Tamil film industry is credited to give us several promising and wonderful singers over the years. Not only classical but film singers also have made Tamil Nadu proud with their singing abilities. Most of these singers have also ventured into other languages like Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada etc apart from Tamil. One of the famous Tamil singers is Srinivas. He has been immensely successful in south Indian film industry. Srinivas developed interest in music from a very early age. He was born in a place called Ambasamudram to Duraiswamy Iyengar and Lakshmi. He grew up in Trivandrum. His first brush with music took place in company of bhajan groups. Thesew groups used to walk by the streets. He learned music from his aunt Mrs. Padmanarayanan. He was also fond of Hindi songs of Kishore kumar and R D Burman.

 

Srinivas first approached music maestro Ilayaraja but things did not work out as planned. Later on he approached another legend A. R. Rahman who immediately got impressed with his talent. He offered him some work. Srivinas continued struggling with devotional albums and advertising jingles. His first big break came with song Sorgam Enbathu Namakku from the movie Nammavar, composed by Mahesh. It was followed by another hit Manna Madurai in 1996. Then came En Uyire in Mani Ratnam’s Uyire and composed by A. R. Rahman. Since then, it has been a memorable journey for talented singer.

 

After that hit, offers came pouring in at his doorsteps. Srinivas worked with famous music composers like Ilayaraja, Deva, A.R.Rahman, Vidyasagar etc. he has also sung in other languages like Malayalam and Telugu. Srinivas took a bold step when he composed music for a movie named Ae Nee Romba Azhaga Irukke. He also composed music for a Malayalam movie. Srinivas has also won big awads like State Award by the Government of Tamil Nadu and Kerala State Award apart from title ‘Kalaimamani’ conferred by the Tamil Nadu Government.

 

Tags: A R Rahman, Srinivas, Tamil singers, Tamil songs —

SP Balasubramaniam is one of the most renowned Indian singers. Born on June 4, 1946 in a place named Konetammapeta, Andhra Pradesh, SP belonged to a family of artists. His father was a famous exponent of Harikatha and his sister SP Sailaja has earned many accolades in south film industry. He found interest in music at a very early age and without going through any formal training learned flute and harmonium on his own. He also did B.Tech from JNTU College of Engineering. A veteran singer, SP Balasubramaniam is in film industry since 30 years. He is also knonw as SPB.

 

One of the most versatile singers of his generation, SPB has a unique style of singing and his voice range is subject to huge appreciation. He has sung songs in no less than five languages and number of songs goes in thousands. He is perhaps the most popular singer in Tamil, Kannada and Telugu music industry. A truly versatile artist, he has also dabbled successfully in music composing, acting and dubbing.

 

SP Balasubramanyam has also worked as an actor in quite a few regional movies. He has worked in Telugu and Tamil movies. Very few people are aware of his talent as a dubbing artist. He has dubbed for actors like Kamal Hassan, Mohan, Raghuvaran, Salman Khan, Bhagyaraj, Girish Karnad, Karthik, Gemini Ganesh, Nagesh, and Vinodkumar. SP Balasubramanyam has won numerous awards. He has been a recipient of National Award for no less than six times. He won this prestigious award for songs like Om Kaara Nadhaanu, Umandu Ghumandu Ghana Gar Je Badara, Tere Mere Beech Mein and Cheppaalani Undi etc. Apart from several state Government awards, Film fare awards and numerous Felicitation has been accorded to his huge talent.

 

Tags: famous tamil musicians, SP Balasubramaniam, Tamil singers, Tamil songs —

Ilayaraja is the living legend of south Indian film industry. Born on June 2, 1943 in Theni district of Tamil Nadu, he has composed over 4000 songs and has worked in an astonishing number of 800 movies. Ilayaraja was originally named as Gnanadesikan. His first brush of music occurred when found interest in Tamil folk songs. At an early age of 14, he joined a musical troupe. His first composition was an elegy written by Tamil poet Kannadasan. The maestro further honed his talent in a music course in Madras and later on Trinity college of Music, London. His specialization was classical guitar.

