Yesudas: Singer par excellence

Melody maker

Which do you enjoy singing more — film songs or Carnatic music, we asked Kattassery Joseph Yesudas. “Both are dear to me. I welcome both opportunities with equal enthusiasm and sing both with equal feeling,” he replied with a disarming smile.

His fans would agree — and this legion of admirers includes fellow musicians, discerning music critics, connoisseurs, and millions of lay listeners. Even after 50 years (he just celebrated the golden jubilee of his singing career), the voice has a magic that enthralls listeners — from purists of Carnatic music to the man on the street who hums along whenever his chartbusting film songs are aired on radio or television. 

For this man who has achieved an iconic status today, life began very humbly and was full of privations in the early period as he struggled to overcome economic hardships.

Born in Kerala’s Fort Kochi, into a humble Catholic family, his initiation into music happened very early. Like most musicians who have had musician-parent(s), Yesudas found his first teacher in his father Augustine Joseph, a well-known singer in Malayalam.

Yesudas’ study of music at Tiruppunithura’s R L V Music Academy (Kochi) for the Ganabhooshanam course was followed by advanced training at Sri Swathi Thirunal Music College in Thiruvananthapuram where he was fortunate to be guided by stalwart Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and other teachers. Later, he was trained by Vechur Harihara Subramanya Iyer, followed by tutelage under the venerable Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar. All this was done through financial constraints. It was his sheer perseverance and love for music as well as his talent which kept him going.

And it soon began to pay off. His mellifluous voice and command over raga and rhythm earned him notice from film music directors. Even in his early twenties, Yesudas turned playback singer for Malayalam and Tamil films. The popularity gained from these songs led to opportunities in cinema of other languages — like Hindi, Telugu and Kannada.

The seven Best Male Playback Singer awards he has bagged over the years at the National Film Awards are matched by his equally extraordinary record at the regional cinema level — over 30 state awards for Best Male Singer in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Bengali. At one point in his career, he actually requested that he be ruled out of contention for film awards so that his peers and upcoming artistes had a chance of winning the same!

It is remarkable that Yesudas has continued to earn success on the Carnatic music circuit even while earning encomiums as a film playback-singer at the national and state level. It is a wonderful synergy that has prevailed in his career. The mass adulation that his film songs have given him has ensured bigger audiences at his classical music concerts while his established calibre as a Carnatic musician have made him a favourite with music directors who want shruti-and-laya-perfect renditions in their film tracks. 

This devout Christian is admired for the depth of bhaava he brings to his songs on Hindu deities. His renditions of compositions on Lord Guruvayurappa and Swamy Aiyappa are especially well-known. Interestingly, his rendition of the famous Harivarasanam is the version officially in use at the Sabarimala Temple.

And in fact, the entire Carnatic music tradition — which he has made a career of — is steeped in the bhakthi tradition. So, the lyrics of Thyagaraja, Shyama Shastri and Swathi Thirunal are rendered as movingly by him as are secular ones for films, especially situational songs. His duets with top female playback singers of south India as well as pathos-soaked background songs have become chartbusters in Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu. He has endeared himself to Hindi filmgoers with his songs for several films including Chitchor, especially the award-winning Gori Tera Gaon Bada Pyaara. He has recorded nearly 50,000 songs so far.

Many other awards and honours have regularly come his way. At 30, he became the youngest person to head the Kerala Sangeeta Natak Academy. He was also a member of the International Parliament for Safety and Peace. The Padma Bhushan awarded by the Union Government is another fitting recognition. An artiste who performs across the world, Yesudas has also been honoured in the Middle East where his renditions of Arabic lyrics  in Carnatic style have won him much acclaim. He has won numerous awards and titles from private organisations too, besides honorary doctorates from universities and is often referred to as ‘Gaana Gandharvan’.

This father of three sons (one of whom, Vijay, is also a singer) currently divides his time between his homes in Chennai and USA. He also oversees the management of a recording studio which he founded in 1980.

And what are his future plans? Yesudas smiles again and says, “To keep singing and please God (he looks upward, folds his hands in respect and momentarily closes his eyes as if in deference to the divine) and my listeners.”