pala CK Ramachandran. Sithara also received extensive
education in Hindustani Classical music from Ustad Fiyaz Khan and Sri
Vijayasenan. She is also a classical dancer trained by Kalamandalam Vinodini. She
was the winner of several musical talent shows like Asianet Saptha Swarangal
(2004), Kairali TV Gandharva Sangeetham (Seniors) and Jeevan TV Voice 2004. She
was accoladed with the Kalathilakam title in Calicut University Arts Festival
for two consecutive years(2005 and 2006). Sithara has been recognized with
several musical awards and nominations including Baburaj Memorial Award for the
Best Female Singer in 2002, SwaralayaKairali Yesudas Award in 2004 and Mohammed
Rafi Memorial Award in 2011. She is married to Dr.M Sajish (Clinical
Cardiologist) and is currently residing at Aluva, Kerala.
Excerpts from an Interview with Sithara by the Thiraseela team.
You maintained a balance between dance & singer
for quite some time. You were even trained under Kalamandalam Vinodhini in
dancing for a long time. Which particular juncture made you realize that you
are primarily a singer?
My personal interest is to pursue both dancing
& music career. When I started taking part in singing competitions there
was an avalanche of TV shows & reality issues. Owing to the popular events
& opportunities that is coming my way I am more into playback singing &
musical performances. I was trained in Kuchuppidi & Mohiniyattam and
used to perform both art forms in many stages including Guruvaryoor &
Nishagandhi. Even now I am continuing with my dancing career, though for
the last one year I have not made any public dance appearance. I ensure to
spend time with my dance teacher to always keep my dancing skills alive.
Currently since I am trying to explore various styles in music, I am unable to
dedicate time for dance.
‘Penpaattukal’ a folk compilation was one of your
areas of research. Is it still on?
The research is still on to compile something in a
very authentic manner by giving due respect to the great folk artists. My
intention is to really connect to the masters behind such folk forms and
popularize that so that we will be able to recreate those songs to revive the
rich culture and musical value these forms posses. The lyrics mainly deals with
socio-political background and I am planning to make it appealing in
contemporary style. It demands a lot of time as I need to personally meet the
people who are familiarized with this musical style and who practice this as
part of their traditional functions & events. PenPaatukal is a term which I
use just to categorize a collection of different styles of folk music though I
am not sure if that could be termed as such formally. The intention is to come
up with albums for those genres. I try to find time during my journey as a part
of stage shows in different places. So the quest is still on and hopes it will
culminate in a good product.
You were an active participant in District &
University level Youth festivals. Recently for the 2013 State youth festival
you were invited as a performer, so could you please share the nostalgic
experience?
It was indeed nostalgic when I was invited as an
artist to perform at the Youth fest which was held at Mallappurram district. I
represented Mallapuram during all the University festivals. The venue and
ambience was very much familiar. It’s indeed a proud moment to perform as a
guest for such an event. It was a Gazal performance and this is the place in
Kerala where you could find the maximum Gazal lovers. Many teachers were there
who have seen me practicing during my school days and they were very happy to
see me pursuing a career according to my passion. I met many senior
photographers & reporters who have been reporting such events for many
years, which was also a cute experience.
Any noticeable difference in 4 South Indian
languages considering your experience in these industries?
I was initially launched in
Malayalam by Alphonse Sir in the movie Athisyan. Then I sang few songs for
films in Malayalam. When I got a chance in Tamil for G. V. Prakash Kumar Sir’s
recording I was familiarised with the recording studios. I felt like being in
the comfort zone when I was recording for Tamil too. My first Kannada song was
composed by Ouseppachan Sir. For Kannada & Telugu too, my previous
experience in other language rounds in different competitions helped me a lot.
With the help of lyricists and assistant music directors we can overcome the
initial barrier of not knowing the language in detail. For some recordings the
lyricist will explain each word its meaning to enhance the expressions &
emotions to be provided.
Apart from being a dancer and musician you have tried
in various fields like anchoring, short films and so on. Any such aspirations
in other fields too. Regarding future plans in your musical journey.
Music & dance will always
remain my passion. Short film was part of a club formed by many passionate
friends in my college as part of our project for English Department, which
could be treated as a onetime stuff. I am currently undergoing training in Hindustani
Classical music, Ustad Fayaz Khan. I have joined Rabindra Bharathi University
for M.A Hindustani. In order to perform classical concerts in future, we need
to practice a lot so my prime duty is to dedicate time for musical training.
Playback singing is sure to go on based on the opportunities that come my way.
Non-filmy collection is another area of focus where I am planning to come
up with an album which consists of Malayalam Gazals. Few of my friends have
contributed a lot with lyrics and theme for each of the songs in that upcoming
collection.
Most memorable incident in your career – something like a dream come true coz of an artist with which you shared a stage.
Most memorable incident was when I sang in front of Yesudas Sir. It was the first time when I met Das Sir. It was during the Baburaj Memorial Award 2001 during an event held at Tagore Hall, I was not notified in advance that I had to sing in front of the legends Das Sir & Janaki Amma for the final round. It was one of the biggest surprises too. I was fortunate to have received the award from him. While I met him during that event I was on cloud nine when he asked me my name & made a casual chat. After few years when I received Swaralaya Yesudas award from him it was another unforgettable event for me. One of my unfulfilled dreams is to sing at least one song with Das Sir.
