Srinivas (singer)
Encyclopedia
Srinivas 'Srini' is an award winning playback singer who has sung over 2000 songs in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi. He is also a music composer.
family at Ambasamudram
, Tamil Nadu
, though his family moved and has since then lived his entire childhood in Thiruvananthapuram
. He started listening to Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer
, M. D. Ramanathan
and others through his aunt Mrs. Padma Narayanan, his guru in music. The soul-stirring magic of Kishore Kumar
-R.D.Burman deeply influenced him in his childhood days.
He went to complete his B.Tech from Bombay University, Department of Chemical Technology (UDCT, now known as ICT); during which he represented his university in youth festivals. After pursuing his career as a chemical engineer for 10 years, his passion for music got the better of him, and did very well in that field.
, who was at the helm of Tamil film music then. He was offered the opportunity to work with Ilaiyaraaja, but however things did not work out, as he was suffering from severe throat infection that day.
It was later in 1992, that the soundtrack of Mani Ratnam
's Tamil film Roja
reignited his dreams of playback singing. Mani Ratnam
had introduced composer A. R. Rahman
with this movie, who then went on to change the music scene on the whole Indian film industry.
Encouraged by the use of fresh voices in Roja
, Srinivas approached A. R. Rahman. Rahman took a liking to Srinivas's rendition of Mehdi Hassan
's ghazals and offered him work at Chennai.
In 1994, Srinivas shifted base to Chennai and started lending his voice to advertisement jingles
and devotional albums.
His first foray into playback singing began with the song Sorgam Enbathu Namakku with Swarnalatha
from the movie Nammavar
, composed by Mahesh. It went on to became a runaway hit.
But it was only in 1996, that he gained recognition with the song "Maana Madurai" from A. R. Rahman's Minsaara Kanavu
.
Then came "En Uyire" in Mani Ratnam
's Uyire (the Tamil version of Dil Se
). This Rahman composition catapulted Srinivas into fame.
Srinivas has sung for leading music directors like A.R.Rahman, Ilayaraja, Deva
, Vidyasagar
, and in languages like Tamil, Malayalam, etc. He has made a foray into music direction through the Tamil movie Ae Nee Romba Azhaga Irukke, in which he was one among the five music directors of the movie. And his composition "Ini Naanum naanillai" in that film is a major hit. His famous albums include Ussele Ussele and Paarvai. Also he has worked as a co-composer to Praveen Mani for Little John. He has also composed music for a Malayalam film titled Seethakalyanam.
The playback singer from South cut his first private album in Hindi titled Yeh Duniya Sab Ki. His other hits in Hindi include "Kaisi Hai Yeh" from Dil Chahta Hai
and "Zindagi" from the film Yuvvraaj
.
Srinivas is a close associate to A. R. Rahman from the very first day he got introduced to Rahman. On working with Rahman, he says, "There can be only one Rahman. Two years ago, he called me out of the blue to supervise his recordings. I consider it an honour. Earlier, he would be there to monitor every single take. I sometimes wonder if I can match his perfection standards," and adds, "He's at lightning speed when it comes to creativity and innovations. There are times when he compliments me and nothing feels as good as that. For me, it's like an award."
He is a judge on Airtel Super Singer
, aired in Vijay TV along with Sujatha and Unnikrishnan. He also judged a famous music reality show named Gandharva Sangeetham, telecasted in Kairali TV
, and in which Anuradha Sriram
and Johnson
were the other judges.
In 2010, he released an album titled, Timeless Classics by Srinivas. This was a tribute to Mehdi Hassan
and included major ghazals of him sung by Srinivas. It was released on Saregama and was launched by A. R. Rahman.
In May 2011, he composed music for Jayaraj
's Mammootty
-starrer thriller The Train.
film 'Padayappa
' and most recently(2007) for his song, 'Maargazhiyil' from the movie 'Onbathu Rooba Nottu' and also the Kerala State Award for the song 'Baansuri' from the film 'Raathrimazha'. He was also conferred with the title 'Kalaimamani
' by the Tamil Nadu Government. His other awards include The Cinema Express Award, IIFA Award, AV Max Award and Filmfans Award. Most recently, he was awarded the Kerala Film Critics' Award for Best Music Director, for the movie Seethakalyanam.
