2017 has clearly been a special year for Sithara Krishnakumar as a musician. Her chartbusters in Mollywood include songs in Saira Banu, Godha, Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum, Sakhavu and Udaharanam Sujatha . She turned composer with a single, Ente Akaasham , released to commemorate International Women's Day early this year. She is also making her debut as a film composer with Udalazham . And she has crested it all with her band, Project Malabaricus.
Having made a gradual, but steady rise in the industry with her distinctive voice, Sithara is definitely pleased with the phase she is in. Talking about her film tracks, Sithara says, “Most of the songs I got were composed by renowned directors. So I didn’t have to think much before singing those songs. And all the numbers have been appreciated. I have never had such a great time before.” The fact that she has sung for some of the best composers in the industry, including Gopi Sundar, Shaan Rahman, Bijibal, Prashant Pillai and Mejo Joseph, makes the success doubly sweet.
Sithara admits that after her state-award winning retro number Enundodi... from Celluloid , she had apprehensions about being stereotyped. “But thankfully composers were ready to experiment with my voice and the songs have been well-received. In fact many have asked whether I changed my voice texture for certain songs,” she adds.
Coming to her stint as a composer, Sithara avers that there is a composer in almost every singer. With technology coming to the aid it has become fairly easy for many of them to make their own music. “I picked up lessons in music production and started doing programming on my own,” she says. While Ente Aakasham..., a tribute to all those women who work late at night, saw her turning into a lyricist as well, in Udalazham she teams up with Mithun Jayaraj to compose the songs. Udalazham is produced by Doctors’ Dilemma, a collective of doctors, one of them being her husband, Dr. Sajish.
Meanwhile, she emphasises that it is early days for her as a composer and it will take sometime for her get into the groove. “I am composing tunes that go with my taste. If somebody approaches me with a film project, I am not sure whether I can really meet their expectations. As a matter of fact, I am in awe of musicians who compose songs with mass appeal,” she says. A special work has been the title track for Anuyatra campaign, an initiative of the Department of Social Justice for the differently abled. “P. Jayachandran sir sang it for me and it was indeed a remarkable experience,” she adds.
Project Malabaricus, the 10-member band, sings original tracks, composed by Sithara and Mithun. Calling it a “musical series” she says that the tracks are not restricted to one particular genre. “Nevertheless, since most of us have a preference for folk and classical rhythms you might find more of such songs in our shows. We perform according to the audience. There are some subtle tracks; at the same time we have compositions that are meant for live performances only,” she points out.
Observing the trend where the number of female composers are few, Sithara says that she doesn’t know the exact reason. “Ultimately talent is not determined by gender. Both men and women take the same training and they excel in equal measure as well. May be it is part of the bias women face in all other fields. Also, the practical difficulties involved in late night recordings and managing a group of people might be keeping women away from this job.”
She will be heard in films such as Villain, Kinar, Vimanam and Vandi (Tamil) and has composed for Katha Paranja Katha . “I enjoy working with new musicians. While you get to learn a lot from seniors, with youngsters the sessions become more interactive and you pick up new things from them,” she signs off.
Titbits
* A travel enthusiast, she travelled to the North-East for the Ziro Festival. “I want to travel across the world and one place I want to visit again is London.”
* Known for experimenting with her looks, she recently cut her hair short. “People are used to see me the same way for the last so many years. So I want to break free from that image!”
* Winner of several reality shows, she is a trained classical dancer as well.
