Tamil rock ‘n’ roll? 'Aiyyo'!

In the city to perform at the book launch of William Dalrymple’s Nine Lives, British singer Susheela Raman is also geared up for her own upcoming album— a Tamil rock ‘n’ roll and blues experiment called Vel (the weapon used by Lord Murugan, the God of War).

As the name suggests, Raman has been for the first time dabbling in Tamil spiritual and religious subjects after having worked with musicians from all over the world in her last four albums that have made her popular in the UK.

With Vel, she tries to bring together her Carnatic music training as a kid, her rock ‘n’ roll style and a qawwali performance in one album— a unique combination in the world of music. She has sung in Tamil, Hindi and English on this album. “I have worked with Nagada player Nathulal Solanki, an amazing singer from Jaisalmer who has sung some Rajasthani parts in my song and some Tamil musicians,” says Raman. The singer has also sung a heavy duty number on Shiv Shakti. “I have been getting a tremendous response for these songs in the UK. Though they can’t understand the language, my shows are usually like a rock show so they love it,” says Raman.

The singer who is being touted as the next big thing, says that exploring her Indian roots through her music was the most natural thing to do. “When you are born and brought up in a country away from your place of origin, exploring your roots is like bridging the two separate worlds you are dabbling in,” she says, adding, “that comes through in William’s book too.”