Minnalvala is a song that Malayalis have probably heard the most this year. Sithara Krishnakumar , who lent her voice to the song along with Sid Sriram , says, “I recorded the song just a day before the film's ( Narivetta ) audio launch.”
She recalls, “Jakes (Bejoy) ettan called me when I was preparing to travel. He asked me to visit his studio and record by noon. Later, I felt it would have been a real loss if I had missed it. It’s the kind of melody that Malayalis love, especially its structure. For a long while, we haven’t had something like this. And, of course, there’s the magic of Sid Sriram’s voice. It was also a blessing to sing lines written by Kaithapram Damodaran Namboodiri . Jakes ettan is a very encouraging composer. My portions in the song are comparatively fewer and are sung in a low octave. I was a bit doubtful while recording because it was in the bass register, which is unusual for a female voice.”
Sithara’s Neray Veeray for Dheeram, sung along with Murali Gopy (the director) and Unmesh Krishna , is currently a chartbuster. The singer shares, “Manikandan Ayyappa, the composer of the song, is brilliant. When a song has a trance mood and is treated electronically, he knows how to retain its soul. I didn’t ask for any details when I was called — I usually don’t. I was just told that the lyrics were by BK Harinarayanan, and I sang it in a raw style, retaining the folk essence."
She adds, "People now tell me they’ve been listening to it on loop, and the credit goes entirely to how Manikandan conceived it. My voice was just used as a tool. Generally, I don’t learn the song beforehand. I prefer learning it directly from the composer because if we learn it the wrong way, it’s hard to unlearn. This song, in particular, belongs to a genre I love, so I was very satisfied. I only heard Murali chettan’s version after it was released,"she says.
About playback singing and independent spaces
I enjoy playback singing — the audience and the attention are huge — but when it comes to classes, learning, and experimenting, independent stages give us the freedom to express ourselves. And, of course, we have our jam room for the band, which we love. I see that as growth

'We will drop a single soon'
Sithara's band, Project Malabaricus , is currently working on a new single, which, she reveals, will drop in a couple of months. The singer says the new track will be different from their usual style, and adds, “We recently did Nadu Page with Dabzee, featuring lines by Muhsin Parari . It was part of a series of four songs, and this one was the last."