Srinivasan Doraiswamy, known by his stage name Srinivas, is an Indian playback

singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

who has sung over 2000 songs in

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 2 ...

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

and

Hindi Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

. He has also worked independently as a

music composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Def ...

, working on films and private albums.

Early life

Singer Srinivas was born On 7 November in Ambasamudram in

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...

. He was born to Duraiswamy Iyengar and Lakshmi. He learnt Carnatic music from his aunt Padma Narayanan. The great Carnatic stalwarts of the 60s influenced his early days. After which Hindi film music chiefly that of Kishore Kumar & R.D.Burman deeply influenced him in his childhood days.(Later on it was the ghazals of Mehdi Hassan which redefined his singing) He completed his

BTech A Bachelor of Technology (Latin ''Baccalaureus Technologiae'', commonly abbreviated as B.Tech. or BTech; with honours as B.Tech. (Hons.)) is an undergraduate academic degree conferred after the completion of a three to five-year program of studi ...

in Dyestuffs And Intermediate Technology from University Department of Chemical Technology of

University of Bombay The University of Mumbai is a collegiate, state-owned, public research university in Mumbai. The University of Mumbai is one of the largest universities in the world. , the university had 711 affiliated colleges. Ratan Tata is the appointed ...

; during which he represented his university in youth festivals. After pursuing his career as a chemical engineer and a marketing professional for ten years, he decided to follow his passion for music. He studied in Kerala and was coached in Carnatic music by his aunt.

Career

In 1988, Srinivas approached music director Ilaiyaraaja, who was at the helm of Tamil film music. He was offered the opportunity to work with Ilaiyaraaja, but things did not work out, as he was suffering from severe throat infection that day. In 1992, the soundtrack of

Mani Ratnam Gopala Ratnam Subramaniam (born 2 June 1956), known professionally as Mani Ratnam, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema and few Hindi, Telugu and Kannada films. Ratnam has won six ...

's Tamil film '' Roja'' reignited his dreams of playback singing.

introduced composer

A. R. Rahman Allah Rakha Rahman (; born A. S. Dileep Kumar; 6 January 1967) is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer and songwriter, popular for his works in Indian cinema; predominantly in Tamil and Hindi films, with occasional forays in int ...

with this movie, who then went on to change the music scene in the whole Indian film industry. Encouraged by the use of fresh voices in '' Roja'', Srinivas approached Rahman. Rahman took a liking to his rendition of Mehdi Hassan's ghazals and offered him work at Chennai. In 1994, Srinivas shifted base to madras and started lending his voice to advertisement jingles and devotional albums. His first foray into playback singing began with the song "Sorgam Enbathu Namakku" with Swarnalatha from the movie ''

Nammavar ''Nammavar'' () is a 1994 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by K. S. Sethumadhavan and produced by B. Venkatarama Reddy. The film stars Kamal Haasan and Gautami, while Nagesh, Senthil, Kovai Sarala, Srividya and Karan play supporting r ...

'', acted by Kamal Haasan. Music was composed by late Mahesh. It went on to become a runaway hit. Only in 1996 he did gain recognition with the song "Maana Madurai" from A. R. Rahman's ''

Minsaara Kanavu ''Minsara Kanavu'' () is a 1997 Indian Tamil-language musical romantic drama film that was co-written and directed by Rajiv Menon. The film stars Arvind Swamy, Prabhu Deva, and Kajol in her Tamil debut, and revolves around Priya (Kajol), a con ...

''. Then came " En Uyire" in

's ''Uyire..'' (the Tamil version of '' Dil Se..''). This Rahman composition catapulted Srinivas into fame. Srinivas has sung for leading music directors like A. R. Rahman, Ilaiyaraaja, Deva, Vidyasagar,

Bharadwaj Bharadwaj ( hi, भारद्वाज) is a surname mostly used by Brahmins. Notable people with the surname include: * Abhay Bharadwaj (1954–2020), Indian advocate turned politician *Anasuya Bharadwaj (born 1982), Indian television presenter ...

