This musician goes global but sings local

CHENNAI : About six years ago, Kochi-based singer Charles Antony’s life took a serendipitous turn when he was invited to sing at an event where footballer Diego Maradona was present. The then small-time ‘hotel musician’ was stunned when Maradona joined him on stage and sang along — that became the defining moment in Charles’s life.

Ever since the incident, his life has taken him in the direction of name, fame and success. He’s now identified as ‘Charles Antony International solo performer’ for his ability to sing in 14-odd international languages including Spanish, Italian, French,  German, Mexican, Russian, African, Arabic, Japanese, Korean, Hebrew, Sinhalese, Indonesian and Malaysian. The musical genius will be in the city today and play at Anise, the all-day diner at Taj Coromandel, as part of the Christmas celebrations.  

“I worked in the hotel industry as a singer for almost 17 years. The initial days were a struggle, but I slogged hard. Then, six years ago came the moment that I was waiting for. Maradona and I sang the popular Spanish song ‘Besame Mucho’ in Kannur, and all of a sudden everyone’s attention was on me. Those four minutes changed my life,” recalls Charles, who has since then performed in every popular club in the country, for His Highness Prince Faisal of Saudi Arabia, the West Indies cricket team and Sachin Tendulkar.

He is also known for his extensive knowledge about English classics and has a wide repertoire of songs in his kitty. “In the last six years, I have been learning more foreign language songs and researching further on English classics to add to my repertoire. This sets me apart from my contemporaries,” shares the performer who also enjoys singing Hindi classics, Malayalam, Tamil, Goan and Bengali songs.

This, he says, is his style of engaging with the audience. “Anywhere I travel, I make it a point to perform at least one song in the local language. Apart from Christmas carols and songs that bring the Christmas spirit, I might even sing a  Tamil song today,” he says.

The 44-year-old set foot into the world of music when he was barely nine years old. He first learned to play the guitar when he was in class 4 and by the late 90s he started singing in hotels. In a previous interview, Charles was quoted saying, “...the pre-Internet days were a struggle.” The musician’s knowledge of foreign languages comes from meeting tourists, jotting down the lyrics, recording the tune and practising it. “I had a small tape recorder. I used to ask tourists to hum the tune of the songs and record it. They would write the lyrics in English and I’d learn it. They were kind enough to correct the errors,” he shares.

Charles is now one of the most sought-after performers. He recently learned Portuguese and says that he wants to learn unfamiliar languages. “Dutch is one language that’s next on my list. I would like to learn some classics in the language. The goal is to do more international shows,” he shares
(Charles Antony will perform today at Anise, Taj Coromandel from 7.30 pm)

Fourteen international  languages
Charles Antony can sing in 14-odd international languages. It is important for him to understand the meaning of the words before he renders it. “I don’t entirely know the nuances of all the languages. But, I always understand the meaning of words and lyrics of a foreign language song before I sing,” he explains.