INTRODUCTION

When Onam in Kerala is celebrated this week, we want to bring you a singer from Smule whose heart and music are influenced by the state’s rich culture. This week our featured artist is Jay Krishnan profile ID Jay_K17. Jay, as you will see in the following write-up, is extremely serious about his music. Jay is a trained singer with impeccable association with many eminent gurus to get trained in music. His profile is an active profile on Smule with many activities that he religiously follows to improve his music and as well encourage others. When Jay takes us along his journey, we get to see an up-and-close look at his music career. One will see a socially responsible artist who is constantly in search of his purpose.   

Please introduce yourself briefly with special references to your music. 

I am Jay, a software professional, from Trivandrum, Kerala. Currently, I work as a Director of Technology for Nielsen. I come from a family that has a strong affinity toward music and has taken music as their career. My dad’s sisters had taken music as a career path and my dad himself was a big music lover with excellent fundamental knowledge of classical music. Additionally, my father was an ardent devotee of Sri Sathya Sai Baba and used to pen and compose Sai Bhajans. He was someone who could also write lyrics in the same meter as some incredibly famous Carnatic Kritis and old “namas” in honor of Sai Baba. My father was a huge fan of Dr. K J Yesudas. Every morning after his daily puja, Das Sir’s voice would resonate in our house, and some records and tapes would be playing in the background all morning hours. My mom has been my constant support to continue music even during the tougher phases of life. I am also fond of percussion and learned the Mridangam for a few years along with my music lessons.

My wife is my constant source of support, often kicking me out of my comfort zones and my critic. Hailing from a family with musical leanings, she is also trained in Carnatic vocal music. Music and arts run in their family too. She is the great-great-granddaughter of the renowned royal poet Sri Irayimman Thampi.  She is the granddaughter of Smt. Indira bai Thankachi and famous poet Sri. Thankan Thiruvattar is her paternal uncle.  

That is quite an impressive atmosphere to grow up in and associate with. Tell us your earliest memories of interactions with music as a child.

The earliest influences were that of Sai Bhajans and Classical music. On one occasion, when my father was recording one of his bhajans with his friends, the recording captured percussion from another room. When I was listening to the song, I was simultaneously tapping on a wooden stand – my early version of the Cajon drum! The recording captured the tapping sounds and my father’s friend suggested that I receive formal training in Mridangam. I grew up in an atmosphere of spiritual books, bhajans, and chants. There used to be competitions at the district level amongst the Bal Vikas units and performing there was a wonderful experience. 

At school, I used to take part in every competition and in the district and state level competitions in the individual and group (School Orchestra) category and won a few prizes too. Those days it was a special status at school if you had these skills – exemption from classes during these district and state-level youth festivals and spending time in the Music Room – I used to wait to get to school during those days. And then the opportunities to perform on stage when your classmates cheer you up – these were certainly big motivational factors during the formative years. 

Who influenced you the most as a child as far as your music interests and talents?

My parents undoubtedly; especially my mother. Even though she didn’t know music and didn’t have a musical lineage, she always wanted me to make a mark in music. For her, I had to sing every time there was a gathering or any of her relatives wanted to hear a song. 

I wouldn’t have been half of what I am today without my father’s love for music. He exposed me to spiritual chants, devotional & classical music from the time I was three years old. Those laid the foundation that stayed strong. He was instrumental in exposing me to Yesudas Sir’s classical and devotional music. Like a sponge, I absorbed every little nuance and expression of Das Sir. I was so heavily influenced by Das Sir that one of my Gurus, Smt. Anantalakshmi Venkataraman got exhausted trying to teach me “Ksheerasagara Shayana” the traditional way because it was hard for me to unlearn the Chembai/ Das Sir style of rendition. As children, we never realized the importance of our parents’ efforts. It is only when we come to that phase of life that the realization dawns on us. I owe the initial phase to my parents, my music teachers, and Das Sir. My mother is someone who has lived only for me and is a big pillar of support in music and life. 

So, you have started learning Carnatic quite early, please tell us more about your Classical music training.

