Abhaya Hiranmayi has an unmistakable voice. No, it is not the typical voice Malayalis are accustomed to hearing in songs and for the same reason, she has to her name some of the most popular songs to come out from M’wood in the recent past. The song Koikode from the movie Goodalochana is the latest popular number on her list.
The Kochi-based singer laughs when speaking of her Koikode connection. “I think food is the major connection I have with Kozhikode. The second connection is that I have some really good friends there.”
The song was an instant hit the day it was launched online. Composed by Gopi Sundar, the song is about all those things that make one fall in love with Kozhikode.
Abhaya is most known for teaming up with Gopi Sundar. “Gopi is a very good friend of mine. I have already sung 4 to 5 songs composed by him. The first movie I sang for is Naku Penta Naku Taka. I sang two songs for the movie, one was in Swahili language. After this, I sang for the Telugu movie Malli Malli Idi Rani Roju, the songs were again composed by Gopi(Sundar).” She is also the voice behind the hit songs Kanimalare Mulle from Two Countries and Mazhaye Mazhaye from James and Alice. “I think ‘Koikode’ is my fifth or sixth song, it was actually a promotional song.”
On her introduction to music, she says, “I took up engineering, but my family is inclined to music. My mother is a musician and my father retired as a producer from Doordarshan. I knew I could sing but I never took it seriously. I was never interested in singing. Truth be told, it was Gopi’s insistence that lead me to at least give a shot at singing. Even after ‘Kanimalare’ came out, if someone asked me to sing I was never confident enough. I have been learning classical music since the past two years. Right now, I guess I am a little bit more confident.”
A passionate cook and a designer, Abhaya is looking forward to a full-time career in music.
