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A screenshot of Sangeetama video, music director Kalyani Malik
Musician Kalyani Malik recently released three songs, one each in Telugu, Hindi and Tamil. It is a tribute to the composers, singers and lyricists who shaped her interest in music. The independent music video, published on her YouTube channel Umami Music, has lyrics by MM Keeravani (Telugu), Madhan Karky (Tamil) and Shagun Sodhi (Hindi). “The music I grew up listening to shaped my interest and encouraged me to become a musician. This initiative is my way of celebrating the legends who are no longer among us,” says Kalyani Malik.
Music composer, best known for his compositions for Telugu films Aithe, Ala Modalaandi, Ashta Chamma, Oohalu Gusagusalade, so and so Ammai, so and so Abbay After launching Umami Music Channel a year ago, he began working on the idea of paying tribute to music legends. He said the channel aims to connect directly with listeners and explore music beyond the realm of cinema.
The videos of the three songs, each of which is four minutes long, feature photographs of 23 composers, singers and lyricists. The Telugu song ‘Sangithama’ is sung by Lipsika Bhashyam, the Tamil song ‘En Vanile’ is sung by Padmalatha, while the Hindi version ‘Sukoon Hai’ is sung by Shagun Sodhi.
Legends featured in the video
Hindi: Kishore Kumar, Salil Chowdhary, SD Burman, RD Burman, Mohammed Rafi, Jaidev, Madan Mohan Kohli, Lata Mangeshkar and Sudhir Phadke.
Telugu and TamilS. P. Balasubramanian, Sirivennela Sitarama Sastry, K. Chakravarthy, Saluri Rajeswara Rao, Veturi Sundararama Murthy, Ramesh Naidu, Ghantasala Venkateswara Rao, Sirkaji Govindarajan, K. V. Mahadevan, M. S. Viswanathan, and P. Bhanumathi.
Kalyani Malik also thanked mandolin player U Srinivas and radio announcer Ameen Sayani Binaca Playlist Renowned electric guitarist and violinist Van Shipley.
When Kalyani Malik started making a list of musicians who inspired her since childhood, the list turned out to be quite long. She says, “It was difficult to list everyone, so I chose those who are no longer among us today.”
The musician clearly stated that he wanted to release a video supporting the songs in a minimal budget. The video has pictures of legends and mentions some of Kalyani Malik’s favourite albums and their compositions.
Kalyani Malik had approached a few lyricists for the Telugu version but when things did not move forward, she approached her elder brother and Academy Award winner MM Keeravani.Annayya He wrote the song within a day. He also suggested Shagun Sodhi’s name for the Hindi version, as he knew his father (Surinder Sodhi) during the making of the Hindi film. Special 26,
For the Tamil songs Kalyani Malik approached Madhan Karky, as the two had worked together. Bahubali Influenced by the idea and music, Madan wrote the songs overnight and did not charge any fee for it.
Once the songs were ready, Kalyani Malik created and edited the videos, learning techniques from YouTube tutorials. “It was a learning process to do it all by myself,” he says.
Next, he is working on an independent music video in Telugu and Hindi. Meanwhile, he has also composed music for a new Telugu web series, based on the relationship between a father and son, which will be announced soon.
Reflecting on his foray into independent music, he says it has been both liberating and challenging to try something beyond cinema, where one has to compose as per the requirements of the script. “While composing for a film, one listens to the tunes and gives us feedback. While composing independently I had to step back, revisit the music after a few days and assess if it was worth releasing. I am happy that the songs are getting good response and actors like Prabhas and Adivi Sesh have shared it on social media.”
The name Umami Music (@umamimusic on YouTube), he said, is a combination of his wife’s name (Uma), his son Mayur (M) and himself (Kalyan Malik to I). “I wanted a name that was unique. A friend suggested naming the channel after my wife and then the idea took shape.”
