I am a Mumbaiyya Kannadathi: Sowmya Raoh

We’ve always known she had potential and we were always convinced that Sowmya Raoh had a voice unmatched and unrivalled in quality.

From when she gave soul to Greekuverudu in the Telugu super hit, Ninne Pelladatha to her more recent hits including Shauk Hai from Guru — Sowmya Raoh was always a favourite and will continue to be so.

Sowmya is now settled in Mumbai (since 2001) and though she originally hails from Bangalore, she’s now more popularly known as a Bollywood singer. Sowmya’s other claim to fame is that she’s the daughter of reputed playback, folk and devotional singer, BK Sumitra and Sudhakar and is the sister of Kannada actor, Sunil Raoh.

“Dreamum Wakeupum has given me a lot of publicity, and I am thankful for it. It’s hard to imagine that I would have never even been chosen for the song, had it not been for the need for a singer who could bring that South Indian touch into the song.

I have never worked with Amit (Trivedi) or Amitabh (Bhattacharya) before, but this was a great experience and I must add that I was in splits for most of the recording,” opens Sowmya as we catch up with her over the phone.

But was it hard to sing a song as suggestive as this we ask? “Not really, at a very literal level the song is just mind-blowingly hilarious and yes, I know what the lyrics suggest, but this is definitely not a first time for me. I’ve sung a lot of songs like this before — raunchy numbers, item numbers, risqué lyrics... you name it, I’ve sung it.

Also, in comparison to some of the regional numbers I have sung, this song was nothing!” Sowmya answers.

Hindi taken over, what about the regional languages? “I’ve always kept my regional language career alive and I love singing in all of them. Kannada will of course be closer than most others as it is my mother tongue and also where I began my career — I am a Mumbaiyya Kannadathi!

But that said I am open to work, whichever language and whoever the music director might be. I would love to work with everyone who makes music and so I am always ready for a new project, I just need to be called, that’s all,” Sowmya explains.

Known more for her melodious style of singing now, we ask Sowmya how she deals with raunchy songs, especially when fans refuse to believe that the song has been sung by her (the case of Dreamum Wakeupum).

“All songs are songs and they’re just representing emotions from different points on the same spectrum, so I am open to any kind of song. It’s alternatively awesome and saddening to know that fans are not able to recognise my voice sometimes — because I’d like it to be my USP, but that said, reinventing yourself so much that you are not recognised is a talent in itself and so I guess, that leaves me pleasantly satisfied,” Sowmya enthuses.

Running out of time, we add in the last question — as simply as possible, tell us why you enjoy being this versatile when it comes to defining your style? “Simply put, I like shocking people and that’s probably the only reason why I like pushing my barriers as much as I can,” she concludes.