Shreekumar Vakkiyil somehow picks all the right songs. His honey dew voice is behind some of the biggest hits that have come out of Mollywood recently. From the sweet Kanalukaladiya from Mulla and very cheesy Anuraaga Vilochananaayi from Neelathaamara to the romantic melody Ayalathe Penninte and Do Naina from Angamaly Diaries, Shreekumar is the melody king of new-gen Malayalam movies. His latest was yet another melody Madhumathiye from the newly-released Sakhav.
So how does he handpick songs that are oozing romance? “We might wish to sing every song that comes our way, but each person’s voice has a character. I have a softer voice and I know it would suit better for romantic or soft songs, or lullabies, devotional and motivational songs. I know these genres are better suited for my voice than going for a hard-hitting ‘Dappan Koothu’ style.”
Although he delivers hit songs every time he sings one, Shreekumar says he is not selective about the music directors or songs. “I don’t try to pick songs, but just because I am staying away from Kerala, the songs which come my way are very selective. When somebody feels I can justify that song, they approach me. If I was in Kerala, I might have got some more songs. But staying away has helped in getting me the best. Although I’ve sung only a few songs, it’s paid off,”says Shreekumar who is currently settled in Bangalore.
Most of his songs were composed by Prashanth Pillai - like Do Naina and La Vattam from Angamaly Diaries. Reminiscing about the song, Shreekumar says, “I teamed up with Prashanth for Angamaly Diaries as an additional rhythm arranger. In between creating the rhythm pattern for the movie, Prashanth came up with this tune when we were on the way to have tea. We recorded it on phone while walking. Though there was no scope for a romantic song in the movie at that time, we shared that tune with Lijo. A couple of weeks later, Lijo hinted a chance for romance, contacted Prasanth, I recorded the tune on WhatsApp and sent him. Lijo loved it so much that we had one version of that raw format. Then we thought why not complete it as a Hindi song as the first two words were in Hindi. Being a Malayalam movie, we included a Malayalam version as well.”
Apart from singing, Shreekumar is working on bringing out an online series ‘Music and Myth’, an idea he has been brooding over for years. “I am directing it. The series will be looking at those mythological stories we all grew up listening to. Each story has different interpretations in different art forms across the country. I want to tap into anything that involves music. It will be a short story telling followed by a musical interpretation. I have already shot the first season. It will be recorded live with raw artists, not studio artists. As a trial, I have started from my own home. My father will sing the Kathakali padams.” Music and Myth will be released on YouTube next week.
