Distance does not matter; true love will definitely find a way – says 'Ennu Ninte Moideen,' a much celebrated real-life love story director RS Vimal brought on silver screen back in 2015. While the movie moved the hearts of Keralites with its stunning cinematography and soothing music, it also gifted the industry some classic love songs to suit all your moods. The most lauded and most cheerful among them was 'Sharadambaram charu chandrika,' a verse penned by acclaimed poet Changampuzha Krishnapillai. When Mollywood's evergreen singer P Jayachandran lent it the male voice, the female voice stood out with its sheer vigour. Very few knew that the singer was an Indian-American college-student who barely spoke Malayalam.
Yes, for Shilpa Raj, the America-born Keralite who romanced Carnatic classical music and fancied rendering Mollywood music numbers, distance was no bar to nurture dreams of shaping her destiny in India. The 23-year-old is getting ready for the release of her two songs, each sung in five different Indian languages for 'Pranah,' an upcoming VK Prakash movie.
Shilpa opens up to Onmanorama regarding her passions and dreams.
'Pranah,' a multilingual challenge
'Pranah' is shot in four languages, Malayalam, Hindi, Telugu and Kannada. It is my second project after 'Sharadambaram...' It was a challenging tasks to sing two songs in all four languages. The fifth is Sanksrit. The second song is also being released in Sanskrit. I had a wonderful experience, though others had to gather so much patience until I could pronounce the lyrics clearly. I worked with two music directors, Ratheesh Vega and Arun Vijay. The have been very supportive and encouraging.
How many languages do you speak?
I speak both English and Malayalam. I understand Hindi and speak a little bit of it because I listen to Bollywood songs. I don't know any other language. If I hear the lyrics with their correct pronunciation, I can render it back. So my music directors allot me native speakers of each three languages who read the lyrics for me. Telugu had been the toughest language. It has so many syllables and it is really challenging to decode the lyrics written in it.
How did you develop your passion for music?
I was born and brought up in Washington, DC. My parents are long settled in the US and I have a sister who is 4 years younger than me. I used to sing songs from a very young age. My first performance was at the age of 10, when my mom just threw me into a random singing competition. Thus commenced my singing career and I have always dreamed to be a part of the entertainment and music industry. My father, who is an IT engineer, is also into producing Indian movies. He produced 'Ennu Ninte Moideen', which gave me a break into my passion. He is also the producer of 'Pranah,' my latest project with VK Prakash.
About your Kerala roots...
My father, Suresh Raj is from Thiruvananthapuram and my mother Anitha's parents live in Chengannur. Mother studied computer science but she is now at home. Myself and my sister were always busy with dance and music classes as well as other activities during holidays. So my mother couldn't afford to carry forward her profession amid busy personal life. Though my father is originally into IT industry, he is more attracted to the production aspects of Indian entertainment industry which keeps our Kerala roots strong.
Educational background
I graduated in business and entrepreneurship. Later, I did my post-graduation in communication. My sister Sneha is also pursuing her masters in communication at present. After my graduation, I joined New York Film Academy where I acquired a degree in acting. I love to dance. I have also learned Bharathanatyam as a child.
About your journey in music..
I am trained in Carnatic, Hindustani and European classical music. Surprisingly, I enjoy listening to Bollywood songs the most. I love to sing Hindi lyrics. Though I was raised in an American culture, I am drawn more to Indian music genres. Perhaps I love it for the melodies. Indian music gives room for fantastic melodies and slow tracks. American music also has good number of melodies, but I have a subtle love for Indian music genres. That might be because of my environment also. When I was four of five years – the age when you shape your likes and dislikes – my parents would play Indian music tracks all day. I grew up listening to Indian songs.
About your ambitions...
I look forward to expand my skills in American music a bit more because I live that culture. I also want to grow on the side of Indian music also. There is another dream of mine, which I haven't disclosed so far: I would like to break into acting. I haven't received any offers so far, as I was busy with my post-graduation and the two music projects but if I get a good opportunity, I would definitely utilise it.
Who is your role model in your field?
In singing my role model is Shreya Ghoshal. I think she is everyone's favourite. In acting I adore Priyanka Chopra for her work ethics. She has attained success globally with hard work.
A word to Mollywood audience
I have something else to give you other than 'Sharadambaram...'! People kept on asking me 'what's next' ever since 'Sharadambaram' was released. My new songs are distinct from each other and belong to a different genre than 'Sharadambaram'. I came out of my comfort zone to complete this project. I really had to push my limits. Hope you like them both.
