Friday, November 17, 2006

My songs in Guru

Its a long awaited post. And its now time to safely say I have sung in the movie.

Rahman Sir has given me another great oppurtunity, one to push myself a little bit more, to sound different and to do a better job than I have been doing so far. After the readers of this blog, and those who might stumble upon this one after googling my name have heard the songs, all credit for the rendition of the two songs, Tere Bina and Mayya Mayya must go to Rahman sir alone.

I was lucky to sing in Mani sir's movie again. And I was also meeting him after a long period, and he was definitely listening to me sing after ages.

A lot of people are already surprised with how I sound in the songs. And as is usual, I have been asked to relate as to what went behind the scenes. Frankly, I dont know how it happens. Before I try anything, especially with singing, I am always worried about taking that extra step. I am constantly worried about embarassing myself. Making mistakes and the like. And the point is when that does happen, I cant sleep. All I remember was Rahman Sir telling me to just let go and sing even if I think I am a fool. And though I was seriosuly inhibited, and will always remain, some light bulb might have gone off in my brain and in that momentary light, I should have forgotten about the "feeling foolish" bit. When I came out of the booth, the apprehensions were back with a bang. I couldnt recognise my voice for one. I would have almost asked who sang? if not for the fact that I was bawling out from another end of the studio for a period of time.
Bottom line: Rahman sir always says that all credit goes to God alone. And with my singing here, all credit goes to him alone.

I also got to meet Gulzar saab, which was a lot of fun.

As life passes by and one note is sung after another, and sometimes, you place the instrument down, and give your fingers a break. There have been several notes. Some in tune, some discordant, some other worldly.... but they have been notes all the same. They all play a part in this strange musical piece. Several times, I wish the discordant notes did not happen. And in the gaps between the notes, in the silence in the sound, and the sound in the silence, several things have unravelled. Its a lot like opening a gift box. You never know what you are gonna get. It could either be an intricately carved piece of wood or a jack-in-the-box. But its a gift nonetheless.

There has been one person who has been there throughout my jack-in-the-box times. All the time. Whining wheezing wailing.. everything has been listened to patiently. Not much ado is made about the beautiful presents. Because the world is anyway going to come to you and oooh and aah about how beautiful it is. All the ado is made there. No more is needed. But when see spots with the pain, and the eyes start watering on their own volition once you come in contact with jack-you-know-who, the one person listens.. and is always there. My mother. I usually am at a loss for words when I want to thank her. But this thank you goes out to you mom. Thanks for being there. And with my singing in general all the time, all hte credit for the good goes to you alone, the terrible and the ones that are mucky they belong to the great me. :)

65 comments:

Tisai said...

Woods are lovely dark and deep.....Miles to Go!!

Can't wait for more to come.

Regards,
Siva

Anonymous said...

Hi, Great work there gurl..been missing your voice after Oru Deivam, but now you back rocking with tera bina and Mayya. Well honestly you've totaly steal the show with precious bits and pieces.You definately sound matured and different and must i say so soothing. There are no words to express rahmanji music prowess. You've rendered some excellent sangathis in tere bina..seem to be based on raag khaamaj. Great! keep up the good work. Hail Rahmanji. Loads of luck for future commitments.

Sriram said...

Great to hear your songs in guru!! Really nice.. That too 'Tere Bina' pairing up with A.R. Rahman!!! So nice to hear it... It's jus looooping in my player.. !!!

Sundar Ramanathan said...

Hats off for your rendition for 'Tera Bina', u deserve national award i reckon for this, so gud that i cudn't stop looping.

Keep the gud work chinmaye!

MP said...

Oh man tere bina is just a classic! GREAT WORK CHINMAYI! its awesome im speechless...your voice is gonna be down the history of indian music becuase it sounded so unique and fresh and man i can keep on tlaking abt it...PLEASE SING MROE SONGS LIKE THIS! good job!

Karthik Murali said...

a really apt post for the beautiful songs u have sung.
though one must admit upon hearing them, it looked flawless and scintillating..
ur post just makes one imagine how difficult it is to sing,esp under the presence of rahman and manirathnam...
u have really delivered perfectly and i adivse u neednt be in the least afraid of those haunting memories of the mistakes u have made,cos u have overcome without realising it..
good luck Chinmayi..