Early life
Srinivas was born in a Tamil IyengarIyengar
Iyengar or Ayyangar is a caste given to Hindu Brahmins of Tamil origin who follow the Visishtadvaita philosophy propounded by Sri Ramanujacharya. They are found mostly in Tamil Nadu as they are generally native to the Tamil Nadu state of the Republic of India...
family at Ambasamudram
Ambasamudram
Ambasamudram is a taluk in Tirunelveli district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. The entire taluk had a population of 392,226 as of 2001, with 42.5% classified as rural. The taluk is named for the principal town with the same name...
, Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, though his family moved and has since then lived his entire childhood in Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...
. He started listening to Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer
Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer
Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer is considered to be one of the greatest Carnatic vocalists of the twentieth century...
, M. D. Ramanathan
M. D. Ramanathan
Manjapara Devesa Ramanathan affectionately called MDR was a Carnatic music composer and vocalist.-Early life:...
and others through his aunt Mrs. Padma Narayanan, his guru in music. The soul-stirring magic of Kishore Kumar
Kishore Kumar
Kishore Kumar , born Abhas Kumar Ganguly, was an Indian film playback singer and an actor who also worked as lyricist, composer, producer, director, screenwriter and scriptwriter.Kishore Kumar was one of India's greatest performers of the late 20th century...
-R.D.Burman deeply influenced him in his childhood days.
He went to complete his B.Tech from Bombay University, Department of Chemical Technology (UDCT, now known as ICT); during which he represented his university in youth festivals. After pursuing his career as a chemical engineer for 10 years, his passion for music got the better of him, and did very well in that field.
Career
In 1988, Srinivas approached music director IlaiyaraajaIlaiyaraaja
Ilaiyaraaja is an Indian film composer, singer, and lyricist mainly in the Tamil film Industry. He is regarded as one of the finest music composers in India. Ilaiyaraaja is also an instrumentalist, conductor, and a songwriter...
, who was at the helm of Tamil film music then. He was offered the opportunity to work with Ilaiyaraaja, but however things did not work out, as he was suffering from severe throat infection that day.
It was later in 1992, that the soundtrack of Mani Ratnam
Mani Ratnam
Mani Ratnam is an Indian filmmaker, screenwriter and producer. He made his directorial debut with the Kannada film Pallavi Anu Pallavi starring Anil Kapoor in 1983...
's Tamil film Roja
Roja
Roja is a 1992 Tamil political drama, romance film directed by Mani Ratnam. The film was subsequently dubbed in Hindi, Marathi, Malayalam and Telugu....
reignited his dreams of playback singing. Mani Ratnam
Mani Ratnam
Mani Ratnam is an Indian filmmaker, screenwriter and producer. He made his directorial debut with the Kannada film Pallavi Anu Pallavi starring Anil Kapoor in 1983...
had introduced composer A. R. Rahman
A. R. Rahman
Allah Rakha Rahman is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and philanthropist. Described as the world's most prominent and prolific film composer by Time, his works are notable for integrating eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and...
with this movie, who then went on to change the music scene on the whole Indian film industry.
Encouraged by the use of fresh voices in Roja
Roja
Roja is a 1992 Tamil political drama, romance film directed by Mani Ratnam. The film was subsequently dubbed in Hindi, Marathi, Malayalam and Telugu....
, Srinivas approached A. R. Rahman. Rahman took a liking to Srinivas's rendition of Mehdi Hassan
Mehdi Hassan
Mehdi Hassan is a Pakistani ghazal singer and a former playback singer for Lollywood. He is famously known as the 'King of ghazal' . He has ruled the Pakistan film industry along with Ahmed Rushdi...