I began training formally in Carnatic Classical Music around the age of four from Padma Shri Smt. Parasala Ponnammal for a brief period, and later from & Sri Varkala Subramanya Bhagavathar during my school days. I learned for a brief period under Sri. Perumbavoor G Ravindranath. I have fond memories of learning under Guru Smt. Ananthalakshmii Venkatraman is an incredible teacher & a compassionate human being. Studies and careers pushed music to the backburner for a while. I restarted training after a hiatus with Sri. Thiruvattar Ravi. He studied music at Swathi Thirunal Sangeetha College and is contemporary to KJ Yesudas and Raveendran, the music director. He was also the first awardee of the coveted President’s Gold Medal and scholarship back in the early sixties when an award was introduced for promising students in various fields of art. 

How does the transition from Classical music singing to pop music to playback happen? If so, what influences?

A life-changing event that severe his music 

I lost my father at the age of twelve. Everything came to a halt with his demise and music took second fiddle or at times, non-existent. 

Engineering College life and back to Music

I resumed learning Carnatic Music only after I started my Engineering and with that also started, my return to competitions. It was during my Engineering days that I got more opportunities to learn film songs. I would curate the best songs of a quarter and get them recorded at a local music store into my collection of Sony C60s. Around this time I came to hear Hariharan Ji; his music was a breath of fresh air for me – such a different voice/rendition. During the 4 years of my studies, I collected every album he created, and they live in me even now.

Further life and Music of Jagjit Singh

After my college days and during the early phase of my career, I associated with a group of six singers and performed “devotional concerts” in temples. It was during this period that I first heard Jagjit Singh (thanks to a friend who asked me to learn “Baat Niklegi”). During the initial phases of struggle in my career, I found solace in Jagjit ji’s soothing music. I hummed with Hariji and never felt like learning Jagjit ghazals: probably because his songs helped me in many ways in my struggles. His music was for the keen listener and music lover in me. 

An opportunity at The All India Radio (AIR), Trivandrum.

Very soon many good things happened in my music career. Got an opportunity to audition as a B Grade artist for Light Music at AIR, Trivandrum. It was a new experience and a lot of learning about how raw recordings at a studio were done. To have AIR artists like Ananda Padmanabhan sir (Veena), and Sasikumar (Violin) accompanied me – was seriously overwhelming. Accomplished composers like Perumbavoor G Ravindranath, Murali Sitara, tune a song right in front of you, teach you two songs and you must render with these accomplished artists the very next day. A studio that looks like a playground and a small mistake from your end would mean a full retake. I have recorded two songs for AIR to my credit. The next year I went abroad, which ended my contract with AIR, and yet a memorable time with AIR.

Smule Journey

I installed the Smule app to see what it offered after noticing an FB post. I started singing my most comfortable KJ songs from Malayalam. Singing with artists like Binita Balan, Dr. Deepthi Prem, Rema Unnikrishnan, and Kala Varma had a beautiful experience as a debutant on this platform. I remember the earlier interactions with Sara Vineeth John that helped a lot in understanding how this world of music operates. Be it Pandya ji who helped me understand voice filters, Ravi ji who helped me a lot as I started my jams, all friends who helped me with diction, Mansiji who gave me the first invite in her group, Anoop who introduced me to Narayanan Menon in his jam, the support from Anitaji and many such friends who helped me learn in this platform. It was my wife who later suggested that I shift my focus to singing Hindi songs also and I am glad that I took her advice. Since then, I have had a richer journey & the greatest privilege of singing with many exemplary singers in this space, and also started exploring other genres like ghazals. The invites from Sindhu Warrier were diverse and pushed me to get into areas I had never been to before; it has helped me tremendously as a singer. 

Then came the pandemic – those days gave me additional time to focus, learn, and sing. Amongst these, #100 shorts, where I challenged myself with certain conditions such as 1) a song that I have never sung before 2) 100 unique singers from Bollywood Music to be featured, none of whom were repeated 3) fresh tracks to be made on many occasions, and most importantly, 

AN INVITE A DAY! 

A 41-day invite series (an invite a day) on Lord Ayyappa was another incredible experience. A juggernaut effort like the above was the Maestro Moments-1 series where I tried signing in ten languages including Nepali. Smule certainly enriches one as an artist and a listener in that it is a platform that helps experiment a lot.