Anonymous said...

Lemme be the first one to congratulate u! Awesome songs!

Anonymous said...

Hi,
Let me take the pleasure of posting the first comment.One word to say is "spell bounded" by the voice.When I first heard I thought our BOSS (rahman) has once again introduced a new singer then i saw the credits there it was written chinmayi for a moment i thought this is another chinmayi not the one I heard in "kannathil muthamital".gr8 modulation of voice hats of to u and our Music GURU for giving us such a gr8 song..all the best for ur future projects.

Rajiv Seelam said...

Chinmayee,u seriously rocked,seein' after a long time...gr8 to c u.
Keep Rocking,u r gifted.
U have a gr8 voice,U have The God A.R.Rahman making u sing.

Anonymous said...

Well said Chin!! The songs are great. Have you sung any ghazals till now? Pls let me, if you have sung.

Sudhir said...

Hey Chinmayi... it must have been a gr8 experience.. you sounded different in parts of tere bina..this track is truly amazing and u complement Rahman very well in the song.. as for mayya mayya.. still growing on me..

i thought this blog post wud have been flooded with comments.. surprising.. anyways kudos for pulling out another gr8 performance!!! :)

-Sudhir

Anonymous said...

All the songs are amazing especially the songs you sang in. I know very well that rehman sir has a unique way of getting good vocals out of people. lol. My keyboard master worked with him in bombday dreams. And he said that rehman sir could make music out of any sound.

Good Luck Chinmayi!
I just say super singer in london yesterday! it was great!

Take care..
Charles Bosco.

Blogeswari said...

hi Chinmayi,

Have been bugging the Planet-M shop guy next door asking him when the GURU CD was gonna be made available ever since it had an official launch on 5/11/06.
Ran to the shop last night and bought the CD... and thought I should write to you on your blog and tell you how lovely you sound in the 'Dum dara dum.. Tere Bina' song.. Semmaya irukku!!! You sound awesome.. I am serious...esp.. in the final part where you do the gamakam in the 'Tere Bina...' part!Hats off!
Saw 'Sillunu oru kaadhal' and you have done a fab. job dubbing for Bhumika. Honestly, you were better and more natural in the second half than the first half..

All the best.

Anonymous said...

Hi dear chinmayi
Nice to see u again
At last today I heard the GURU songs
As we all know ARR rocks always…. With his voice and music.
You know really your voice improved a lot. Its really well matured this time. You have done the splendid job in GURU. Do the same and bring best in you in future in ARR group.

Long live ARR.

Thanks and regards
Sudheer pakala
Research scholar
Umea city, Sweden.

Dreamer said...

Awesome work in Tere Bina, especially in the pitch transition towards the end!

Musically Me said...

Hey chinmayi,

finally got to listen to the entire song "Tere Bina" and I have to tell you that whatever hard work you have put in singing the song shows... every bit of it.... with this song, you have taken your talents to another level....I hope you sing more songs like this in the future too... great job..... although I wish you had more lines to sing in the song.... may be another paragraph or so....beautiful song all in all....

Anonymous said...

Loved the variations in ur voice in the songs... brilliant rendition...
The way you start off in Tere Bina is jus too good!!

BTW, very good writeup...

V.i.s.h said...

Your singing in "Tere Bina" song is really impressive...I believe you must have worked really hard for it...the effort shows...this song made me say...Wow! when I heard it the first time...

Anonymous said...

one word -awesome !!

flawless - im still surprised by the difference between orudeivam thantha poove and Tere Bina !! OH MY GOD !!

Sriram said...

Hey Chinmayi!

Terebina - Second interlude and the 2nd charanam... first few lines sung by you and the way AR takes over... superb! must have been one experience... Between Mayya song is also very good... took time to get the nuances. Brilliantly sung!

Way to go!

-Sriram

Anonymous said...

Hello Chinmayi..."Tere bina" is really really kool especially the hum part and saranam.
Last piece of Voice modulation is also very impressive. Have been listening to this track for the nth time.

Arjun.C.N said...

Voice make over this time... and the songs jus rip my soul out. U rock!!!

