This upcoming performance is a tribute to SP Balasubrahmanyam

Sripathi Panditaradhyula Balasubrahmanyam, commonly known as SPB or Balu, is widely regarded as one of the greatest Indian singers of all time. He predominantly worked in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi films and sang in a total of 16 languages. This upcoming performance titled Immortal SPB is dedicated to honouring the legacy of the legendary padma vibhushan awardee. The event will feature performances by singers like Rajesh Krishnan, Vijay Prakash and SP Charan and the concert aims to raise funds for the SPB Memorial, a museum and tribute being constructed in Chennai. We speak with SPB Charan, late SP Balasubrahmanyam’s son, to know everything about this upcoming performance.

“The concert is an initiative by Aaradhya Charitable Trust, in benefit of the memorial fund for SPB. The construction is going on, and it’s at a good pace. It’s not just about the cultural aspect of this event. It’s an opportunity to meet up with all these musicians who have worked with dad, share stories and reminisce about his memories. Karnataka has a huge pool of musicians and culturally, I think it’s way up there. It’s amazing to see the legacy of families where parents were great musicians who worked with Dad and the tradition continues,” begins Charan.

Talking about how Rajesh Krishnan and Vijay Prakash became part of the concert, the singer says, “They are the legends of the Karnataka industry right now and who better to get some crowd in? They’ve been very kind and graceful enough to accept to be a part of this event.” For Charan, his father has been the biggest influence in his musical career. “There has not been any other influence at all, ever since I started listening to music. I’ve grown up just listening to SPB all the time and it’s a huge influence on me,” says Charan.

Even though Charan has Telugu roots and he grew up in Chennai, for him, balancing both these cultures was quite easy. “At home, we speak Telugu. Once I’m outside, it’s all Tamil. I’ve become a multilinguist and the melting pot here is the music. Music is the commonality — it unites both cultures, especially during the margazhi season when the world comes to Chennai,” he says signing off.

INR 2,000 onwards. December 8, 6.30 pm. At Prestige Centre for Performing Arts, Konanakunte.

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