Live Jams: what started as a weekend jam connecting some of the people who hop in randomly and soon became friends. We started doing Theme Jams with an MC and contests! The lovely group has become a family for me; we come together every weekend in my ‘jam room’ titled “SaMaGaM”. Another initiative was the Thursday devotional jams. I started this with a small group of people who came together to sing devotional songs across all languages. Since Jun 2019, this group hadn’t missed a single Thursday and we have completed 116 jam sessions without a break! Dil Se also has weekly mantra sessions based on Google Meet where we chant Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra & Sri Lalita Sahasranamam. 

A major accomplishment in singing and recording music is Narayanan Menon’s “Kaliyugavaradha-2” which was conceived and released during the pandemic. Play the YouTube link to my song here.

Then Dil Se Official happened! I initiated the Dil Se Official (@dilseofficial) aka DSO, a more formal name to the family titled “Dil Se” I created with a regular group of music aficionados who shared musical interests with me. This is the official channel for the group and with the help of many volunteers, we have done many series of invites ranging from ghazals to devotionals and even Jingles! We then ventured into jams from Dil Se Official and SurBahar was formed as a jam room. #surbahardilse has been successful with its Theme Jams ever since its inception. With my pillars of support from the core members of ‘DilSe family’ and ably supported in all areas of management by Prerna Jakatdar, Lakshmi Bali, Swetha Sambasivan, Shoma C Roy and many such friends. DSO has evolved to become a space for good vibes and music.

At DilSeOfficial, we have always tried to bring the best of moments and music to people. The latest offering “Guldasta” is all about presenting a musical bouquet with events that cover music across genres and languages. Guldasta is an attempt to elevate Live Jams to planned shows where we plan the hosts and co-singers along with the songs they would present – much like a Musical Event. ‘Hazaron Khwahishen Aisi 3.0’ was the first episode of Guldasta, dedicated to Jagjit Singh Ji. Since then, we have done shows on Jhankar Beats – The Hindi Music of the 90s, Rare Gem collection titled ‘RaraAvis’, ‘Gitanjali’ featuring Rabindra Sangeet, “Darbar: The Thalaivar’s Odyssey” dedicated to Rajnikant, and ‘Rafi: The Red Diamond’, dedicated to the memory of Rafi Saab. All these shows were received quite well. We have opened our jam space to highlight other groups of talent. We now feature a band every month in a show entitled, ‘Bring Your Own Band’. We recently started ‘SaReNGa’, our audio jam space that is open to the public; selected Theme jams will start getting featured there as well. 

The most memorable moment in your music life

There are a few – primarily my recording sessions at All India Radio, Trivandrum. Getting an autograph from Hariharan and Leslie Lewis at an on-stage show performed as part of an IBM launch is another. I also cherish my first recording in a studio for the Ramadasa Mission – eight-line poetry.  The opportunity to record for the album “Kaliyugavaradha” by Narayanan Menon, is also an experience I cherish and would always be grateful for.  The last in this series was a poetry recital composed by Dr. Deepthi Prem and published on Valentine’s Day with Mathrubhumi music. 

Now back to your views: What exactly does your music mean to you?

For me, music is omnipresent and profound. There is music in every element of this universe. Just like spirituality, it is always important to have one’s perspective which defines a unique universe of music that has constant evolution for betterment. Like the water that takes the shape of the vessel, one should adapt to every single exposure we get to the music – regardless of the genre, language, and many such dimensions. That’s the path to discovering more about music as a way to self-discovery as well. 

The big question I ask myself is “how much I have enjoyed listening, learning, singing, or teaching”. If I am not able to “experience” it fully, I need to change something in myself. This is a journey of self-discovery, challenging oneself, and always stepping out of one’s comfort zones. The creative experiences when engaging with music are endless. It is for us to choose the ones that are good for us, revel in them, and rejoice. No music is superior in comparison to the others. The more we get exposed to and embrace, the better we become as singers and aficionados. 

What are your views about the general landscape of India’s classical music?

India is a vast treasure trove of different genres and types of music. Right from its origins in the Sama Veda (with the 16000 ragas and raginis) up to the recent past when new ragas were introduced, it’s been such a rich heritage and a constant endeavor to enrich it.  I always wondered how these vast traditions were passed on through generations, particularly when there was hardly any documentation existed. Despite the many losses in the transition, India’s music is extraordinarily rich and needs the right platforms to take it forward. We owe it to our predecessors who have taken pains to document so many Krithis and Bandishes. To preserve our rich legacy bequeathed to us, we need artists who emulate our predecessors and add their mark. I feel good to see singers like Abhishek Raghuram or Kaushiki Chakraborthy embrace technology. The same is true with percussion as well. To not lose purity is important but anything we do that helps bring music to more people is always the right thing to happen.  The multilingual fabric of our country has contributed much to different forms of folk music, and regional music. It was much later that the systematization or organization of music happened. We have a rich lineage and a huge repository of talent, be it Carnatic music or Hindustani music. 