Rams said...

Excellent renditions Chinmayi...Cudn't recognize it was u at first...Great modulations.

Guru Rocks!!!

J Ramanand said...

Hi Chinmayi, many congratulations on the fine performances in "Guru". Was curious: you spell your name as "Chinmayi" on this blog, but the album credits you as "Chinmayee" - is that intentional, or just another typo on a fairly typo-afflicted inlay sleeve (for instance, Shreya Ghoshal is Shreya Ghosal, so not sure which one is official)? Many thanks.

Ashish Thakare, IAS said...

Hi Chinmayee,
Your voice in Tere Bina is beautiful, I commented more about it in my review on myu blog.
The depth and honesty in your voice is great.

Hameed said...

u sound stunning in tere bina..

Anonymous said...

Hi chinmayi ...

absolute stunner of a song ....
amazing modulations in your voice. great work.

Can i ask you a question - does rahman have u change the modulation when you sing or does he give u a free hand ?

know what ...I just feel blessed hearing each of Rahman's compositions. Can't imagine what it must be to work with him and talk to him ...

-Ani

Chinmayi Sripada /Chinmayee said...

to ramanand: the spelling is chinmayi but my name has always been misspelled :)

Anonymous said...

Hi Chinmayi,

From the day Guru released, i have been visiting your blog to read ur words about working on such an amazing song. You sounds exactly like a north indian singer (which is rare for tamil singers singing in Hindi)..... You were amazing in that song. I think people will look for ARR+Maniratnam+Chinmayi combination in all future mani films....for sure i will.... you got your first break in mani's film and i hope this time you get such a break in hindi film music through "Tere bina".....all the best

Smile
Sureshkumar

Anonymous said...

Although this has probably been said to you a million times since the song was released. I'll risk boring you with it again:

- you were simple wonderful in the song, and oh so different. For a moment, I had my doubts whether it was you indeed.

Such a nice, matured side of your voice you've portrayed in 'bin tere' :)

Anonymous said...

Listened to the 'Tera Bina' song...

You have sung it beautifully, and the voice modulation is extremely good. Gr8 work.

Yet to listen to the other song 'Maiyya Maiyya'... :) I am sure, it would be as 'soul touching' as 'Tera bina' is...! Best wishes.

bhuvan said...

congrats for this post.. though, i m also expecting sivaji or dasavatharam even if u cannot speak abt it now..

but i dunno how ur voice sounds different.. i immediately checked the credits on the cover to confirm ur voice.. honestly speakin, "mayya mayya" seems like the 'growing on you' song.. but "tere bina" was just awesome.. its the lingering thing.. congrats and wishes...

Ramya Shankar said...

Honestly I had to check the credits on 2 or 3 different covers to confirm that its you who sang the song !!
Brilliant!

Anonymous said...

Chinmayi,
Thanks to you,I've not been earning my pay since morning ;-) Ay Hairathe is awesome ! Cant get enuf of it.Hats off to ARR,you and Hariharan!

Adiya said...

tere bina rocks on top and Maya Maya sounds totally differnet kudos to u.

Anonymous said...

is it really you who have sung the songs tera bina and mayya mayya??? only after reading your blog i came to know that it was you... a fantastic modulation... though you give all the credits to ARR, i personally feel you get 50% of that for sure...

I think mayya mayya is completely new in style for both you and ARR... a fast beat for you and a turkish flavour for ARR... awesome!!!

Congrats...

skar said...

The song in guru with your guru is nice.

Anonymous said...

Awesome, Excellent..infact i don't have words to appreciate u..Keep it up..u simply Rocks...!!..
God Bless ..!!

Emmanuel said...

hey,
nice to see that ARR used ur voice nicely in the "tere bina" song....u sound so mature like a seasoned singer....
about the other song, honestly i couldn't make out voice so clearly.....but the accompaniment is so wonderful......

hope u get more beautiful songs from ARR and pray and wish u all the best.........

adarsh said...

Tera bina.. was good and Mayya was interesting..

but, I wish u sung "Jaage hain", it has got UR "Oru dheyivam thandha poovae" touch..

Anonymous said...

Hi,

Congrats. Great songs. Please let us know how Mayya Mayya happened.

