Devotional cassettes and music albums made the Malayalam music industry take note of Cicily Abraham. Now settled in Chennai with her husband, Itty George, who runs a restaurant chain, she has some 1,500 songs to her credit, which include devotionals, film and non-film numbers. She has sung in over 40 films. The soft-spoken singer has been hosting ‘Silsila,' a music programme for up-and-coming talented singers on WE channel, and is a member of ‘Ilayanila,' an all-girls' band that performs on Jeevan TV. Excerpts from an interview…
On her TV shows
‘Silsila' features performances by up-and-coming singers and celebrities. The up-and-coming singer gets to sing one song, while a ghazal singer or a professional artiste gets an entire episode to showcase his/her talent. The show is a good platform for talented singers, as they get that much-needed exposure. It covers all musical genres – ghazal, light, classical or semi-classical. Instrumentalists also participate in the show. In ‘Ilayanila,' the five of us – myself, Sheila Mani, Sangeetha Prabhu, Elizabeth Raju, and Sonu – have a ball. It must be one of the longest running shows on the mini-screen.
Her debut in playback
I began learning music as a child and was a regular member of the church choir. It was my family's acquaintance with producer Siyad Koker that gave me a break into films. We are family friends. He would often make me sing when his friends dropped by. When Vidyasagar came visiting, I sang his compositions. Years passed by and I had recorded a few devotional songs by then. While doing my graduation I got a call from Vidyasagar's studio in Chennai for a voice test. I was surprised that Vidyasagar remembered me. Thus I debuted under him, in Tamil (‘Ponniyin Selvan'), Malayalam (‘Alice in Wonderland') and Telugu.
Ambition
I've not been very ambitious. Playback singing was never an option. The focus was always on academics and learning music. Now, I am a student of Baby Sreeram.
Journey so far
Like many other singers, I've had my share of bad experiences. I know it is all part and parcel of the industry. These days, I am excited about being a member of an all-girls' band in Chennai, a fusion band. Our debut is on December 26. My recent films include ‘Violin,' ‘Njaan Sivanagiren,' and ‘Rathinirvedam' (Tamil). I have also recorded a song for M.G. Sreekumar (‘Ponnukonduru Aalroopam'), a duet with him.
Favourites
‘Kattadithanalum…' (‘Classmates') is definitely on top. ‘Chirakarnna Mounam' (‘Calendar'), which I sang with Yesudas sir [K.J. Yesudas], is special since he himself considers it one of his favourite songs. What is interesting is that I had a duet (‘Punarum Puthu Manam') with his son Vijay in the same movie.
