Iykki Berry in ‘Itihasam’ Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Ikki Berry’s alter ego rotates between two personalities: she is the “funky, vibe-y, cute-ass, feisty Barbie”, and the “stubborn, bold, raw and rootsy queen”. When one of these personalities takes charge, the words write themselves. His new single ‘Itihasam’ is based on the latter.

Rapper and singer-songwriter – a familiar face and name, thanks to her start on reality television shows bigg boss 5 – hails from Thanjavur and discovered the world of hip hop in 2015 itself. Earlier, pop icons like Michael Jackson and Lady Gaga and their distinct soundscapes had convinced young Ikya Kamaraj about the world of possibilities in music. Cut to 2024, and released on November 1, ‘Ithihasam’ celebrates Tamil pride through candid verses honoring many greats from the Tamil literary world.

Iyki calls ‘Itihasam’ “a magical work for the entire team”. It started with an impromptu tune which Dev Major – who composed the music for the song – performed on a random evening. Iyyaki immediately associated that rhythm with poetry:

I believe in the Sun/I do Surya Namaskar.

You are doing Paaji Pavam, you have to do Pariharam.

“We got busy with other work until we got a call [AR] Rehman sir’s office. They said they were going to launch an Unreal Engine music studio and asked if we would like to work on a music video,” Iykki recalls. Unreal Engine is a software tool used to create interactive, 3D visual worlds using realistic lighting and special effects. Iyki adds, “We were very excited to experience this new technology. This meant, we didn’t have to look for a location, everything we needed was virtually ready. The song was shot at ARR Film City in collaboration with the Ustream team, which facilitated the visualization of the video. “We went back to the studio and finished the song in five to six hours! We shot it in nine hours and we could do that only because of this technology.” A music video that would normally take three or four weeks to produce was completed in four days’ time.

The only reason Iyki’s lyrics lean towards inspirational is because her followers include a large portion of women, especially little girls. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Dev’s music, particularly the leading wild horn interlude, establishes character in the song. “The beats influenced me a lot, and I wanted to touch my roots. I decided I wanted to show the world where I come from,” says Iyki, “Thanjavur is a majestic place and holds Tamil literary significance. I wanted to show everyone that it was me.

In the video, Iykki appears as a queen, inspired by Queen Velu Nachiyar of Sivagangai, who waged war against the East India Company in the late 1700s and reclaimed her territory. In another frame, she is seen draped in black and red, surrounded by red colours, in a song from the Tamil epic. shilappadikaramKannagi, the heroine. The verses also mention Aditya Karikalan, considered one of the greatest emperors of the Chola dynasty, and Avvaiyar, one of Tamil’s most notable female poets, as these verses praise women and their infinite possibilities and create rap .

Iykki’s lyrics lean towards inspirational, the only reason being that a large portion of his followers are women, especially little girls. “Whenever they listen to my songs, I want them to feel empowered.” The rapper is planning to release another single titled ‘IYKKI’, which will be completely different from ‘Ithihasam’ both in its tone and format. It will highlight a girl’s dream, and be based on the future. Currently, ‘Itihasam’ is progressing through live performances in various Indian cities. Naturally the first stop is Chennai. Iykki will be joined by fellow musicians like J-Queen, Nixon, Kiran Surath and Arcus in the Ethihassam Tour curated by Curiosity.

Itihasam Tour will be held on 8th November from 7.30 pm at Dank, T Nagar. Book tickets on skillbox.com.