Thanks

JaJa Binks said...

Hello Chinmayyi,

What a wonderful song you gave with A.R.Rahman in "Tera Bina".
Really loved it and your voice comes totally unexpected in middle.
I can only say that you sang the song with so much emotions and
feelings. Really felt it when listening the song (around 10 times).

Anonymous said...

u rock in Tere Bina.the way u crooned the interlude is splendid.you sang the low-pitch notes and high-pitch notes in an unblemished manner.girr888 job..keep the songs coming :)

Anonymous said...

I have'nt heard Guru songs but I have been hearing a lot about Guru songs in general. I am eager to listen to them. But dont wanna rush before the movie is released. waiting. :-)
but I am touched by your words on your mom. the words have been weaved together in a very different fashion. though i took some time to clearly understand every sentence but @ the end it was a nice feeling. I wish these words i could pen to my mom. :-) but i have none achieved to dedicate like you. :-)

continue blogging often.

RP

anantha said...

Chinmayee sang a beautiful song for me in another Mani Ratnam film, Kannathil Muthamittal, called Deiva Tande Poove. It became very popular. She has won many awards in Tamil Nadu including state awards. I was surprised to see how she could change her voice for this film (She joins Rahman in Tere Bina, one of the most haunting numbers in Guru). There is more strength in her voice than I had thought and it is huskier too. I love singers who are capable of surprising the composers. - ARR

I am sure you already saw this, but thought I'd just post Rahman's words right here! Awesome job with Tere Bina!

Anonymous said...

Rahman talks about you here - http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2006/dec/04sd3.htm

Soundar G said...

Like everyone here, I am stumped by the transformation in your voice and the style (folk??) in which you have sung "Tere Bina" song. Very well rendered. Keep up the learning.

Thanks,

Soundar

P.S: I am wondering if this post of yours has the maximum number of comments.

Ramya Sahajan said...

Chinmayee...wat a voice yaar...esp the way u end the song 'tere bina'...will give u 10 on 10 for that...seriously i had to look into the cd cover to find 'who gave the female voice in the song'...the best part was the way u sang it,so leisurely but so soothing....n ya 'mayya mayya'that was also rocking....u r sure to go places when 'guru' hits the theatres...!!!all the best!!!

Anonymous said...

Hi Chinmayi

I am really very amazed..

I listen to the Tere Bina song everyday atleast 20-30 times while I am in office. And while coming from home and going back also, I keep listening to it. I just don't seem to get enough of it.. feel like drowning myself in it.

I have never felt like this for any song till now.

Apart from AR Rehman's magic, it is your voice that is the biggest attraction in it for me. 99% of the time, I listen to the song just to hear your lines in it.

I don't know but it reminds me of Chitra Singh (of the Jagjit Singh-Chitra Sigh fame). I had the impression that someone of that age might have sung it (I mean someone of that experience and talent), but I was shocked when I saw that such a magical voice belonged to someone so young and pretty like you. You are truly Blessed Chinmayi..

I haven't heard the maiyya re song properly, but i admit that it did not have that effect on me as Tere Bina.

I don't have enough words to praise you. Keep up the good work.. the whole world would fall in love with you voice soon.

I liked your write-up too... very thoughtful indeed.

I don't know how your friends are controlling themselves, but if I were your friend, I would have asked you to sing it for me all day..all the time... :)

Good Luck to You !!
I would keep looking for more of your songs...

Bobby

Anonymous said...

Hi Chinmayi

I am really very amazed..

I listen to the Tere Bina song everyday atleast 20-30 times while I am in office. And while coming from home and going back also, I keep listening to it. I just don't seem to get enough of it.. feel like drowning myself in it.

I have never felt like this for any song till now.

Apart from AR Rehman's magic, it is your voice that is the biggest attraction in it for me. 99% of the time, I listen to the song just to hear your lines in it.

I don't know but it reminds me of Chitra Singh (of the Jagjit Singh-Chitra Sigh fame). I had the impression that someone of that age might have sung it (I mean someone of that experience and talent), but I was shocked when I saw that such a magical voice belonged to someone so young and pretty like you. You are truly Blessed Chinmayi..