 

Ilayaraja first started his job as a guitarist in the 1970s. Later on he covered almost all the spectrum as keyboardist, session guitarist, and orchestra member. He is in the industry for more than three decades. Ilayaraja has worked in several languages apart from Tamil. He has composed music for Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films. Ilayaraja introduced western musical nuances in Tamil songs. His entry into music direction took place in 1976 for the movie Annakkili. His modus operandi was to use two entirely dfferent but great things together. He used Tamil poetry with techniques of modern film music orchestra. Right from the first movie, Ilayaraja became a huge hit.   

 

Pathinaru Vayathinile, Payanangal Mudivathillai, Bhuvana Oru Kelvikkuri, Apoorva Sahodarargal, Annai Oru Aalayam, Moondram Pirai, Rudra Veenai, Muthal Mariyathai, Munthanai Mudichu, Punnagai Mannan, Sagara Sangamam and Nallavanukku Nallavan. Ilayaraja has worked in top movies like Anjali, Thalapathi, Michael Madana Kamarajan, Magalir Mattum, Sirai Chaalai and Sethu to name a few. Since the dawn of new millennium he has cut down on his works. Ilayaraja has won several awards like National Film Award for Best Music Direction, Gold Remi Award for Best Music Score, Kalaimamani Award from the Government of the State of Tamil Nadu, Government of Kerala, and Madhya Pradesh State Award among others.

Tags: Ilayaraja, music personalities, Tamil music, tamil music composers —

Let’s talk about one of the major instruments used in classical music. Mridangam is basically a classical percussion instrument. Its main job is to provide rhythm to the carnatic music performances. Its qite popular in South India and is used in almost all the music concerts. This wonderful instrument is known by several names like, mrdangam, mrithangam, mridanga, mrudangam etc. hollow piece of jackfruit wood is used to make this essential instrument. Normally, this piece is one inch thick. After that, leather is used to cover both sides of the drum. The two sides are tied to each other using the circumference of the drum. The reason behind melodious sound of the mridangam is the leather straps that are stretched to high tension. Because of that it resonates while getting struck. Mridangam produces different treble sounds and bass effect. That’s because the two membranes have different width.

 

Mridangam has been given utmost impiortance in Hindu sculpture mythology. Many deities like Nandi and Ganesha have been shown with this instrument. It is being said that while lord Shiva was performing Tandava dance, Nandi was playing the mridangam. Perhaps, that why mridangam is also called as Deva Vaadyam that means instrument of the Gods. One unique feature of mridangam is that it can be played from both sides.

 

Smaller aperture is known as bala bhaaga or valanthalai and the bass aperture is called thoppi or eda bhaaga. The appealing metallic timbre gets its effect from black paste that is also known as karnai or satham. Mridangam is a must have instrument in all carnatic musical concerts.

Tags: Carnatic music, classical music, Mridangam, musical equipments —

Tamil music industry is quite rich in terms of talent and quality. Tamil Nadu is more famous for its carnatic classical music. This music tradition has been maintained for ages and the state has given us numerous talents in the arena. Tamil film music is yet to become as prominent as carnatic classical music. Understandably, Tamil music being the regional one, it has its own followers and in southern states it is one of most popular form of music. Numerous musicians in the region have composed wonderful songs that have gained huge popularity. The state has wonderful musical talents in singing as well as composing. But two names that dwarf all others are the legendary Illayaraja and incomparable A R Rahman. These two names have completely redefined the standard of music in Tamil music industry. Music directors are a talented breed whose primary job is to compose music that we would love to hear. However, that’s easier said than done. Songs by these two have fed generations of music lovers. The only reaction one gives is of amazements and gratitude towards these two.

 

Music can take you to a different world. For Tamil music lovers, despite the arrival of many new forms of music, songs by these two maestros are given first preference. Their music has no bounds. It is being said that music is a healer and from that perspective, perhaps Ilayaraja and A R Rahman have remained the greatest healers. Their fan following has kept increasing and the appetite of the fans show no signs of fatigue. To their credit, they have composed music for films as well as numerous charities. There are several other music composers in Tamil music industry like Yuvan Shankar Raja, Harris Jayaraj, Vishal Shekhar, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Ismail Darbar and Deva etc but none of them could really beat them as far as popularity is concerned. We will talk about these maestros in separate articles.