, and in languages like Tamil, Malayalam, etc. He has made a foray into music direction through the Tamil movie

Yai Nee Romba Azhaga Irukey ''Yai! Nee Romba Azhaga Irukey!'' () is a 2002 Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language romantic musical film written and directed by Vasanth. Starring Shaam (actor), Shaam, Sneha (actress), Sneha, Rajiv Krishna and Jaya Re.The film narrates the s ...

, in which he was one among the five music directors. His composition "Ini Naanum naanillai" in that film is a major hit. His famous albums include ''Ussele Ussele'' and ''Paarvai''. Also he has worked as a co-composer to Praveen Mani for ''Little John''. He has composed music for Two Malayalam films titled '' Seetha Kalyanam'' & Train. The playback singer from the south cut his first private album in Hindi titled ''Yeh Duniya Sab Ki''. His other hits in Hindi include "Kaisi Hai Yeh" from ''

Dil Chahta Hai ''Dil Chahta Hai'' () is a 2001 Indian Hindi-language coming-of-age comedy drama film written and directed by Farhan Akhtar. It was produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and released under the banner of Excel Entertainment (which Akhtar and Sidhwani ...

'' and "Zindagi" from the film ''

Yuvvraaj ''Yuvvraaj'' () is a 2008 Indian drama film directed and produced by Subhash Ghai. The film stars Anil Kapoor, Salman Khan, Zayed Khan, Katrina Kaif and Boman Irani. ''Yuvvraaj'' is a musical story of a fragmented family of three brothers who t ...

''. Srinivas is a close associate to A. R. Rahman from the very first day they got introduced. On working with Rahman, he says,

"There can be only one Rahman. Two years ago, he called me out of the blue to supervise his recordings. I consider it an honour. Earlier, he would be there to monitor every single take. I sometimes wonder if I can match his perfection standards," and adds, "He's at lightning speed when it comes to creativity and innovations. There are times when he compliments me and nothing feels as good as that. For me, it's like an award."

He was a judge on '' Airtel Super Singer'', aired in

Vijay TV Star Vijay is an Indian Tamil language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Disney Star (formerly Star India), a subsidiary of Asianet Star Communications. The channel's headquarters is in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Star Vijay chang ...

along with Sujatha and

P. Unnikrishnan Parakkal Unnikrishnan (born 9 July 1966) is an Indian Carnatic vocalist and playback singer. Early life and background Unnikrishnan was born to K. Radhakrishnan and Dr. Harini Radhakrishnan in Palakkad, Kerala. The family home, Kesari Kutee ...

. In 2010, he released an album: ''Timeless Classics by Srinivas''. This was a tribute to Mehdi Hassan and included major ghazals of him sung by Srinivas. It was released on Saregama and was launched by A. R. Rahman. In May 2011, he composed music for

Jayaraj Jayarajan Rajasekharan Nair, professionally credited as Jayaraj, is an Indian filmmaker, who predominantly works in Malayalam film industry. He has won many awards, including Crystal Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival, the Golden ...

's Mammootty-starrer thriller '' The Train''. In 2013, he composed music for the Tamil film 'Kangaroo'. He was also judging a famous music reality show named Josco Indian Voice, telecasted in

Mazhavil Manorama Mazhavil Manorama is an Indian Free-to-air Malayalam general entertainment television channel operated and owned by Malayala Manorama Television (MMTV), the publisher of the widely circulated ''Malayalam Manorama'' daily, and the Malayalam wom ...

alongside Sujatha and

Sharreth Sujith Vasudevan I (born 3 October 1969), professionally credited as Sharreth, is an Indian music director and singer. He predominantly composes film scores and songs for Malayalam films, but has gone on to compose for Tamil, Telugu and Hindi fil ...

