Promises of Paradise: Elyzium breathes new life into regional music 

On their tour in Australia, city-based band, Elyzium delivered bounties of euphoria with drums breaking into a stomping rhythm, making the audience dance. At the beginning of last month, Dinker Kavala, Richard Maddela, Vidhya Sagar, NVS Charan and Anirudh Chaganty, aka, Kaali were off to Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra, while also performing at a couple of private wedding events in Bali. Now back in the City of Pearls after performing live abroad, we are reminded of the various catalysts for the multifaceted musical boom that occurs in the region. To start, a city with a diverse population is home to people with a range of tastes from various origins. People who are migrating from different regions of the country come together due to the IT industry and other flourishing career prospects. Likewise, the music culture in Hyderabad has evolved from being traditional and Carnatic to becoming incredibly diversified as a result of this inflow. In order for new genres to develop, the crowd's backing is as imperative as the artistes. 

“Hyderabad loves the regional music scene. I think many bands have come into this space, and the audience is getting more chances to experience regional music whenever and wherever they go. It’s picking up very well because people love it,” Dinker, aka, DK, the lead vocalist of Elyzium tells us over a Zoom conversation. Besides him, the present lineup of the band includes Sagar on drums, Richard aka Rocky on bass guitar, Charan on keyboards and Kaali on acoustic and electric guitar.

Since 2020, as Elyzium took the stage to prove how much their fans mean to them, an overall gleaming visage was lent to the city. “We want to give a very fresh and new experience to all the audience who are planning to watch our show on the 31st. We are curating a new playlist for songs that they have never heard from us before. That apart, there will be a few more surprises on stage,” Dinker tells us, adding, “We just want to make sure that everyone is happy when they are leaving.” 

What is it about regional music that lured all of them (band members) into it as a family? Although Dinker, Kaali, and their current manager, Anurag Varma, were previously associated with another band, their primary focus and goal was to serve their audience better. When one comes from Hyderabad, one intends to add more Telugu and check the potential for better and more appropriate performance in the language. They all agreed, thinking along similar lines – that Telugu music was unexplored. “Elyzium is not just sticking to Telugu. While we perform more in Telugu, we sing in other languages too, like in Hindi when there’s a request. When we performed in Bangalore, we sang five or six Kannada tracks. I have done playback too in Kannada,” Dinker shares. 

“DK is the person who brought us all together. He has selected a bunch of great musicians. That’s what he excels in – bringing all things together well. He has lots of ideas and despite his hectic schedule, he always gives his time to the band. When he called me suggesting I form a band, I was super excited because I’ve known him for 10-12 years now and I was happy to work with him,” Sagar tells us about the troupe’s genesis. “We sit together and talk about each and every aspect of what to do, what not to do. If we are selecting a song, everyone comes up with their ideas. We discuss how to make it, and how to represent it afresh. Our collective aim is that whatever we create should sound like an Elyzium song,” Charan adds about how they approach their cover versions.

Needless to say, as we hum along to the band’s original composition, Pretty Ponne on their YouTube channel, we feel the urge to spread joy and make everyone else feel good – like the gradations of that dramatic yet personal and light-hearted mood delivered throughout the piece. Dinker shares, “We wanted to create something which connected with the people, something everybody could sing. Sagar happened to programme the song and structure it after which the others added their bits. Harsha (Emani) penned the beautiful lyrics that are colloquial and easy.” 

Although Sagar, who composed the song, tells us that this song was made ‘casually’, for us, the melody feels like the glass is always half-full. “We made it very jovial and catchy. When I started composing the tunes of the song, it took me two to three tunes to finalise the one. It’s challenging to compose a tune or even write a lyric, which can be easily sung by the public or someone who does not know music. The process was tricky. But we are happy people liked it.”

Interestingly, while choosing a name for the band, several titles came up around three months before the band's debut on Christmas at Tabula Rasa in 2020. They began discussing which one would be the most appropriate or which would make more sense in light of how they wanted to make their audience feel through their music. So, eventually, Kaali suggested Elyzium (Elysium), which means Paradise. “We all believe, what counts is how the audience feels when they witness the performance – that they have encountered heaven,” Dinker smiles.
 
Elyzium is performing at Boulder Hills in Gachibowli on December 31.

E-mail: chokita@newindianexpress.com

Twitter: @PaulChokita