Tags: A R rehman, famous music personalities, Illayaraja, tamil film music, Tamil Music Directors —

M. S. Subbalakshmi or Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi was one of the classical gems produced by india. She was not only well admired but also hugely popular. Carnatic music was well represented by the magic of MS as she was popularly knonw as. Her achievements include Sangeetha Kalanidhi and Bharat Ratna among others. She was the first female singer to get these prestigious awards. Born on 16th September 1916 in the Madurai city of Tamil Nadu, M S Subbalakshmi took her initial training in the family only. She belonged to a family of musicians. Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer gave her training in carnatic classical music whereas Pandit Narayan Rao Vyas was her teacher in Hindustani classical music.

 

MS started to give music performance from a very tender age of ten. At the age of seventeen she made an impressive debut at Madras Music Academy. Since then it remained a life of major achievements and uninterrupted excellence. Her talent can be gauged from the fact that she performed in various languages including Malayalam, Gujarati, Bengali, Telugu, Hindi, Sanskrit, Kannada and not to forget her mother tongue Tamil. M S Subbalakshmi redefined classical music. She also dabbled in acting and performed in few movies. But she decided to devote herself to the sacred concept of classical music.

 

M S Subbulakshmi also performed her role of India’s cultural ambassador to the perfection. She performed in various concerts all over the world including UN General Assembly, Royal Albert Hall of London and Festival of India in Moscow. She won numerous awards likes of which include Kalidasa Samman Award, Padma Bhushan Award, Ramon Magsaysay Award and Padma Vibhushan Award. She left the mortal world on 11th December 2004 but her legacy will forever be etched in our minds.

Tags: Carnatic music, M.S. Subbalakshmi, tamil classical singers, Tamil songs —

Tamil Music owes a lot to great saint Tyagaraja. He was not only a great saint but also a legendary musician. He gave a new direction to Tamil music. In fact, many new inclusions have been credited to the wisdom to saint Tyagaraja. Tamil Nadu celebrates his contribution by organizing Thyagaraja music festival every year. It is held during January and continues for eight days. Organized at a place names Thiruvaiyaru, the festival is a treat for music lovers. The venue Thiruvaiyaru is the place where great saint spent his whole life. He also attained Samadhi at this particular place.

 

The festival is organized on an annual basis. Wonderful musical shows are held at the venue. Top notch singers and carnatic musicians from all over the India come together to celebrate the legacy of Saint Thyagaraja in Tamil Nadu. Carnatic singers showcase their talent through classical music. The saint had composed five great compositions also known as Pancharathna Krithis. Some of the renowned groups perform these compositions and that incidentally is also the prime attraction of the festival. The performance is a way to pay homage to the great saint and also to honor his historical works. These five compositions are also known as five gems. His contribution to the Tamil music can be ascertained from the fact that almost all the great carnatic singers consider his as their role model. One can visit this place by rail, road or air. Easy availability of transport options is always available.

 

: Image courtesy hindu.com

Tags: Tamil music, Tamil songs, Thyagaraja, Thyagaraja Music Festival —

Nenje Nenje

Singer(s): Mahathi, Harish Ragavendra

Music: Harris Jayaraj

Album: Ayan

 

 

Oru Vetkam Varudhe

Singer(s): Naresh Iyer, Shreya Ghoshal

Music: James Vasanthan

Album: Pasanga

 

 

USA USA

Singer(s): Anupama, Krish, Rahul Nambiar

Music: Karthik Raja

Album: Achchamundu! Achchamundu!

 

 

Om Siva Om

Singer(s): Vijay Prakash

Music: Illayaraja

Album: Naan Kadavul

 

Athu Oru Kaalam

Singer(s): Haricharan, Prem Gi Amaren

Music: Prem Gi Amaren

Album: Adhe Neram Adhe Idam

 

 

Where is the party

Singer(s): Mukesh, Priyadharshini

Music: Yuvan Shankar Raja

Album: Silambattam

 

 

Hey Vetri Velaa

Singer(s): Naveen, Ranjith

Music: Mani Sharma

Album: Padikkathavan

 

 

Kadaloram Oru Ooru

Singer(s): Yuvan Shankar Raja

Music: Yuvan Shankar Raja

Album: Kungumapoovum Konjumpuraavum

 

