It was in 2007 when the National Award-winning singer Shashaa Tirupati realised that her true calling was music. She heard the song Aaruyire Mannipaaya and Jaage Hain Der Tak composed by AR Rahman and it was enough for her to drop out of her pre-medical course in Canada and move to India. From getting her big break in 2014 through AR Rahman’s Kochadaiiyaan to winning a National Film Award for her striking solo Vaan Varuvaan in Mani Ratnam’s Tamil film Kaatru Veliyidai in 2017 — Shashaa has come a long way. After lending her voice to dozens of Hindi, Tamil and Telugu songs, the multilingual singer released her first English EP, In My Skin earlier this week, which she says is inspired by her own life. We caught up with the singer to talk more about the song, her Tamil Nadu connection and more. Excerpts:
Tell us about the inspiration behind In My Skin.
I did this EP with Keba Jeremiah (guitarist). The song is about the entire process of being in love and being involved with someone emotionally. The inspiration for this song was my real life. It’s about how you feel physically and emotionally when you are in love. This is the first of four songs from the album that I have written, composed and arranged.
Does this song reflect your personal journey?
The interesting part of the song is that it doesn’t really talk about someone physically available in your life. This is more internalised. This is why the song has shaped up so beautifully and there is nothing over the top and overly dramatic. It’s the conversation with the self and it is private and intimate.
What is your connection with Tamil Nadu?
Oh, it’s a soul connection. Tirupati is not just my surname but a blessing. Strangely, I was given this last name by my guruji. My first National Award was also for a Tamil song and I guess the majority of my hit songs are in Tamil. I attribute a lot of the success in my musical career to my Tamil audiences.
Streaming now on YouTube.
priyanka.chandani@newindianexpress.com