Priyanka Tiwari
Share
The singer we are talking about is one of the most exceptional music creators and vocalists in the contemporary film world. It happens to be his 58th birthday today. He began taking formal music lessons when he was quite young, starting at the tender age of five. Initially, he dabbled in recording songs for movies and composing jingles for commercials. Over a period of time, he garnered much-needed attention for his singing abilities and became a prominent figure in the music business.
Was made famous by the song “Breathless”
In addition to singing in Hindi, he mesmerizingly sang in Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, and Kannada films. Here, we are talking of Shankar Mahadevan, who carved out his identity in the world with the ‘Indi-Pop’ album ‘Breathless’, which was released in 1998. The track ‘Breathless’ was unique in the sense it was sung without taking any pauses for a breath. The title track to the album, as unique as it sounds, was as special in the process of singing. Unlike what he said later, this one-take process is not the way of singing the song.
Shankar Mahadevan’s music career
In the Hindi film industry, the success of this album opened new opportunities for him in Bollywood.
Following the remarkable success of the song 'Breathless', Shankar Mahadevan started receiving significant offers in Bollywood. He formed a band with Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendossa that became popular under the name 'Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy'. This trio composed the tunes of several superhit film songs in the 2000s. To date, he has sung more than 7000 songs and has won the National Award four times.
The song ‘Breathless’ has some really fascinating details as to how it came into fruition.
Shankar Mahadevan had explained in an interview that the concept for the song ‘Breathless’ was fundamentally different. There was a golden opportunity when he got to work with Javed Akhtar; the two had a wonderful chemistry with one another. Javed sahab mentioned that this particular idea had been lingering in his mind for a long time. The form of the song is based on English classical music where there is no term for pause. That is the reason as to why this song was so unique and exceptional. Perhaps the most interesting part is, even after 27 years, that song is cherished just as much as it was when it was performed for the first time.
Education and achievements in music Shankar Mahadevan is well known for his exceptional talent in singing and composing music, but he also dedicates a lot of his time in teaching children music. His music making and activism had reached a new height in 2011 when he opened a children’s music academy under his name. Along with A.R. Rahman, he received his first National Award for the Tamil film ‘Kandokandani-Kandokandani’. In addition, he won the best male playback singer award in the years 2007, 2009, 2010, and best music director award in 2013. Plus many more to add to the list.
Shankar Mahadevan's voice is sweet, soothing, and powerful. Shankar Mahadevan has amassed wealth of over $9 million (74 crores) through his self earned fame and he serves as an inspiration for many musci lovers around the globe. This is because his songs, which are well above sounding good, touch the heart. The unique quality of his voice singlehandedly makes him stand apart from his contemporaries. On top of this, he has singlehandedly helped connect every generation to Indian music.
Read More: Netflix’s ‘Adolescence’: A Powerful Drama on Digital Influence and Youth Misogyny
