Interview | Indie music allows me to explore diverse themes

Sithara Krishnakumar was recently in Chennai with her band for a fund-raising event at the Music Academy. Her band, Project Malabaricus, launched in 2017, continues to captivate audiences with its riveting music.

The concert, held indoors, captivated the audience which comprised members of the Rotary Club of Chennai Towers. The evening opened with their original composition Bhagavathi, performed against a striking red-themed backdrop and from there the band eased seamlessly into the Tamil song Kangal Neeye.

My personal favourite moment was Sithara's rendition of Wow from the film Godha. The line Theerathetho nalil pande ishtam thedi alanjenno.., created a profound stillness in the hall, holding the audience spellbound.

By the show's end, the quiet sense of reflection had erupted into sheer joy. Slowly, one by one, many of the audience members who had been sitting in stillness rose and made their way to the stage to dance. Age didn't matter, hesitation vanished—only the shared thrill remained.

After the event, a woman came up to me to say how much the performance had moved her. She told me she felt "positive vibrations..." It was clear the music had touched her deeply, just as it had touched us all.

After the concert, I met Sithara briefly, and she kindly agreed to continue our conversation later. We followed up with a Gmail interview, during which she shared her thoughts in detail.

Excerpts from the interview:

Q. What inspired you to start Project Malabaricus after Eastraga?

A. I always seek a space to express my independent musical thoughts, which naturally sit somewhere between primitive folk and refined classical, the two worlds my understanding of music keeps moving between. I have explored this in different ways over the years, and I feel that Project Malabaricus, still growing and evolving, has become a space where I can gently experiment and create with comfort and happiness.

Q. Your music often highlights women, culture, and social issues. Why are these themes important to you?

A. Independent music gives me the freedom to begin with a small thought… a seed… and let it grow into a song. Some seeds become socially relevant themes, and some become very personal moments like a quiet evening or a lazy afternoon. Nothing is forced. Music can be a tool to express what we feel or observe, but it can also just hold a simple emotion. So there is no limit to what themes I choose. Independent music gives that free space.

Q. What was the most challenging part of creating your first original songs?

A. The biggest challenge was learning to unlearn. In film music, we are always part of a world created by another composer, so making the decision to create our own space and sound was itself difficult. It needed honesty, silence, and a mind prepared to let go of expectations… no thinking about likes or views, just happiness. But once I stepped into it, and with a band that is growing with me, the journey became emotional, uncertain, and very beautiful.

Q. How was your debut performance in Chennai?

A. Our debut concert in Chennai was a truly beautiful experience. Singing for a predominantly Tamil audience was new for us, and we went in with a little embarrassment and apprehension. But we will never forget that first audience… they were kind, open-hearted, and incredibly encouraging. We expected they would want more Tamil songs, but instead they embraced our originals and listened with rapt attention.

In return, we sang the Tamil songs we Malayalees have always loved watching and listening to. The Rotary Club of Chennai Towers and the entire audience were friendly and warm, and and their appreciation meant the world to us. Performing at the prestigious Chennai Music Academy made it more exceptional, and the fact that the event was held for a noble cause of raising funds for humanitarian initiatives lifted our spirits. It was an evening we will always carry with gratitude.

Q. The red theme for 'Bhagavathi' was striking. How do you choose colours and moods for each song?

A. We are blessed with a very talented tech team. Once a song is conceived, we sit together and share the story and emotion behind it. They then come up with thoughtful ideas for the backdrop, lighting, and overall visual landscape. We completely trust them. We simply walk on stage, and they add the embellishments that make our presentations look and feel beautiful.

Q. You perform raw, no-autotune songs like ‘Kangal Nee’ Is keeping this rawness important in live shows?

A. Kangal Neeye is a song of deep honesty, beautifully written by Thamarai ma’am and wonderfully composed by GV Prakash sir. I always feel grateful to have been its voice. But on stage, every song, Kangal Neeye or any other, becomes something entirely new. Live performances have their own raw truth… the unpredictability, the small flaws, the unrepeatable moments. Nothing can be undone or recreated. That is why I believe a live show belongs only to the people who are present in that moment. The emotion shared between the artist and the audience is pure, immediate, and impossible to replay.

Q. Your setlist spans folk, rock and film songs. How do you decide what fits a Project Malabaricus performance?

A. We have a long list of songs… our originals, my film songs, and the music that has inspired us. But the setlist is never fixed. We begin with our usual opening song, and after that I simply watch the audience. Their energy decides everything. And because my band and I have been together for 7–8 years, even the tiniest gesture is enough for them to know what is coming next. So we design the setlist on the go… almost like a joyful conversation between us and the audience.

Q. Both ‘Chaayapattu’ and ‘Pilleranu’ reflect Malabar culture. How important is regional authenticity in your music?

A. Regional authenticity is not something I plan or design. It happens naturally. The people around us, the place we come from, our childhood, our food, our social and political atmosphere… all of this shapes who we are, and naturally shapes our music too.

So when songs like Chaayapattu or Pilleranu reflect Malabar, it is not a deliberate effort. As a band, we sit together, we jam, and the songs grow organically. We always say ‘Glocally Malabar,’ and I truly believe that what is local can also be universal. When something is honest to its soil, it can touch people anywhere, beyond language, age, or time.

Q. Do you think folk stories communicate social issues better than modern lyrics?

A. Not necessarily. Our connection to folk forms comes from a very primitive, innate human instinct, that is why people immediately relate to folk stories or even to songs that carry folk-like elements. But communication is possible through every style of writing. Modern lyrics can express social issues just as powerfully. We have brilliant contemporary lyricists who use new-age idioms with great honesty and depth. Ultimately, it is not the form that matters, but the truth in the writing.

Q. When creating a song, does the story come first or the sound idea?

A. It changes. Some songs come as a feeling, a hum, a phrase, a texture. Others begin as a character, a memory, or a landscape. But eventually, both story and sound merge. The heart chooses one, the craft finishes the other.

Q. Your coordination with the band is very visible on stage. How do you build that trust and rhythm?

A. Trust is built in everyday life… not only in rehearsals. We travel together, eat together, argue, dream, panic, laugh. We have seen each other’s vulnerabilities. On stage, that becomes music. I know when each of them breathes, and they know when I will take a detour. It is a family before a band.

Q. What is your next project about?

A. Our next release is a multilingual track, and we are excited to bring its Tamil version to you soon. The song and video are planned for January, and it is a piece very close to our hearts, so we are keeping our fingers crossed. The Malayalam lyrics are written by B. K. Harinarayanan and the Tamil lyrics are by Ahmad Shyam, and we are excited to feature the beautiful singer Gana Vimala in this track. We have a few gentle surprises waiting for the audience, and we sincerely hope that listeners from both states and everyone who supports our music will receive this song with the same love with which we made it.