Social responsibility for an Artist, any thoughts?

To know a little music is to be blessed. If it brings some peace to a broken heart or a sick body, I will consider myself twice as blessed. I am a Reiki practitioner, and I try to heal people. through my music. I wish not to let the music be denigrated for gaining attention or settling scores with people. We are all tormented by various problems at the workplace, and in our personal lives. I would always like a musical space free of bad vibes. I have several instances of people sharing some of their experiences with music and when it’s connected with you, you feel blessed to have been a small part of it. 

I have started online vocal lessons and amidst all work and music, finding time to instruct kids and elders. To see them improve and perform with confidence gives me more satisfaction than any of my musical renditions. With eight students, this journey is one of the most enriching these days. I count this as part of my initiative/personal project titled “Project REDS – The Power of Giving Back”. I believe this initiative (over the years) would allow me to contribute in some small way to music.

Do you pay attention to the lyrics and meaning of songs? Do you think they are important for music? If yes, then why?

Music is a means to communicate. It’s a conversation with the poem and its soul that is expressed musically. Knowing the lyrical meaning is important to give the right expressions and thus provide the experience for the singer and the audience. I try to watch the original video, composing sessions, live performances, etc. to understand a song better and thus get the emotions right. But I often get lost in the song and tend to miss the words in languages that aren’t my mother language. That’s one thing I’ve consciously tried to improve over time. 

What career ambitions do you have in music? Then how are you planning to achieve it?

An opportunity to do playback of course though I don’t allow that to be the only reason for my happiness or measure of success. I will continue to get better at my singing and focus on learning and the rest will happen. Making a devotional album has been a long-cherished dream. One project has been on hold for some time after having recorded a couple of songs – I would love to see that materialize soon. To give live performances (virtually and otherwise) amidst all other work-related priorities using DSO as a platform or at my level is another target. I would be happier to perform for the underprivileged if opportunities like that come my way. With the online medium also becoming more practically viable and popular, I hope being available in person would no longer be a barrier. 

How are you planning to manage family life and a very prospective career in music?

After my parents and my teachers, the one person in my life who has supported my music in a big way is my better half. It is only because of her support that I can foray into various initiatives on Smule and lead a happy personal life as well. My mother and daughter also have a significant role to play in whatever I could do on this platform. 

Music, driving, and helping others are therapeutic as far as I’m concerned. For me, there is no work and then life – they go hand in hand. Regardless of work, I try to learn new songs every week. I have forums that require me to learn – 3 jam sessions a week is enough to keep learning. The amount of exposure and learning I have had in the last two years is like never before and that is only due to these jams. I still feel like a kid every time I get to learn a new song – I love it when there is something new in the offer, however small. While it’s true that (over time) we have found ways to learn faster, learning is a humbling and rewarding experience. My recent project is titled “ASAD – A song a day” – the target is to learn 365 new songs this year. Going well, so far. 

Where do you see yourself five years from now in your music?

To see DSO, grow into a group that brings good music to the community would certainly be among the top on the list. Another plan is to make original content – I have started thinking about it and have some rough plans in my head. Healing with Music has always been on my list – I would want to work on refining those ideas and start taking some initiatives around them. As of today, I have ok twice-a-week chant sessions and a Thursday devotional jam where we do only devotional songs. YT Channel (DSO) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMhhXci4He2Wko9wxZXqRgA

