From Namma Haadige, Neeney Aalu to Bedaa Kanne and Bodhane — the city is warming up to Kannada songs and how! These young independent musicians who have established themselves as professional artistes have one thing in common — they all sing in Kannada.
The proud Kannadigas
A city christened as the rock capital of the country, Bengaluru hosts some of the best indie artistes in India. There are innumerable number of English bands in the city. But do artistes who sing in their native tongue receive due credit? “Of course, anyone who makes good music will get noticed for his/her work. It’s only a matter of time,” says music composer, Kiran Bhat, who has composed a heavy metal song in Kannada for an upcoming film, Grantha. This holds true as even when Raghu Dixit’s Ninna Poojege Bande Mahadeshwara was released, non-Kannadigas warmed up to the new sound. Taking it a step further was Swarathma.
When Vasu Dixit takes to the stage, the crowd echoes every word of Ee Bhoomi Swarga Aagutide Nodu. “We write and sing in Kannada and we are very proud of it. We strongly believe that we can express better in Kannada,” says Vasu Dixit. More and more independent artistes have released full-length albums in Kannada and are also touring across the country! “Though we face challenges in getting live performance offers in the city, things are slowly improving. This will not stop us from singing in Kannada,” says Ruthvi, a bassist.
* RAPPIN' IN STYLE
Who: Urban Lads
Genre: Hip-hop and rap
Artistes: Rakesh, Alok, Amit, Sumanth, Pruthula and Inchara
Success formula: Pioneers in Kannada hip-hop
Don’t be fooled by the title of the songs — Freedom, Journey to the Paradise or Quarrel in Heaven. They rap in ‘Kanglish’, “And that has helped us reach out to even the non-Kannadigas in the city,” says Sumanth S, one of the rappers’ in the band. A huge fan of Eminem, Sumanth believes that, “The element of humour, the language, and being unique has helped the band connect with the youth. We write about stuff youngsters can relate to — from family, college to girlfriends and heartbreaks,” he adds. The success of the band has landed most of its members a Sandalwood project. With most debuting as actors, Sumanth is composing music for a Kannada film.
* NEW EXPERIMENTS
Who: Vichitra
Genre: Experimental rock
Artistes: Sujith V, Amyth V, Ruthvi Urs and Aniketh Ashok
Watch out for: First EP in April
“We play all kind of music — from psychedelic, rock, jazz to blues. That’s why we call ourselves weird (Vichitra),” says Ruthvi, the bassist. “Most of us in the band have performed earlier for other bands. We are Kannadigas and wanted to sing in our own language. We also wanted to break away and do something new. Vichitra is born out of this experimentation. We’re looking forward to more live gigs,” he adds. The band sings about politics, Indian farmers and other serious issues. “People like us. And we’re taking this forward positively,” he concludes.
* A UNIQUE PROJECT
What: Aashvasa
Genre: Rock
Artistes: Kiran Bhat, Jude Pereira, Daniel Kiran, Rajiv M, Harish R, Goutham H and Sriram Iyer
Watch out for: A pop album in the making
After mixing and arranging music for over eight years, Kiran Bhat, a music director and sound engineer wanted to try something new. “I grew up listening to Metallica and Iron Maiden. But most people complained about how they loved the music but couldn’t understand the lyrics. I wanted to give them something they could relate to, and it had to be in Kannada,” says Kiran. The album will be launched this year, “Aashvasa is based on the theme of hope.” Kiran still feels it’s a gamble, “It’s a trend that’s not completely popular or profitable, but we’re constantly encouraged by the change in the music scene today.”
* METAL GENIUS
Who: Dhwesha
Genre: Death metal
Artistes: Ajay, Somesha, Adarsh and Tushar
Success formula: City’s first Kannada death metal band
What started as a bedroom project, today, stands as an inspiration for many youngsters ‘out there’. Formed in the year 2008, “We’ve gone live since 2011 and have been received well across the state,” says Adarsh, the bassist. Does it feel different to perform in Kannada, since most of the members in the band also play for (English) metal bands? “We’re all Kannadigas and we are comfortable with what we do. It’s the music that people understand, the language has never been a problem,” says Adarsh, adding, “We’ve just released a demo, Yuddhabhumi and we might be releasing a full-length studio album this year.”