I haven't heard the maiyya re song properly, but i admit that it did not have that effect on me as Tere Bina.

I don't have enough words to praise you. Keep up the good work.. the whole world would fall in love with you soon.

I liked your write-up too... very thoughtful indeed.

I don't know how your friends are controlling themselves, but if I were your friend, I would have asked you to sing it for me all day..all the time... :)

Good Luck to You !!
I would keep looking for more of your songs...

Bobby

Anonymous said...

Awesome work Chinmayi!

You have used the chance very well. The songs get to the next level because of your voice.

Keep up the good work.

Anonymous said...

I heard the Tamil version of Mayya Mayya, and felt it was good although i dont think it was necessary with the arabic touch.

But continue your usual style in Tamil Cinema Songs. Cause that sounds great as well.

And thanks for your "Nilalaahuma" song.. hope you remember it.

Sadhana said...

hi this is sadhana from IITM . your voice is fantastic. i became mad of that song tere bina. simply superb. i liked barso re by shreya also.

will you write one blog on how AR Rahman works for music and also experiences in music sittings

i will be happy if you put it as soon as possible.

thanks in advance.......

Sadhana said...

hi this is sadhana from IITM . your voice is fantastic. i became mad of that song tere bina. simply superb. i liked barso re by shreya also.

will you write one blog on how AR Rahman works for music and also experiences in music sittings

i will be happy if you put it as soon as possible.

thanks in advance.......

lvprasad said...

Hey Chinmayee,

I was just surfing to read reviews of your tamil version of Mayya Mayya. Just happened to dash into your blog.

first of all, my heartiest kudos for your "oru theivam thantha poove" from mani's KM and also for the shrilling "sa re ga may" in the final piece of "Boys".

I am great fan of Raja sir for his BGMs and ARR for his rythm sense and wishing you a great future for your forthcoming songs.

Regards,
/Lakshman

Anonymous said...

It was a song well sung.

Cheers!

Unknown said...

Tere Bina... Absolutely stunning. Marvellous. It was excellent. Keep up your excellent work. I will pray.

Anonymous said...

You dont know how much I enjoy you signing in the end of the "tere Bina" song..

such a wonderfull singing!

Wish you all the best!!

Dilantha.
(Sri lanka)

Unknown said...

Hey chinmayee!!Great job in Guru,u've got a fabulous voice quality,i dont know i just dont have words to praise u but however u have done a fantastic job.Keep it up!!U have really blessed wid an amazing voice.May u sing more number songs wid A.R.RAHMAN.and about RAHMAN HE IS AWESOME'HE IS THE HEART OF MUSIC'HE IS JUST GORGEOUS'HE IS THE WAVES IN THE OCEAN WHICH MAKES OUR HEART PEACEFULL!!!!!IN SIMPLE WORDS HE IS THE GOD OF MUSIC!!!!!

Unknown said...

hi chinmaye...
your chemistry with rahman sir really goes well
sahana song was awesome..
thanks for giving such a beautiful song..
waiting for more !!!!!!!

hats of to u.my heartly wishes for your future work.

Sudhir said...

Congratulations!! Just read the news that you have been nominated for Best Singer (Female) in Bollywood Music Awards .

All the best!!

Source: http://www.rediff.com/movies/2007/oct/18himesh.htm

Sukhjinder said...

You have a Lovely Voice. Your Voice Takes one on a Journey alongwith it. Waiting for more Soon.

Wonderfull Voice...

Anonymous said...

hi chinmayi,
I wnt to say only that i like this song especially for your voice. it is monu from delhi.

Anonymous said...

Hi chinmayi,
I read somewhere the mayya mayya song was sung by Maryem toller.. She sang the hindi version alone? the lead voice in the tamil version is yours?
--Suresh

பாலா திரு said...

I am a regular viewer of Airtel Super Singer. To be honest, I was not knowing about you. When I heard this song Oru Theivam Thantha Poove, by one of the competitor and the one of the judge told tht this song was dedicted to you. I am sixty five years old and not posted with latest songs. I feel really i wated my time by not hearing such a very nice song.
I wish you all the best and to sing more songs for our benefit.
Now i have started collected your songs and hearing daily.
with wrm regards,
Bala TV