Musician Niranj Suresh is a late bloomer. Nevertheless, the 27-year-old has found a place in the industry, both as an independent musician and as a playback singer. Lead vocalist of Blank Planet and Motherjane, he has an enviable playback profile and recently launched his own music venture, Nrj project.
“I learnt music for close to two years. After that music was nowhere in the picture. I was into theatre and did plays during my school years. I was part of the troupe Mazhavillu and performed on stages across India with it. My policy was to do what I enjoyed. But when I joined MA College of Engineering, Kothamangalam, there were no avenues for drama. That’s when I auditioned for the college’s music band and, to my surprise, was selected. Thus I went on stage to sing for the first time! Around the same time I was invited to sing in Nemesis, a metal band. I became a member of Blank Planet four years ago and in May I joined Mother Jane,” says the Kochi-based singer.
When everything fell in place for him as an independent musician, he started taking baby steps in playback singing as well. Asha Black, Beware of Dogs, Rockstar and 2 Countries (English title track with Gopi Sunder) were the initial releases, but the big break was the title song of Mammootty’s Thoppil Joppan, composed by Vidyasagar. “That song gave me an identity and the industry started taking note of my voice,” he says.
He has also sung for Prashant Pillai (Anuraga Karikkin Vellam, Sakhavu and Solo, Bijibal (Aby), Shaan Rahman (Godha), and Gopi Sunder ( Role Models). Up next are songs in Mohanlal’s Villain and Mammootty-starrer Streetlights . “Thus I have sung for both the superstars!” he gushes. He has also debuted in Tamil with a song in Ki .
Quite a dream run? “It is indeed a beautiful phase where I get to sing in films and I can do my own stuff as well. Also, it is interesting to work in two bands at the same time because I get to try different genres.”
Moving on to his Nrj Project, he says: “It is a fun and funk band, a purely commercial endeavour in which I come up with different arrangements of my own songs and feature original tracks too.”
Niranj Suresh on stage
So which is his comfort zone? “Working on or singing original compositions. I write the lyrics of most of my English tracks and that makes the songs even more special. Live shows mean the most for me and I just wish I could give as many shows as possible across the globe. The connect I feel with the audience is beyond words,” he says.
Having learnt the ways of the industry, he adds that it is important to promote oneself. “It is really disappointing when people don’t recognise me as the one who sang Innalekalilil ... in Godha or Thechille Penne... (with Gopi Sunder) in Role Models . So now I have an active Facebook page.”
He is also not worried about the competition in the field. “There is a struggle for survival in every field. I believe my strongest competitor is myself. It is all about putting in the right amount of hard work. I don’t wait for film songs to come my way. Rather, I would use that time to make a new tune. It is important for a musician to come up with something of his/her own and learn new things. That makes you a complete musician,” he signs off.
Movies n’ music
* Niranj has acted in ABCD, Love 24x7 and Anuraga Karikkin Vellam . He will next be seen in a campus movie, Naam .
* He hopes to work with Vishal-Sekhar and A.R. Rahman one day. A huge fan of Vishal Dadlani, he also follows Benny Dayal, Sid Sriram and Haricharan
