Ramya Vasishta: Revamping the classics

The last we heard of the Kannada singer, music composer, actor and anchor, Ramya Vasishta, was when she broke up with her husband Rajesh Krishnan, another South Indian singing sensation. “I was talked about for wrong reasons. That made me realise I cannot please everyone and that there will be ups and downs, but one emerges from the upheavals of life stronger,” she rues.

We catch up with the pretty singer on her current projects. After dabbling with many genres of performing arts, she has proved her mettle. Talking about her latest projects, the first rank holder for state in Carnatic music, who has directed music for over 15 albums, 10 tele serials, 50 radio jingles and many television commercials, Ramya shares, “I’m currently working on a soft rock album, where I have given a new twist to my composition of Sanskrit songs. I’m also the lead singer and composer of another album where I’m singing from a collection of poems by Siddalingiah, the famous Kannada poet. I’m revamping the previous album Preeti Embudu Gelathi and will be releasing it as Nadiyondu Hariyutittu.” She also released her first Sanskrit soft rock album, Pathika at the world Sanskrit conference.

Explaining the reason behind the revamp, Ramya who laid the foundation of Kalaravvaa for production of music explains, “It’s the age where the old school bhavageethe is paving way for new age sounds. The audience today is instinctive and it’s important to give them the right fusion.”
She was only 19, when she scored music for her first album Tunga Taranga, poems of Kuvempu and later went on to anchor the Hampi Utsav for seven consecutive years. She has composed music for 150 poems of Purandara and Kanakadasa for a television channel. “I penned a series of four-liners titled Chakrateertha and a few songs in Bruj language to popularise Kannada poetry through popular music. I also wrote the title track for a telefilm titled Kannamuchchale and recreated the title track for a daily soap titled Bannada Buguri. I’m currently working on a syndicate of three albums as a tribute to three great national poets,” she says.