. He worked on a private album named 'Siragadippen', which featured top musicians such as M.S Viswanathan, SPB, Shankar Mahadevan and himself. As of 2013 and 2014, his discography boasts of back to back hits from Superstar Rajinikanth's movies,

Kochadaiiyaan ''Kochadaiiyaan: The Legend'' () is a 2014 Indian Tamil-language 3D animated action film written by K. S. Ravikumar and directed by Soundarya Rajinikanth. It is India's first photorealistic motion capture film, featuring characters whose de ...

and

Lingaa ''Lingaa'' is a 2014 Indian Tamil-language action drama film written and directed by K. S. Ravikumar, based on a story by Pon Kumaran, and produced by Rockline Venkatesh under Rockline Entertainments. It stars Rajinikanth, Anushka Shetty, ...

. Kochadaiiyaan had him croon 'Idhayam', a pathos song and 'En Mannava', a romantic duet from Lingaa. His song 'Parakkiren Naan' for the

Vijay Sethupathi Vijaya Gurunatha Sethupathi (born 16 January 1978), known professionally as Vijay Sethupathi, is an Indian actor and film producer who predominantly works in Tamil films. He is a recipient of several accolades including a National Film Award. Fo ...

starrer Mellisai was released in 2015, which had music by Sam CS. in 2016, Srinivas released his single, 'Adadadadadaa Kadhaippoma', a song saluting the spirit of Tamils across the world. With lyrics by esteemed composer

Ramesh Vinayakam Ramesh Vinayakam (born 7 July 1963) is an Indian composer, arranger, singer, songwriter, music producer. Early life Ramesh Vinayakam was born Ramasubramaniam (AKA Ramsubbu) to Tamil parents Vinayakam and Valli. He went to A. M. Jain College an ...

, it was extremely well received and garnered a lot of praise. He also composed a single for Doopadoo titled 'Kozhai', with his daughter

Sharanya Srinivas Sharanya Srinivas (born 3 January 1991) is an Indian vocalist who has notably worked in Tamil films as a playback singer. She is the daughter of prominent singer Srinivas. Career She then went on to complete her secondary education and chos ...

on the vocals. It had thought provoking lyrics by Madhan Karky.

Awards

Tamil Nadu Government Government of Tamil Nadu is the subnational government for the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is seated at Fort St George, Chennai. The legislature of Tamil Nadu was bicameral until 1986, when it was replaced by a unicameral legislature, lik ...

Kalaimamani The Kalaimamani is the highest civilian award in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. These awards are given by the ''Tamil Nadu Iyal Isai Nataka Mandram'' (literature, music and theatre), a unit of the Directorate of Art and Culture, Government of ...

Kerala state film awards

* Best Male Singer - Rathri Mazha

Tamil Nadu State Film Awards Tamil Nadu State Film Awards were given for excellence in Tamil cinema in India. They were given annually to honour the best talents and provide encouragement and incentive to the South Indian film industry by the Government of Tamil Nadu. The aw ...

* Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Male Playback -

Padayappa ''Padayappa'' is a 1999 Indian Tamil-language masala film written and directed by K. S. Ravikumar. It stars Sivaji Ganesan, Rajinikanth, Ramya Krishnan and Soundarya with Abbas, Lakshmi, Radha Ravi and Nassar playing supporting roles. The ...

and

Onbadhu Roobai Nottu ''Onbadhu Roobai Nottu'' () is a 2007 Tamil-language drama film directed by Thangar Bachan, based on Bachan's own same-titled novel. It depicts the tragic life and fall of Madhava Padayachi, a simple villager, played by Sathyaraj, and his famil ...

Vijay Television Awards The Vijay Television Awards are an awards ceremony held to honour the cast and crew of Tamil soap operas and other shows which air on Vijay TV. This is the second time in the Tamil television industry where awards are given for performances i ...

