Pure music is just like yoga: Sowmya Unnikrishnan

Dubai-based singer and teacher Sowmya Unnikrishnan believes music has great powers of healing. "Pure music is just like yoga," she tells us in a recent chat, adding, "Singing is a kind of exercise wherein we use breathing exercises (pranayama) and the vibrations in the vocal chords help lungs to do respiration properly. Listening to melodic songs before going to bed improves one's sleep and mental powers."
Sowmya is a psychology graduate with a Master's degree in Applied Psychology, and has more than 15 years of learning experience in classical music from her paternal grandmother Leelavathy. "She was my first guru in music and I later on acquired knowledge from Thalavady Krishnan Kutty, a well-known musician in Oman and Kerala. I was also blessed to get a few music classes from Ambika (head of music department, Kerala Kalamandalam).
"My interest in music grew as most of the members in my family have learned classical music. My grandfather was a great music lover and he used to guide me in learning tough krithis. The constant motivation from family was a great support for me."
Sowmya, who has participated in many radio contests to showcase her singing talent and currently teaches Carnatic music in Dubai, was brought up in Muscat, Oman, a place she says was very favourable for her to pursue and explore music.
She gives credit to her parents for supporting her singing passion. She's also thankful to her music teacher Thalavady Krishnan Kutty, who guided her and her brother for nearly 12 years.
We spoke to her about the relevance of classical music today, old and new Bollywood hits, and her musical aspirations.
You are currently teaching Carnatic music in Dubai. Is there a lot of interest in this genre of music in this region according to you?
Very few parents want their children to actually 'gain knowledge' in music here in UAE, in the sense they want their children to be performing on stage or participating and winning prizes as soon as possible and become famous. Only a few of them actually want their kids to gain practical and theoretical knowledge in music. Music is actually a kind of mental relaxation for both the singer as well as the listener. If properly utilised, music could turn into magic both physically and mentally. My own students are greatly interested in music.

You have participated in radio contests on various stations. What is your favourite song/genre of music to sing in contests like this?
The greatest experience I had was when I was selected as one among the 15 semi-finalists for Indian Idol auditions held in Dubai in 2018, for which I was offered a chance to sing in front of Bollywood music director Anu Malik. I have always felt comfortable to sing semi-classical songs at any platform, my favourite being Kannodu Kaanbathellam from the Tamil movie Jeans, which I can perform anywhere and everywhere.

What are your musical aspirations? Even Bollywood music used to be classical based but it's all changing now. How relevant is classical music today as compared to modern music?
I would not dare to compare any genres in music but personally I feel there is so much missing in today's music as compared to music from yesteryears, even to the point of losing its purity. This is purely my opinion but old songs always give a pleasant feeling and have a lot of richness whereas modern music is overloaded with instrumental elements that's actually killing the song.
I have done two musical albums recently, one being a devotional album and the other one about the culture and heritage of Kerala in which I sang with playback singer Madhu Balakrishnan.

Who are some singers/musicians you admire?
I am for the older generation of music lovers, and I always admire songs of Lata Mangeshkar, and of course my all time favourite singers K.S. Chitra and K.J. Yesudas. Among the new generation of singers I love the voices of Shreya Ghoshal and Arijit Singh. I listen to old Bollywood songs frequently.

What is your philosophy of music?
According to me, music is the only medicine that heals my mind. And I am definite about this with many people in life. Teaching music is the best profession I could be in - it gives me mental happiness and physical stability.

Do you sing in public concerts? Would we have an opportunity to see you sing in Dubai?
I do concerts frequently throughout UAE and mainly in Dubai. I have always received a good response from people here, be it for classical or cinematic music. Apart from participating as a contestant in various musical shows, I have also had the opportunity of being one among three jury members with the well-known music director from the Malayalam film industry, Ouseppachan, in a musical reality show Grand Finale, hosted by the first ever radio station in Dubai, Radio Asia, last year.
enid@khaleejtimes.com