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Atlanta singer Rekha Pallath makes playback debut with 'Software Ganda'

Photo Credit: Megan Dougherty Photography. Featured photo (on the home page) by GVR Photography.

NRI Pulse News Desk

Atlanta, GA: Atlanta singer Rekha Pallath recently made her playback singing debut with a Kannada movie, ‘Software Ganda’. The movie, which stars Jaggesh and Nikitha, is slated to be released sometime in October, but the audio release of the movie took place in Bangalore in August.

Rekha is a familiar face at Atlanta fundraiser events for non-profits and has helped raise awareness on social causes through music.

So, how did ‘Software Ganda’ happen? “I sent my voice recordings as demos over emails to many composers and gave auditions. Renowned Kannada Music composer, Veer Samarth, was one of them,” said Rekha in an email interview with NRI Pulse. “After listening to my voice samples, he invited me to come down to Bangalore. Based on my audition he felt that my voice would be suitable for a song in the film ‘Software Ganda’ and hence we recorded ‘Sorry’ in November, 2013. This year, I was happy to know that the directorial team had liked my rendition a lot and that they had picturized the song. It was very exciting then to know that my song was going to be included in the film. I am thankful to Veer Samarth and director Venkatesh for giving me this opportunity. Both of them believe in encouraging new talent and bringing new singers to the forefront.”

Youtube link to the song

Rekha says the experience was interesting and made her more aware of the nuances involved in playback singing, where perfection and precision are the keys, and good voice control, modulation, and subtle expressiveness are important aspects.

“People have liked ‘Sorry’, and have expressed that I have a distinct voice. That makes me very happy because I want to maintain my individuality and do not want to sound like other established singers,” she says.

“Highly competitive,” she says, when asked about the the playback industry. “For each song, multiple singers are auditioned and all the singers are good. Hence the chance of making it becomes very slim. A singer needs to have a unique style, a special quality, something that sets her apart from the rest, else she won’t be noticed. One has to be in constant touch with a wide network of music composers, directors and producers, which for me has been a challenge as I am based in theUS. Still using emails and social networks I do my best to reach out to as many people as possible.”

While she continues to pursue other playback opportunities, Rekha is actively working on her own album of original songs which she hopes to release in 2015. “I enjoy writing songs and with this album I am also co-composing which gives me great creative satisfaction and an opportunity to make contributions in music. I am also collaborating with US based artists, which is helping me grow as a musician.”

Rekha has trained in Hindustani music from the Pandit Jasraj School of Music, and in Carnatic music under the guidance of her maternal grandmother. She also taken voice coaching from renowned American teachers in Georgia.

At 17, Rekha was a finalist in the popular talent show ‘Close up Sangeet Muqabala’ and was heartily appreciated by Judge Jagjit Singh.

At the audio release of the movie, Rekha was also asked if she was interested in acting in movies. “If a good script and a well-written role comes along, I would definitely consider it,” she says.

Youtube link to the song

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