*2017 - Vijay Television Awards for Favourite Judge Male His song ‘Minsara Poove’ in ‘Padayappa’ won him the Tamil Nadu Government's Award for the best Playback Singer . He won the Tamil Nadu state award again in 2008 for the song 'Margazhiyil' composed by Bharadwaj. He won the Cinema Express Award twice, the Dinakaran Award once, and the Film Fans Award twice for the best singer. He was also awarded the best playback singer at the International Tamil Film Awards held at Malaysia for the song ‘Apple Penne’ from Roja Kootam. He was conferred with the Kalaimamani Title by the Government of Tamil Nadu in 2006, and Kerala State Award for the song ‘Baansuri’ from the movie ‘Rathri mazha’ . In Hindi films, he won the A.V Max Award for the best playback singer for his splendid rendering of the song ‘Kaisi He Yeh Rut’ from ‘Dil Chahta Hai’.

Discography

Malayalam Discography (Selected Songs)

Tamil Discography (Selected Songs)

Telugu Discography

Kannada Discography (Selected Songs)

As music composer

;Television * 2005 ''En Thozhi En Kadhali En Manaivi'' * 2022 ''Ethirneechal'' ;Films

Onscreen appearances

Television

Be it '' Vijay Television '' Super singer or ''

Zee Tamil Zee Tamil is an Indian Tamil language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. The channel started broadcasting on 2008 and is available internationally. The channel broadcasts from Guindy, Chennai, ...

'' Saregamapa, with his outspoken comments and the continuous support and encouragement for the contestants throughout the season makes him one of the most favourite judges in the reality shows of Tamil Nadu.

As a judge

;Tamil *2006:

Airtel Super Singer 2006 Airtel Super Singer 2006 - ''Thamizhagathil Brahmaanda Kuralukkaana Thedal'', the first season of the Airtel Super Singer show and Vijay TV's Super Singer series, was a reality TV singing competition in the Tamil language that aired on Vijay ...

*2008-2009:

Airtel Super Singer 2008 ''Airtel Super Singer 2'', the second season of the music competition reality show Airtel Super Singer, premiered on 7 July 2008. Judges for the show were Sujatha, P. Unnikrishnan and Srinivas. Chinmayi was the host of the show until January ...

*2010-2011:

Airtel Super Singer 3 ''Airtel Super Singer 3'' - ''Thamizhagathil Brahmaanda Kuralukkaana Thedal - Immurai Ulaga Alavil'', the third season of the Airtel Super Singer show, was a reality-based Indian singing competition in Tamil language that aired on Vijay TV. I ...

*2014:

Airtel Super Singer 4 ''Airtel Super Singer 4'', the fourth season of Airtel Super Singer, premiered on 4 February 2013. The show was a reality-based Indian singing competition in Tamil that aired on STAR Vijay. It was designed to be a talent hunt to find the bes ...

*2015-2016:

Airtel Super Singer 5 ''Nippon Paint Super Singer 5'' - ''Thamizhagathil Brahmaanda Kuralukkaana Thedal'', the fifth season of the Airtel Super Singer show, is a reality-based Indian singing competition in Tamil language that aired on Vijay TV. It was designed to ...

*2017-2018: Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Seniors *2019: Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Seniors 2 *2021: Rockstar (Indian TV series) ;Malayalam *2010: Gandharvasangeetham *2011-2012: Indian Voice *2013: Indian Voice season 2 *2019: Top Singer Season 1

Personal life

He marriedSujatha Narayanan on 20 April 1990 at Dharmaprakash Kalyana Mandapam in Purasaiwakkam. He has two daughters

and Sunanda Srinivas.

References

External links

*
About Srinivas

{{DEFAULTSORT:Srinivas 1959 births Living people Malayalam playback singers Indian male playback singers Kerala State Film Award winners Tamil playback singers Singers from Thiruvananthapuram Tamil musicians Kannada playback singers Tamil Nadu State Film Awards winners Bollywood playback singers Filmfare Awards South winners International Tamil Film Award winners Film musicians from Kerala 20th-century Indian singers People from Tirunelveli district 21st-century Indian singers 20th-century Indian male singers 21st-century Indian male singers Institute of Chemical Technology alumni