Any recording or any stage show which you
think shouldn’t have happened? Any prior experience where you felt some
performance as a professional singer could have been better?
No such forgettable incident in my career. On an
optimistic note I would love to believe that whatever happened in my musical
journey so far is for good. Regarding betterment I believe it’s always good to
have that notion which in turn makes us feel grounded to ensure teh quest for
perfection is always there. I was surprised to see that few music directors
also give feedback about my live performances.
The song recording or stage performance which
made you feel proud?
I can’t say like that about the song which made me
feel proud or so. For many songs I have felt a special satisfaction for many
songs like the Tamil song for GVP Sir’s and recently rendered song in movie
‘Celluloid’. The song in Celluloid is placed in 1930’s. It’s a perception of
the music thought during that time by M.Jayachandran Sir, so it was altogether
a new experience.
Have you got the chance to record a song at a single
stretch as it used to be in olden times?
In All India Radio (Sithara is a B high grade artist
in AIR), we don’t use the punching system for the light music recording. It is
indeed good as I get a chance to learn a song from a music teacher with all
nuances before recording the song at a single shot. I always ensure that I
don’t miss the AIR sessions when I get a chance. In films usually songs are not
recorded at a stretch as the complete design of the song will be decided later
in most of the cases. We will listen to the songs after full orchestration in a
completely new layout most of the times to suit the character of the films.
Looking back to your nurturing stage, what advice will
you give to other upcoming artists?
Despite your busy schedule how do you find time to
practice?
It’s not a tough ask in terms of practice. The
inspiration for the same is many great personalities who are at the helm of
popularity but who still find ambient time to practice. I don’t plan any such
time slots for practice, but practise during whatever time available on a daily
basis. Whenever we are on the move, if we are involved in music by listening or
trying to learn its also a mode or practice. Usually I practice Hindustani
classical nowadays as I perform its semi-classical version Gazals frequently.
Live Gazals or playback singing which is the
most dearest for you?
In Gazal shows, the audience will be very much aware
of the music style and the lyrics. They mostly request good and unique
compositions through ‘farmayish’. In Gazals we connect to the audience in a different
manner as we have a two way communication. The feedback after Gazal sessions do
help me a lot.
In recording, it’s another world where we try to
transform the musical thought by the music director, lyricist and a director to
a different form. In film song the execution of a song undergoes many
expressions & emotions depending on the situation a film might demand. It’s
indeed another great experience. I would like to consider both styles dearer to
me.
Considering you attempts to try out various styles of
music which requires very wide range of modulation, could you elaborate on the
vocal exercise which you follow?
I have been asked this many a times as the songs which
I got in movies required a varied range of vocal projections. When we sing in a
particular pitch it may sound like our voice is almost similar throughout the
song, but when we render songs in different pitches we may feel it’s entirely a
different voice source. The songs which sound different is not because we try
to sound different in terms of timber, but when we sing a particular piece in
an extreme pitch or other scales it may sound different.
The song in ‘Elsamma Enna Aankutty’, the song
‘Kannaram Pothi Pothi’ the song was designed in three different styles owing to
different pitches. When you sing the opening lines it sounded mostly like a
male because of the pitch and it was not an intentional attempt to change the
voice. My duty was to do justice to the modulations insisted by Rajamani Sir.
In youtube I have seen comments for this song stating its sung by two singers,
it may be because of the opening note in an unusual pitch.
Your comments on Reality shows. Nowadays we don’t see
many youngsters becoming so popular in the playback singing circuit considering
the huge number involved in such reality shows. In your case reality shows had
a very positive impact.
The reality show is a good
platform for the youngsters and for sure all who succeed in those are
undoubtedly talented in music. The journey in playback singing may be
dependent on other factors too like getting an opportunity. Too much in
number may be another reason which attributes to the tough competition among
the new comers to get the initial pull in the industry. Singers like Najeem who
came from reality shows are popular now and getting a good grip in the music
industry too. I guess if someone doesn’t get carried away with their success in
reality shows, opportunity will surely knock at the right time if they are
involved in music with utmost dedication even after the competition.
Support from your family?
Definitely family support is a great boon for an artist.
My mother used to find good music teachers when I was five. When I wanted to
pursue my studies in music, my parents stood behind me. Even after
marriage the encouragement just increased. My husband is keener than me on
ensuring my success as a playback singer. I got maximum opportunity in playback
singing after marriage.
She is currently engaged in
performing live shows with other artists and bands too thereby maintaining a
good balance between the various styles of musical expression despite her busy
schedule. She finds time to visit her musical masters frequently to seek
their blessings. A special thanks from Thiraseela.com to Sithara for
sharing her experiences and thoughts which will be very interesting for the
readers. Hope Sithara as the name suggests be a shining star always and
will entertain. All the best and hope you achieve many accolades throughout her
musical journey.
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