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Blending energy with music

Devan is making the Malayalam version of his popular Tamil album, `Mudhal Mazhaiye' and Delsy Ninan is singing in it. They tell K.PRADEEP all about their careers

PHOTO: MAHESH HARILAL

FUNKY TUNES Singers Devan and Delsy

They certainly did not come over in the same ship, but they are certainly now in the same boat. Singers Devan and Delsy Ninan are so much alike in their desires and dreams, but so different in their personality. Devan is cool, confident, backed by over 380 songs in Tamil and Telugu. He talks as fast as some of his super-hit songs, spicing it up with his jokes, infectious laugh and spontaneous singing. Delsy is the typical newcomer, coy, ready with answers in her husky voice, and brimming with hope. These perfect foils have got together to make a music album.

Devan is making a Malayalam version of his popular Tamil album `Mudhal Mazhaiye' in which he has Delsy singing for him. And Delsy, whose songs in `Balram vs Taradas', `Ashwaroodan' and with the Girlz Band, is halfway through her own solo album. This album will be unique in that it will have Malayalam and Tamil songs written and sung by Delsy.

Energy driven

"What I like about Delsy is that she is always bubbling with energy. She has her batteries charged, always full of questions. I met her when I was asked to train the Girlz for their television shows. I found that all the girls were talented, but they seemed to lack enthusiasm. As a group you must be able to lift the performance of each other, along with the audience before you. There is no place for individuals here. Each member grows along with the band. And Delsy was the most sprightly of the group," says Devan whose Tamil films songs have turned a rage.

For Delsy and her group this training did a world of good. "It was Devan who trained us on how to harmonise our voices. For the first time we saw how the five-part harmony worked. It was an elevating experience," adds Delsy, who won the best performer award at Sun TV's `Sapthaswarangal.'

Devan, who left his engineering studies at the Illinois University midway to pursue a career in music, started off singing in choirs. "Singing with 350 people in harmony is simply wonderful. But it was difficult to convince my parents of my desire. Breaking the Indian mould of becoming an engineer or doctor was not easy. But it happened. From singing in choirs I moved on seriously to all kinds of music."

For quite sometime Devan, ponytail and all, was into heavy metal. Even now he never misses out on a chance to play the guitar or the piano. But he is in demand for his singing. That slightly Anglicised pronunciation set him apart from the other singers in Tamil. Devan had established a style of his own. "The turning point was a Jesudas concert in New York. I was in my teens then and was thrilled when I got a chance to play in it. I can never forget the first meeting with the legend. It was on the day of the concert. When Jesudas came backstage before the concert I rushed to him, slapped him gently on his back and said, `Hey man. You are great.' He was visibly shocked and asked me who I was. I was introduced and I savoured every moment of that concert before a huge crowd. Three months later I played for a SPB concert and I was convinced that Indian music was to be my future. I reached Chennai."

Devan's professional career took off from Magnasound for whom he was involved in various Hindi projects. He also sang and played the guitar at various programmes. It was one of these events that paved the way for his entry into films. A. R. Rahman was impressed by this talent and gave him his first song in the film, `Kadhalar Dinam.' The song `O! Maria... 'rocketed him to stardom, while his songs `Iru Vizhi... ' (Minnale), `Manjal poosum... ' (Friends), `Karka karka... ' (Vettaiyadu Vilayadu), `Mac Mac Macarena... ' (Kushi), firmly cemented his place. Devan has also played a significant role in the film `Partheepan Kanavu,' and dubbed for Bentley Mitchum Spoke in the Tamil version of the film `Little John.'

Trained in Carnatic vocal, Delsy had developed a special bond with Tamil film songs. Her two years in Chennai where she did her post-graduation in Mass Communication sharpened her grasp of the language. She even tried her hand at writing poems in Tamil. "It was during this time that I took part in the Sapthaswarangal inter-collegiate contest and also got to sing in two Tamil films. They were dubbed versions of Telugu films."

Her meeting with music director Sunny Viswanath saw her joining the Girlz Band in 2005. "That was wonderful. We performed throughout the State and in so many television programmes. I was assigned to sing the melody part. It was Sunny Viswanath who gave me my first Malayalam film song. The film `Israa' did not do very well but I had two songs, a lovely melody, `Eravupoyi... 'in it along with Australian Seraya Young and the Swede singer Anneli Rydahl. In between I also sang for stage shows with Kaithapram Damodaran Namboodiri and Jassie Gift." Delsy went on to sing one song `Neelathadakam... .,' in Balaram vs Taradas and a fast folk number `Anthivarum neram... ' in the film `Ashwaroodan.'

No clones, please

Devan, who has been listening to Delsy's story interrupts, "See, you must be able to establish an identity of your own. A singer must be able to evolve, you cannot survive by being clones, or you end up being typed. Again, a singer needs to develop into a performer. The days of notebook singing are over. This would have happened to me. I was considered good enough only for fast songs in the start of my career. But now I must have done almost all kind of songs."

While Delsy is involved in the last-minute work of two albums, Devan hopes that his Malayalam album would help him get more offers in the language. "Mudhal Mazhaiye was a dream come true for me. It was an experiment in acapella, where we sing without independent instrumental accompaniment. Our voices are the instruments. This was well received. I hope the Malayalam version would also turn out well. And maybe through this, by 2007, I would like to be composing more in Malayalam," says Devan with his infectious laugh.

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