's ghazals and offered him work at Chennai.
In 1994, Srinivas shifted base to Chennai and started lending his voice to advertisement jingles
Music in advertising
Music in Advertising means integrating music in electronic media advertisements in order to enhance its success. Music for this purpose provides different characteristics which makes it especially interesting for usage in advertisements....
and devotional albums.
His first foray into playback singing began with the song Sorgam Enbathu Namakku with Swarnalatha
Swarnalatha
Swarnalatha was a Indian playback singer. From 1987 onward, she rendered nearly 7000 songs in many languages including Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam, Urdu, Bengali, Oriya, Punjabi and Badaga....
from the movie Nammavar
Nammavar
Nammavar is a 1994 Tamil language film K. S. Sethumadhavan and starring Kamal Haasan and Gouthami in lead roles.Kamal Hassan plays a revolutionary lecturer/vice principal of a college. The movie is about how he tries to reform the downtrodden college by his initiatives and its consequences. The...
, composed by Mahesh. It went on to became a runaway hit.
But it was only in 1996, that he gained recognition with the song "Maana Madurai" from A. R. Rahman's Minsaara Kanavu
Minsaara Kanavu
Minsara Kanavu is a 1997 Tamil, Romance film, directed by Rajiv Menon. The film's score and soundtrack is composed by A. R. Rahman. Originally produced in Tamil, it went on to be dubbed in Telugu and in Hindi owing to its popularity....
.
Then came "En Uyire" in Mani Ratnam
Mani Ratnam
Mani Ratnam is an Indian filmmaker, screenwriter and producer. He made his directorial debut with the Kannada film Pallavi Anu Pallavi starring Anil Kapoor in 1983...
's Uyire (the Tamil version of Dil Se
Dil Se
Dil Se is a 1998 Hindi film directed by Mani Ratnam. The film stars Shahrukh Khan, Manisha Koirala, and Preity Zinta. Mani Ratnam also co-wrote the screenplay for the film...
). This Rahman composition catapulted Srinivas into fame.
Srinivas has sung for leading music directors like A.R.Rahman, Ilayaraja, Deva
Deva (music director)
Deva is an Indian film composer and singer. He has composed songs and provided background music for Tamil films in a career spanning about 20 years. Many know his gaana songs, written mostly using Madras Tamil. He is known as the "Father of Gaana Genre" in the Tamil film industry.Deva has composed...
, Vidyasagar
Vidyasagar (music director)
Vidyasagar is an Award-Winning Indian film music director and music composer in the Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Hindi film industry. He is very popular in South Indian music industry and best known for his soulful melodies. His fast numbers to many films have earned him much fame too. He has...
, and in languages like Tamil, Malayalam, etc. He has made a foray into music direction through the Tamil movie Ae Nee Romba Azhaga Irukke, in which he was one among the five music directors of the movie. And his composition "Ini Naanum naanillai" in that film is a major hit. His famous albums include Ussele Ussele and Paarvai. Also he has worked as a co-composer to Praveen Mani for Little John. He has also composed music for a Malayalam film titled Seethakalyanam.
The playback singer from South cut his first private album in Hindi titled Yeh Duniya Sab Ki. His other hits in Hindi include "Kaisi Hai Yeh" from Dil Chahta Hai
Dil Chahta Hai
Dil Chahta Hai is a 2001 Indian film starring Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Preity Zinta, Sonali Kulkarni, and Dimple Kapadia...
and "Zindagi" from the film Yuvvraaj
Yuvvraaj
Yuvvraaj is a 2008 Indian film starring Anil Kapoor, Salman Khan, Zayed Khan and Katrina Kaif based on the Hollywood movie Rain Man. It is produced and directed by Subhash Ghai. American Coby Hadas makes his Bollywood debut with a small part in this film. A.R. Rahman composed the music for the film...
.
