Indian Singer K S Chithra To Belt Out Fan-Favourites At Expo Centre Sharjah

“I don't eat spicy food,” confesses Indian playback singer K S Chithra in an interview with City Times.“I'm a vegetarian. I won't have anything spicy or cold, because I know that if I do, I'll have issues with my voice.”

It is understandable, of course, since this is the voice that has won her a legion of fans and the title of Nightingale of South India. Among the songs she is well known for are Ye Haseen Wadiyan from Roja, Yaaron Sun Lo from Rangeela, Hum Tumse Na from Ziddi, Payale Chunmun from Virasat, and Raat Ka Nasha from Aśoka.

Now, the 62-year-old living legend is coming to Expo Centre Sharjah for a show that will hear fan favourites ring out on September 6.“We don't really know the set list yet,” she says.“Once we reach there, we'll get the feedback from the organisers and then come up with a list.. there will be some surprises.”

She will be joined by Indian pianist, composer, and singer Stephen Devassy; playback singers Hari Sankar, K K Nishad, and Anamika PS; Star Singer participants Sreerag Bharathan and Anusree Anilkumar; and violinist and singer Roopa Revathi.

Known for her versatility, Chithra has sung more than 22,000 singles across various Indian languages, including Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada.“I just sing whatever comes to me. Maybe for some movie characters, I would change my voice, but otherwise, I'd just sing as I think best.”

Chithra was born in Kerala in the 1960s and inherited her love of song from her father, Krishnan Nair, who was also a musician. She trained in Carnatic music. Her talent was discovered by music director M. G. Radhakrishnan, who encouraged her to take the step into showbiz.

Since then, Chithra has won six Indian National Awards, including for Padariyen Padippariyen from the movie Sindhu Bhairavi (1986), and sung in more than 26 languages, including Malay and Latin.

The Padma Bhushan – the third-highest civilian award in India – winner isn't ready to take her success for granted.“My parents brought me up like that,” she shrugs.“Both my parents were teachers, so the first thing dad taught me was, pride goes before a fall and always stay grounded.”

She puts in the work –“45-minutes of practice a day”, she says - and considers fans“everything”.“I still request their love and affection and prayer. They stood with me for the good things in my life and also for my bad times. They all stood with me. So that is my biggest support and energy, and I want to thank them for that,” she adds.

Being in the industry for years, she has noticed a number of changes since she first worked a microphone.“Technology has changed a lot. Initially, when I started singing, we used to record all the musicians together in one in a single room. In a studio, there would be a big hall. We all used to sit together for rehearsals, and after that, we would all go to different booths, and record from there. But nowadays it's not the same. Everybody has small studios of their own. We won't get to see all of them. Everything will be on the keyboard. The director would usually come in and teach me the song. I'll sing it before the mic. Sometimes, we may even not know who the male singer is, who's singing along with me ...we will find out later,” she laughs. Talk about surprises.

Not that she is fussy about collaborations.“I take whatever offers come to me. I don't have any expectations [that only so and so will work with me].”

For those entering the industry or wanting to make inroads into the business, she has some hard-earned truths to share.“There is no shortcut in music,” she says.“You have to practice with lot of passion and get an education. Don't expect anything like fame, money and all. Those will automatically come to you if you are good. Always practice and be ready for a song. If suddenly somebody calls you, you should be ready to sing.”

Would you be?

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