[EXCLUSIVE] Meendum SPB Is A Celebration Of His Life Rather Than A Tribute, Says Son

This concert is a way of saying thanks to all SPB fans.

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SP Charan, who is the son of SP Balasubrahmanyam or SPB and also a legendary singer from the Indian Cinema Industry is in town for a concert, which he describes as a celebration of his father’s life.

We interviewed him ahead of the concert and here’s what he shared.

He loves Malaysia

Charan stated in his previous interviews that Malaysia is his second home. According to him the people here are very loving and are very receptive. He also said that the kind of music that the Malaysian people listen to is what makes him feel like he is coming home every time he is here.

Charan has performed many times in Malaysia. His first-ever solo concert was held in Kuala Lumpur. The kind of confidence boost and the reception that the people give whenever he or any other artist gets on the stage is what makes many artists come to Malaysia and perform for the fans.

Singing Career

When asked about the memory of the most challenging song he has ever sung, he said that all songs are different because the music directors are different and they are also in different languages.

Recently, Charan has recorded his first Malayalam song which he stated was quite challenging. However, according to him, the most demanding challenge would be when he sang for the composer, Illayaraja.

Before that, singing for Illayaraja sir would be like the scariest thing in life, you know, when you get a call from Raja sir’s office… there is a recording tomorrow please come, you are already scared of, you know, what kind of composition it’ll be and whether we will be able to match sir’s expectations.
S.P.Charan

His first song for Illayaraja was from the movie Punyavathi which according to him was an incident that occurred by accident. On that day he had to drive his dad SPB to the studio as the driver was not present.

Upon reaching, they met with Ilayaraja who asked him if he could sing. He told him that he had never sung before, but despite that, Illayaraja made him sing the song and gave him 100 rupees.

He has also sung for A.R. Rahman’s composition which can also be challenging because one would never know what kind of composition it will be until they get to the recording studio.

Ayyayo

The song Ayyayo was the first ever song with a father-son singer combination that has won an award for the best singer category. However, SPB and Charan recorded the song separately.

When asked about the song, Charan said that he wished that they could have sung it together as his father would have taught him to sing better.

I think I wish we recorded it together. I think that’s the first ever father-son singer combination that has ever won our best singer award. I don’t think it has happened afterward or even before. But I wish we recorded together; I would have sung better. Appa (Dad) would have trained me to sing it better.
S.P.Charan

SPB and Charan On Stage

Charan and his father have shared many stages performing for the fans. Whenever they are on stage, people would be able to witness the son and father duo joking among themselves and having a good time together.

However, when asked about this, Charan stated that it was his dad who made him comfortable on stage because in his mind he always had the thought of making sure to perform the songs correctly as there is an added pressure on him since he is a legendary singer’s son.

I initially didn’t expect him to be so jovial on stage because I would always look at him as SPB when I am singing…. There is always that pressure whether the audience will always be thinking, will he sing as well as his father… So, that is always in my head whenever I get up on stage when Appa was around. So, my fear was always that I needed to make sure I impress him.
S.P.Charan

However, as stated above, it was always fun watching this duo perform together as the performances not only come with wonderful songs but also portray the wonderful father-son relationship between them.

Charan shared an incident during a concert in America when he was having a conversation with the audience. His dad then walked in. He told his dad to give him the chance to sing since SPB had earlier sang two songs. SPB, in a jovial manner, asked his son: “Can you sing?”

That is when Charan challenged his father to sing one of his songs. As many of you may know, SPB took up the challenge and belted one of his son’s songs beautifully.

“The crowd went berserk, and I said, he stole my song again.”

SPB

Many know SPB as a legendary Indian playback singer. However, what many of you may not know is that SPB did a lot of homework before going on stage.

According to Charan, his father would listen to the songs many times beforehand and took notes.

“I keep asking him, what are you doing? You know the song by heart. You should be able to sing it in your sleep. He said, no, maybe I missed something from the original version. Maybe I need to do that. So, he keeps listening to it constantly, and when I see his script book it’s full of scribbles.”

This is one of the reasons why he is a legendary singer. This made him a perfectionist on stage and one could never hear him voice out a wrong note during his performance.

You know, he was so perfect and that made it impossible for all the other singers who shared the stage with him to match up to his calibre.
S.P.Charan

Meendum SPB

This concert, according to Charan is more of a celebration of SPB rather than a tribute. Charan said he is trying to take the tour worldwide as a way of thanking his father’s fans.

“It’s more of a thanksgiving on my behalf to the fans. When Appa (dad) was in the hospital and you know, people were praying and you know, sending me emails and messages and all of that. So, this tour allows me to meet all these people and personally thank them and you know, any opportunity that I have to get up on stage and sing my favorites of SPB I will not let go of.”
S.P.Charan

Thus, this concert is close to his heart.

The concert which is organized by MOJO Projects is happening today (9 September) at Zepp Kuala Lumpur at 7pm.

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