Singing by ear

Bollywood, for sure, is a dream world for many. The pomp, the colours, the music — the industry has many elements that draw people towards it once they start loving it. For Indo-Canadian singer Shashaa Tirupati, the case was not different. In far-off Canada, she dreamed of people shaking a leg to songs in her voice, just like in movies. When it was time, she did what she was supposed to do to pursue a career in music. Quitting medical school was the first step. Looking back many years later, she says she was following her dream. When she won her first National Film Award for the solo Vaan from Mani Ratnam’s Tamil film Kaatru Veliyidai (2017), Shashaa was answering many questions that she left unanswered at the start of her career.

“It was my desire to be part of the musical world that kept me going and helped me find success. I admired Bollywood and the songs that I used to sing. As a person who watched it from a far-off land, I wanted to be a part of it. That’s how it all began. I have been singing since a very young age though. Music has always been with me— even before coming to India,” says Shashaa, who was in Kochi recently for a project in association with Gopi Sunder.

“I have always loved singing Malayalam songs and this one was also special. I feel very happy to work with Gopi sir. Right now, I cannot reveal the details of the song or the film,” she says. Shashaa has sung a few Malayalam songs, including Thalolam in the movie Solo.Speaking a language that you don’t have any idea about is tough, let alone singing soulful songs in it. Shashaa, since she became a professional singer, has sung in 12 languages and the way she prepares for the recording makes her stand out.

It is really important to fully understand the meaning of a song to sing it soulfully. So, how does she manage to sing in languages that she does not speak? “It’s all about understanding the situation.” She says. “The first thing is to understand the context of the song. Then one should learn the nuances. We do have engineers, lyricists and music directors to help us out in these situations. Languages like Malayalam, unlike Hindi or English, require us to use many parts of the mouth. The words are so tough and I do work hard prior to singing.”   

Shashaa believes her passion for singing made her strong enough to face criticisms a few years ago. In 2010, someone from the music industry told her that her voice was not good enough. Shashaa says she was very upset at first, and decided to take a break. “It was actually really saddening. I had already sung a few songs by that time. When I was told so, I took some time to see what the flaw in my singing was. Actually I could find some problems and I was ready to rectify them. I think that’s the best way to do it. Since I took a break from singing, I concentrated on composing music and I could rate me and other singers from a composer’s point of view. I knew how to rectify my flaws. So those comments turned out to be extremely helpful for me.”  Shashaa has come a long way since that incident and went on to win the National Award which proved her critics wrong.

During her career, she has been very lucky to have worked with many great artists like the Academy Award winning composer A. R. Rahman. Since her comeback in 2012, she has been associating with ARR in many projects. “I could not have asked for more. Working alongside and singing alongside one of the greatest artists that the country has ever seen! He is my guru, my mentor, a very good friend and a very supportive and compassionate human being. As a singer, I could not be luckier than this.” Winning the National Award made her more responsible and she has raised the benchmark.

When asked about her take on the Indian music industry, she says, “We are on the right track. Compared to other countries or industries, we are more film-bound, but I think it only gives good results. Thousands of people find a livelihood out of this and industries like Bollywood is actually a lifeline for musicians in the country.  May be our independent music culture is not as vast as others’, but we have lots of indie musicians, too,” she opines.

Her next big project which is ready to roll is Shankar’s 2.0 starring Rajinikanth. Shashaa is really excited about the movie and the songs, as she is eagerly waiting for the movie to hit the screens.