 

Hey Rama Rama

Singer(s): Amal Raj, Kovai Sarala 

Music: Devi Sri Prasad

Album: Villu

 

 

Vedi Vedi Saravedi

Singer(s): Ranjith, Naveen

Music: Mani Sharma

Album: Thoranai

 

 

Tags: latest Tamil songs, Tamil songs, tamil songs to dowloard, Top 10 Tamil songs —

Tamil songs have given us songs of different genres. The people over there have high quality taste. Probably that’s the reason, why we can find numerous classes of appealing songs in Tamil music. The music is rich because of variety it offers. Try looking for any particular genre and you are most likely to find several gems of your taste. One of the genres that is particularly popular in Tamil Nadu is melodious songs. Presence of two of the greatest composers of India, Illayaraja and A R rehman have given it an aura of class and melody. These two names need no introduction. Tamil film industry has produced numerous melodious songs and all of them have been huge hits. The best part about songs with melody is its soothing effect and calming influence. Let’s take a look at some of the popular Tamil melody songs.

 

The song ‘Poovukul’ has been sung by talented duo of Unnikrishnan and Sujatha. The incomparable A R Rehman has composed music for this song from the movie Jeans. This song also showcases erstwhile Seven Wonders of the World. Ennavo Ennavo is a famous tamil song from movie Priyamanavale and has been sung by Hariharan and Harini. The song represents complete intensity and love. Composed by S.A Raajakumar, this song makes you fall in love with tamil melody songs.

 

Sung by Madhubalakrishnan, song Kaana Kandenadi became quite popular amongst music lovers. In fact, because of this song, the movie Paarthiban Kanavu became a huge hit.

 

Other popular Tamil melody songs are Snehithane Snehithane, Malargale Malargale, Ennavale Adi Ennavale, Kanmani Anbodu, Rosaapoo Chinna Rossapoo, and Vennilave Vennilave etc to name a few. The quality of these songs will make sure that Tamil film industry will keep giving us wonderful melody songs.

Tags: A R rehman, Popular Tamil Melody Songs, tamil film music, Tamil songs —

Most Tamil movie songs are sung by singers who sing not only in the Tamil language but also in other south Indian languages namely Telegu, Malayalam and Kannada. Most of these singers maybe mainstream Bollywood singers, that is singing Hindi movie songs or south Indian music industry singers who also sing in Hindi movies. Most Tamil singers today are those who sing for the Tamil movies. These singers like Hariharan, SP Balasubramanium are very popular not just in the Tamil movies but in the Hindi music industry as well.

Most Carnatic singers perform in Tamil language along with Telegu and Sanskrit. Popular female Carnatic singers are MS Subbulakshmi, Bombay Sisters, Nithyasree Mahadevan, D.K. Pattammal, Sulamangalam Sisters, K.B. Sundarambal, N.C. Vasanthakokilam, and M. L.Vasanthakumari. The leading male singers are M.Balamuralikrishna, G. N. Balasubramanian, Chembai Vaidyanatha Iyer, Sirkali Govindarajan, S.G.Kittapa, Hariharan, Madurai Mani Iyer, Madurai Somasundaram, Maharajapuram Santhanam, Rajkumar Bharathi, Semmengudi Srinivasa Iyer, Madurai T.N. Seshagopalan, P.Unnikrishnan, and K.J.Yesudas.

Famous female Tamil movie singers include KS Chitra, Mahalaxmi Iyer, P Susheela who has won 5 national awards, S Janaki the winner of 7 Tamil Nadu state awards, Sailaja, Sadhna Sargam, Vani Jayaram and Vasundhara Das to name a few. Bollywood female singers popular in the Tamil music industry are Shreya Ghoshal, Asha Bhosle and Lata Mangeshkar.

Popular male Tamil movie singers are Hariharan who is also an acclaimed ghazal singer, Jayachandran, Karthik, KK who is very popular in Bollywood too, KJ Yesudas who is also a Carnatic classical singer, Madhu Balakrishnan, Mano, Sreenivas, SP Balasubramanium probably the most famous Tamil singer who has won 6 national awards and 3 state awards etc. His mp3 are widely available online for free download.

Tags: Tamil singers, tamil song singers —