Now it is time to list all your favorite musicians

This would be the toughest of all. In film music – I stay closer to Dr. KJ Yesudas, SPB, Asha Bhonsle, Lata Mangeshkar, Susheela, S Janaki, Kishore da, Hemant da, Geeta Dutt, P Jayachandran, Shreya Ghoshal, and love listening to Rafi Saab, Bhupinder, Anuradha Paudwal, Roop Kumar Rathod, Udit Narayan, KS Chitra, Swetha when it comes to singers and Devarajan Master, Arjunan Master, Hridayanath Mangeshkar, RD Burman, Salil Choudhary, Johnson, Raveendran, Sharat, MS Viswanathan, Ilaiyaraja, Vidyasagar, AR Rahman, Ajay-Atul as composers. I respect every creator – be it a singer, writer, or composer for the creativity in them and the uniqueness they offer. In Ghazals, I respect Mehdi Sahab, Ghulam Ali, Chitra Singh, Madhurani Ji, and Amanat Ali. In Devotionals, I respect Anoop Jalota and TS Radhakrishna Ji. Two people who need a special call-out here are Jagjit Singh and Hariharan for their exemplary contributions as singers and music directors. Kishore Da for being an all-rounder like no other. 

Listen to selected collabs and joins Jay’s music from the Smule Sing profile 

A song that remains a favorite even though it’s a recent pick. And that is for the single reason that it is about the Ganagandharvan, Dr. K J Yesudas! And the raaga is also beautiful. This is a dedication to all my friends who join me for the Thursday devotionals.

A ghazal I learned a week ago. This one has grown in me like the many in the recent months – such a beautiful composition by Jagjit ji and rendered by him & Chitra ji. This is a dedication to all my friends at SaMaGaM because of whom I get to learn new songs and discover myself every time. 

One of the classic composers in Malayalam, MG Radhakrishnan, carved out a niche space for himself. This is one of his best songs, the types I love singing This was made at the last minute (at 0100 AM) for one of the competitions conducted by the State Bank of India during the lockdown. 

This was a dedication to my co-singer here, Amit Ahuja, who played a big role in my interest in singing Jagjit Singh ghazals. This is a Punjabi ghazal by the famous poet Shiv Kumar Batalvi sung by Jagjit Sahab. 

One of the iconic songs of the 90s, this was one of the hits of Chitra in the Hindi Music industry. A beautiful collab with one of the finest singers, Aparajita Lahiri.

This song is rare and one of my favorites too. Joining me on this is one of the best singers on Smule, Aparajita.

One of the many songs my wife suggested – as is known to my network, all her suggestions have been excellent. This is one I enjoyed learning and singing. With me is one of the best singers on Smule, Karthik Jayaram.

This was part of my invite series #maestromoments, where I featured one artist (singer/composer/lyricist) in every invite. There were fifty songs in that series spread across ten languages, this is a lovely song by Deepa & Udit Narayan in Nepali. With me here is Anupama, one of the singers I have had beautiful collaborations with from the time I started my journey on Smule.

This is a lovely Bengali song composed & sung by Kishore da. Prerna Jakatdar always digs out gems that are usually forgotten – this is one such. One of the singers who have collaborated with me from the time I started and the pillar of support for Dil Se Official.

One of the songs I picked up during the lockdown period & performed most in my jams too. Anil Kapoor’s Kannada film Pallavi Anupallavi had great songs.  

A song that hit me hard the first time I heard it. Joining me here is the talented young singer, Darsana, who also happens to be my student. She has had a phenomenal learning experience with the ‘DilSe family’ since the start of the live jams. 

One of the talented youngsters on Smule and the youngest among my students, Mukthika, has already exhibited her innate skills in music. Her performances in live jams I conduct every weekend have enthralled all in the audience. Here she joins me on an Assamese invite, made as part of my multi-lingual series, #maestromoments_1. A beautiful song is sung by P.apon 

END NOTES

All human minds from time to time may be found in search of her/his purpose on this earth. That search is beautiful in its struggles and wins. When we read these accounts of many artists who go through many hurdles and milestones in life, one will realize that getting through all those struggles itself is a great win. Musically Jay has talent and early in life had many factors like his home environment and the people around him had a role to nurture it. Later, there are many wins, and one must take a step back like this to look at the whole picture to appreciate it. Writing this feature with me, made that realization when taking an eagle’s view of his career. It was such a pleasure to have met Jay and learn more about his music. His acumen and nature of deep thinking of the subject make what Jay is all about. Mature in many ways, doubtful at times, and yet showing tremendous ability to lead the way is what makes him a winner all the way. As a team, we all wanted to thank Jay for this opportunity to present him to our readers. We wish him all the best in his future music endeavors and always support him as a member of this community.