Songs in her heart

Gowrylekshmi, who has just composed the music for the film iphone, says she is fascinated by all aspects of music—writing, composing and singing

Gowrylekshmi, singer, composer and music director. Photo: K. K. Mustafah

Twenty-year-old Gowrylekshmi is literally on song. For none other than K. J. Yesudas has sung Novinde kadalazhangal, composed by her, for the film iphone . She has also composed two other songs for the same film. This is the highlight of her budding career and will be so, she says, for the rest of her life. “It was a great experience. I am the third generation after Yesudas sir in the industry. He was happy with my work and was very encouraging. He has asked me to contact him for guidance and any help in the field of music,” says Gowry, visibly thrilled to recount the meet with the music maestro.

Perhaps the youngest music composer Gowry is the daughter of singer Harikrishnan who was recently awarded the State award for Best Singer for 2013 by the Drama Academy. He earlier received the same award in 2011.

Gowry wrote the lyrics of the song

Sakhiye… for the film,

Casanova , sung by Vijay Yesudas and Shweta Mohan. She has sung the promotional song for the film

Kunthapura and composed music for the song

Vande Mataram from this film.

A natural flow

Currently she is working on songs for two films— iphone directed by Kiran Chand and Kelvi by Hashim Marikaar. She has written the lyrics and is directing the music for the Malayalam version of Kelvi , which is in Tamil too. The two films are to be released by the end of this year.

Coming from a musical family based in Cherthala, Gowry’s entry into music was a natural flow. Her parents have a recording studio and a music school, ‘Gowry Gayathri Vidyapeeth’ in Vaikom.

Gowry completed her graduation in music from RLV College for Music and Fine Arts, Tripunithura. From a young age she has been interested in all the aspects of a song — writing, composing and singing.

Besides this aspect, she loves Western music as much as she revels in Carnatic and Hindustani music. Gowry loves to perform with bands, which initially gave her the confidence to take up music seriously. She began singing with ‘Bennet and the Band’, which is known for film songs and Western music. She has done three shows with them and performed in Kuwait along with Shweta Mohan and Naresh Iyer. iphone With band ‘Fifth Element’, she has performed in Palakkad.

Gowry began her musical training as young as a three-year-old. She started with Carnatic and is currently training in Hindustani under Bangalore-based Ustad Fayaz Khan and in Kochi under Vijay Sur Sen. Once a month she travels to Chennai to train in Western music theory and European classical under Augustine Paul of the Madras Musical Association. Simultaneously, lessons in piano and guitar augment her musical abilities.

From the gamut of musical notes that interest Gowry, it is singing that she enjoys the most. She says with charming confidence, “I am fascinated with ‘live’ performance. The energy that it imparts is mesmerising. In composing you don’t receive instant response. But composing for film songs takes you directly to the audience, which is very satisfying.” Of her own voice, Gowry is critical. “My voice is not suited for sweet melodies. It is apt for power-packed performances—for Western singing,” she says, disclosing her love for Western music which emanates from her singing with the choir group, Rock of Ages. She was a soprano in the choir.

Having achieved substantially at this young age is not heady for Gowry. Sakhiye… was composed when she was 13 and selected by Rosshan Andrrews for the film Casanova at a family gathering, but such exceptional incidents don’t flatter her. She says, “I want to handle all three things in music. Though I practise daily I should listen more, to different types of music—world music.”