Experiments with music

Musician Anju Joseph talks about her a cappella band and staying put in the industry

Anju Joseph

Talent alone is not enough to succeed, especially if you are a singer. Anju Joseph learnt it the hard way. With hundreds of singers making themselves heard every day, Anju, a reality show star, had her share of struggle before she decided to explore new avenues. She and her group of friends now have an a capella band, Reflections. She has sung in a few movies as well. Anju also hosts a music-based quiz show on Janam TV. She speaks to

Friday Review about making her mark in the music industry. Excerpts:

Tell us about your journey with music

When reality shows took the industry by storm, I decided to try my luck, having won prizes at school youth festivals. I came third in Gandharva Sangeetham Junior on Kairali TV and was adjudged second runner-up in a show on Jeevan TV. The turning point was the fourth season of Star Singer on Asianet. After that I got a lot of stage shows and could also sing in music albums. I got my first film song, Nannavoolla, in Doctor Love . But no projects came my way after that. Also, I decided to take a break since I wanted to concentrate on my studies.

How did the comeback happen?

That was because of my husband, Anoop John. Instead of waiting for opportunities, he pushed me to try something new. I decided to try a capella with a group of friends. We approached Mejjo chettan [composer Mejjo Josseph] with the idea and he helped us out. Thus we released a cappella version of Dheevara from Baahubali — The Beginning , which went viral on social media.

So you cashed in on the opportunities?

We formed a 15-member band, Reflections, once we started getting enquiries for live shows. The first big stage was the film award show organised by MAA TV, a Telugu channel. It was overwhelming to perform in front of a celebrity crowd, especially when the entire cast and crew of Baahubali was present. We did a show for Sun TV. After we performed at an award show organised by Flowers TV, the Malayali audience started taking note of us. We got a few stages across the State and also did a show in Dubai with musician Balabhaskar.

Who are the musicians in the band?

In addition to full-time musicians, we have people who have a full-time job and those who are students. We don’t use any instruments at all. We mostly sing Tamil songs. But we try something new every time, by including songs of all styles.

With so many singing talents around, how tough was your journey?

At a time when even senior musicians are on a sticky wicket, you can imagine how difficult the journey might have been for me and other singers. I always look for work that gives me satisfaction and that eventually led to the formation of Reflections. In between I could sing in C/O Saira Banu and Alamara . I have also sung in Avarude Raavukal that releases today.