I have a strong individualist style; it can't fit into any song: Anupamaa

Anupamaa, best known for singing the iconic Chandralekha from Thiruda Thiruda (1993), reunited on stage with AR Rahman during his recent Chennai concert. In a candid chat with us, she says, “I think I last performed with Rahman in 2003.

It’s always amazing performing with him because there is no better place to showcase your talent. It’s the best space to be for an artiste like me who loves the stage.”‘WHEN I MET RAHMAN FOR THE FIRST TIME, I HAD NO CLUE HE WAS A FILM COMPOSER’Rahman was a very different person in the ’90s. He was shy and a man of very few words. Now, he is much more open. In 1992, when I met Rahman for the first time, I had no clue that he was a film composer. I sang a few jingles for him and went to sing July Matham (from 1993’s Pudhiya Mugam ), thinking it was a jingle.

In those days, people tried to sound like either Chithra or Janaki. But I sang it my way.‘CHANDRALEKHA IS A SONG THAT WILL DO WELL IN ANY ERA’Chandralekha has proved timeless. It’s a song that will do well in any era. When it released, I felt it was pathbreaking but wasn’t sure audiences would accept it. Rahman and I wanted something in the Michael Jackson vein. We recorded a scratch with English lyrics for Mani Ratnam, who felt it sounded Western. Rahman said, “Once she sings it in Tamil, you’ll know.”

‘I WASN’T SATISFIED WITH THE SONGS I GOT’I trained in Carnatic music but don’t see myself as a note-perfect singer — I sing by feel. I wasn’t satisfied with the songs I got and felt they didn’t suit my style, so I shifted to composing jingles and working on my own album. I realised I’d have to create the songs I wanted to sing. My last film track was Nazrein Milana Nazrein Churana from Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na (2008).‘I WENT INTO DEPRESSION BECAUSE IWASN’T ABLE TO BRING OUT A SINGLE’My first indie song, Naan Nee, was composed in 1999 and recorded in 2002.

It was released 21 years later in 2023. I went into deep depression because I wasn’t able to bring out a single song. When I visited recording companies to release my album, they said they loved my music but added that no one wants independent music at all. For a long time, indie music wasn’t encouraged. A few years back I realised, especially with Sai Abhyankkar’s songs, that indie music has picked up.

In 2016, I was going to bring out a women’s empowerment song.

But demonetisation happened, and it was pulled back.‘I’VE WALKED OUT OF RECORDINGS BECAUSE OF VULGAR LYRICS’I’ve walked out of recordings because I didn’t like the lyrics. They were vulgar. I was called unprofessional because I refused to sing them. I think that was a black mark, and they probably stopped calling me after that. They were like, ‘This singer is so hoity-toity!’ As a human being, should I not have the choice over whether I want to sing a song or not? But I have no regrets. ‘I didn’t really miss playback singing’“I didn’t really miss playback singing. I’m also not someone who will ask for chances. I never tried to reach out to people. There are so many singers out there and a huge roster to choose from. Things have apparently changed a lot now, as you’ve got to go out there and meet the musicians. I’ve not been that way. I’m also not a PR person. But I’ve been told that’s the way to go about it since it’s a comeback and I’ve got to make a mark,” says Anupamaa.