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Singapore singer Suthasini speaks out for local talent

SINGAPORE — Preparations are intensifying for Vasantham’s supersized SG50 concert Ponvizha Live and local musician Suthasini, one of its headline acts, is looking forward to the opportunity to show what Singapore talents can do.

SINGAPORE — Preparations are intensifying for Vasantham’s supersized SG50 concert Ponvizha Live and local musician Suthasini, one of its headline acts, is looking forward to the opportunity to show what Singapore talents can do.

The mega-event, set to be the biggest ‘live’ concert in local television history, will feature award-winning Indian playback singers Ranjith Govind and Chinmayi Sripada as special guest performers. And Suthasini is looking forward to sharing the stage with them because she views it as chance to “show that Singaporeans are also very versatile”.

The Vasantham Star 2011 winner is one of more than 100 local musicians, including L Vijayandran, Sountharavaliy, Suriamurthi and Mohan, who will be giving their renditions of popular songs, both local and from Indian cinema.

While Ponvizha Live is a good opportunity to showcase local talent, even more can be done for local musicians, thinks Suthasini, who represented Singapore in Astro Malaysia’s International Superstar competition in August, as well as at the Superstar Asia Challenge 2013.

“I feel that the talent pool in Singapore is amazing — it’s just that the platform here is not big enough for us artistes to have the confidence to keep moving forward. It’s pretty tough for us to make music, or be an artiste, as a career. That’s one thing I’m very concerned about,” she shared.

That is why she has immediate plans to make inroads into India. “I’ll be venturing into the Indian market, which means I’ll have to travel a lot,” the singer-songwriter said. “India is where our music is coming from. That is where everybody is connected. So that is the place I would like to go, and try and find ways to expand.”

But first, she will be releasing her single Come Dance With Me right after the concert performance. “This is different from my previous singles,” said the 25-year-old, whose debut album Only U was released in June last year and featured tracks that she composed.

Unlike her usual style of pop and Indian classical, this one will feature hip-hop and rap, Suthasini said. “I rap for the first time. I discovered a totally different side of me. I enjoyed it a lot. But in order to evaluate it, I have to listen to what the audience has to say! That’s something I’m really looking forward to. I’m trying to show as much as I can, as an artiste,” she said.

The new genre is a good match for her personality. “I like the idea of how (rappers) are very poetic about everything they do, and how it’s so meaningful to what’s happening in real life,” she said. “I also apply that to how I dress and how I portray myself. I’m a very musical person and I think creativity comes along with that.”

She is so musical, she sings everywhere she can — including on the bus. “I was practising before a recording, so I sang (to myself) because there weren’t a lot of people. It was not that loud!” she recalled with a laugh.

That is only an example of how music is more than a way of life for her. “I will never quit music no matter how old I grow,” she said. “One thing I would like to change is the perspective people have (about) being an artiste. Many people think it’s just a part-time thing. I would like to change that idea.”

Vasantham Ponvizha Live is on Oct 2, 7.30pm, at Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre. Tickets from S$20 at SISTIC.

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