If there is someone who can evoke so much joy in people’s lives through singing, it is simply SP Balasubrahmanyam or SPB. With his modulation, clarity in pronunciation, nuances, voice range and energy, SPB will be an unparalleled name in the Indian film industry who lifted music compositions to sublime levels.
A self-confessed Mohammed Rafi fan, SPB is the man who ruled the Tamil film industry with his voice in the 80s.
From his first song in Telugu film in 1966 in Sri Sri Sri Maaryada Ramanna to his ‘Nikhal naa jaaye’ for Bollywood film Chennai Express in 2013, there is no language that SPB could not handle. The legendary singer has crooned over 45,000 songs in south Indian languages as well as Hindi. It was a voice that had traversed through generations—right from compositions of K.V. Mahadevan, M.S. Viswanathan, Ilayaraja, Deva, A.R. Rahman and even to the young G.V. Prakash and Anirudh Ravichander.
SPB’s voice has the potential to trigger myriad emotions in the listener—it can make you joyous, content, romantic, and sometimes melancholic. He debuted in Tamil with ‘Aayiram nilave vaa’, in MGR’s Adimai Penn in 1969. With his vocal virtuosity, SPB has been a master who could pull off every song with the same effortless ease.
SPB, son of a Harikatha artist, had never thought his mesmerising voice would rule the south Indian film industry when one of his college friends entered his name in a light music competition. SPB won the competition in 1963, which made him a frequent presence at light music competitions. In one such competition, he was spotted by music director S.P. Kodandapani who asked him to give an audition; SPB chose to sing ‘Nilave Ennidam Nerungathey’, originally sung by P.B. Shreenivas. The expressive song which drowns the listener in grief opened the film industry’s doors for the budding singer. The Tamil film music industry which was till then ruled by T.M. Soundararajan, turned to SPB. His debut song ‘Emi e vintha moham’ in Sri Sri Sri Maaryada Ramanna became popular, and he became a natural choice for music composers who were looking for a fresh voice.
Though not an expert in the classical genre, his songs in films like Sankarabharanam and Salangai Oli, proved to be epic. In fact, his first national award was for the classical songs in Sankarabharanam (1980), directed by K.Viswanath.
Similarly, he aced all the seven numbers in Payanangal Mudivathillai which was a musical hit. His voice can be powerfully melancholic – like in ‘Malarey Mounama’, or ‘Mani osai kettu ezhunthu’ or romantic like in ‘Aaayiram thaamarai mottukaley’. His rendition of songs like ‘Enna satham intha neram’ or the evergreen ‘Anjali Anjali pushpaanjali’ will definitely make you shed a drop of tear. He also created a record by singing two stanzas of ‘Mannil intha kaadhal indri’, in a single breath.
His voice modulations in songs like ‘unakkenna melay ninrai oh nandhalala’, ‘kamban yemaandhan Ilam kanniyarai’, ‘maanguley poonguiley’, ‘panivizhum malarvanam’, ‘muthu mani maalai enna thottu thottu thaalatta’ would match the aural structures and the parameters that the cinematic situation or the character require. Especially in songs like ‘Maanguiley Poonguiley’ or ‘Anjali Anjali Pushpanjali’, SPB’s voice effortlessly glides over extremely subtle variations in the pitch.
His command over Tamil diction is outstanding. For instance, in Aval oru thodarkathai, songs like ‘kadavul amaithu vaitha’, or ‘deivam thantha veedu’, stand out for his Tamil diction. His peppy numbers like ‘engeyum yepothum’ or ‘Ilamai itho itho’, will also be forever remembered.
SPB also gave some of his finest numbers in T. Rajendar’s music composition. ‘Idhu kuzhandhai paadum thaalattu’, and ‘vasamilla malar ithu’, from Oru Thalai Raagam are pure gems.
In 2016, in a Facebook post SPB recalled 50 years of musical journey in just a few lines, with a reference to the lines of his first song in 1966. “There are millions who made me musically travel all these 50 years. This birth is not enough to thank you all. Ever gratefully yours …” he wrote in the post.
Yes, dear SPB. You will always be ours.