The new  ‘Vocal for Local’ band

HYDERABAD: The temperatures are dipping as we enter the last week of this year, on Christmas night, a new Telugu regional band Elyzium upped the temperature with their inaugural concert at an open-air upmarket eatery in Jubilee Hills. Sitting at tables set under beautiful temple trees, the audience couldn’t stop swaying and singing along with this five-member group as they belted one popular Telugu number after the other. The quintet launched Elyzium on October 1 and this was their first public performance. The band comprising lead vocalist Dinker, Sagar on drums, Charan on keyboard, Kaali on acoustic guitar and Rocky on Bass guitar created a fluid performance, with popular cover songs, both old and new. 

Dinker and Kaali broke away from the popular local band Capricio to start this band. They also released an original Telugu song, a peppy, swingy number Pretty Ponne, which was well-received by the appreciative crowd at Tabula Rasa.

“Elyzium means paradise and we would like to give a taste of the same to people through our music and performance,” said Dinker. He added, “We want to form a band that delights with utmost purity – to capture the essence of pure merriment we enjoy in life and play it for our audience.” 

How does it feel to break away from Band Capricio? Dinker who has been a part of the Telugu music industry since 2012 and lent his voice in over 200 songs says, “It feels very fresh now,” adding, “Our thoughts and efforts are now pointedly focused on our music and the relationship between all of us in the band.” 

After working hard on their band for the past three months, the members say they want to be a “multi-genre band with a great sound”. Dinker adds, “Our USP is that we are offering, the best of both worlds- new and old.” Their performance on Friday was a reflection of this mix. From old classics Telusa Manasa from Criminal, Botany Patamundi from Shiva to when they upped the tempo with Samajavaragamana from Ala Vaikuntapuramlo and Hoyna Hoyna from Gangleader, the capacity crowd just came alive.

Thrilled and excited after their debut performance, Kaali enthused, “We are so excited. There is definitely an adrenaline rush! We plan to come up with more of our own compositions.” Shravan Kumar Juvvadi, founder and owner, Tabula Rasa, encourages local bands and lets them perform at his restaurant. He said, “We take pride in what we stand for, to introduce regional music in the city. We have brought together various artists and supported them to form bands to establish a stronghold in city’s nightlife.” Elyzium promises to regale us with more concerts in 2021.

— Tamanna S Mehdi
 tamanna@newindianexpress.com
 @tamannamehdi