Musical notes from Mudra

CHENNAI: When Lopa Mudra was four, her father would put her to sleep with the kathakali padams. She would stay up listening till the end, she says, and that’s how the music bug bit her. “I’ve been training in carnatic vocal music since I was seven, and I’m still learning,” she says.  She’s been studying at the KM Music Conservatory, Chennai for the past three years. We catch up with the musician from God’s own country, who will perform at Phoenix MarketCity today.

From waking up to MS Subbulakshmi’s Suprabhatam, to listening to hits of Celine Dion, The Police and Bryan Adams, while on the way to school, Lopa was intrigued by the different genres of music and wanted to explore more. “Somewhere in the middle of this chaos was born a love child of pure South Indian Carnatic and All American Pop, and my music is a by-product of those genres,” she says. Lopa who set the base of her music firm by learning Carnatic says that she puts in at least one to two hours of practise apart from working on her Opera technique. “I work on my song writing as well, and that goes on for around four hours a day,” she says.

Lopa was 12 when her brother taught her to play four chords on the guitar, which she then used as a medium to explore further and perfect her vocals, as well. “I put two and two together and began writing songs, which was definitely easier for me with the guitar. I think learning an instrument definitely helps in understanding the structure of a song in general.

Every singer must know to play at least one instrument,” she shares. The musician who has also taken mridangam lessons says that she would like to continue that as well. “Since carnatic music is rhythm centric, I want to know how I can incorporate writing for percussive instruments into my songs. I also wish I could play classical pieces by Chopin on the piano, but apparently my fingers aren’t that cooperative,” she jokes.

Lopa has rendered backup vocals for AR Rahman on MTV Unplugged Season 6 and also for Music Mojo Season 5 in Kappa TV. “I learned so much about live studio recording when I sang for MTV, and it helped me later on when I did Music Mojo,” recalls Lopa. Ask her who inspires her and she is quick to say that it is her friends, who are also fellow musicians. “I see them working hard, waking up at 7 am and practising, setting up meetings, organising video shoots etc. Few of them work for Rahman sir, and it’s very inspiring to see the drive and passion that they have for music,” she says.   

Lopa who is currently working on the release of her debut album Mudra with 10 original compositions, says that she would want to keep it a suspense. Some day, Lopa would love to collaborate with Indian singer-songwriters like Kavya Trehan from Mosko, Easy Wanderlings and Komorebi. “I think it’s time we support our fellow singer songwriters in the Independent music scene,” she adds.

Catch Lopa Mudra live today from 7 pm onwards at Phoenix MarketCity. For details call 66513007