Srinivas is a close associate to A. R. Rahman from the very first day he got introduced to Rahman. On working with Rahman, he says, "There can be only one Rahman. Two years ago, he called me out of the blue to supervise his recordings. I consider it an honour. Earlier, he would be there to monitor every single take. I sometimes wonder if I can match his perfection standards," and adds, "He's at lightning speed when it comes to creativity and innovations. There are times when he compliments me and nothing feels as good as that. For me, it's like an award."
He is a judge on Airtel Super Singer
Airtel Super Singer
Airtel Super Singer is a reality-based Indian singing competition in Tamil language that aired on STAR Vijay. The program seeks to discover the best singing talent in Tamil Nadu through a series of statewide auditions. The show is sponsored by the mobile service provider, Airtel. The show debuted...
, aired in Vijay TV along with Sujatha and Unnikrishnan. He also judged a famous music reality show named Gandharva Sangeetham, telecasted in Kairali TV
Kairali TV
Kairali TV is an Indian television channel broadcasting in the Malayalam language catering to the Malayalam speaking population in Kerala as well as abroad . The channel, headquartered in Trivandrum, has studio facilities in Trivandrum as well as Kochi. Malayalam Communications Limited is the...
, and in which Anuradha Sriram
Anuradha Sriram
Anuradha Sriram is an Indian carnatic and playback singer who hails from the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. She has sung in many Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi films.- Personal life :...
and Johnson
Johnson (composer)
Johnson was an Indian film score composer and music director who has given music to some of the most important motion pictures of Malayalam cinema, including those for Namukku Parkkan Munthiri Thoppukal, Oru Minnaminunginte Nurunguvettam, Vadakkunokkiyantram, Perumthachan, Amaram, Njan...
were the other judges.
In 2010, he released an album titled, Timeless Classics by Srinivas. This was a tribute to Mehdi Hassan
Mehdi Hassan
Mehdi Hassan is a Pakistani ghazal singer and a former playback singer for Lollywood. He is famously known as the 'King of ghazal' . He has ruled the Pakistan film industry along with Ahmed Rushdi...
and included major ghazals of him sung by Srinivas. It was released on Saregama and was launched by A. R. Rahman.
In May 2011, he composed music for Jayaraj
Jayaraj
Jayaraj Rajasekharan Nair, often credited as Jayaraj, is an award-winning Indian Malayali filmmaker who has marked his presence in mainstream as well as art house films...
's Mammootty
Mammootty
Mammootty is an Indian film actor and producer who works mainly in Malayalam cinema. He has also acted in a few Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, and Kannada films. During a career spanning more than three decades, he has acted in more than 360 films, and is only next to Prem Nazir in the number of lead roles...
-starrer thriller The Train.
Awards
He has also bagged many prestigious awards. He was awarded the State Award by the Government of Tamil Nadu twice, for his song 'Minsara Poove' from the RajnikanthRajnikanth
Rajinikanth is an Indian film actor, media personality, and cultural icon. He made his debut as an actor in the National Film Award-winning motion picture Apoorva Raagangal , directed by K. Balachander, whom the actor considers his mentor....
film 'Padayappa
Padayappa
Padayappa is a 1999 Tamil drama film written and directed by K. S. Ravikumar. The film features Rajinikanth, Soundarya and Ramya Krishnan playing lead roles, whilst Sivaji Ganesan, Lakshmi and Nassar play pivotal supporting roles. With soundtrack composed by A. R...
' and most recently(2007) for his song, 'Maargazhiyil' from the movie 'Onbathu Rooba Nottu' and also the Kerala State Award for the song 'Baansuri' from the film 'Raathrimazha'. He was also conferred with the title 'Kalaimamani
Kalaimamani
The Kalaimamani is an award in Tamil Nadu state, India. These awards are given by the Tamil Nadu Iyal Isai Nataka Manram for excellence in the field of art and literature....
' by the Tamil Nadu Government. His other awards include The Cinema Express Award, IIFA Award, AV Max Award and Filmfans Award. Most recently, he was awarded the Kerala Film Critics' Award for Best Music Director, for the movie Seethakalyanam.