Whenever there has been a song in his heart, Pradip Somasundaran has let it out. If not on the screen or a stage, in the virtual world, where a singer is born and never dies. Pradip is one of the few singers who have succeeded in using the online tool to the best of his singing career, foraying into a world where very few have set examples and exploring music that transcends all boundaries.Remember Pradip? The tall, grave-looking guy from Kerala who had hummed his way in meticulous Hindi to the minds of Indians hooked to television’s first music reality show ‘Meri Awaaz Suno’. Wondering why this singer is not on the sets of any reality show judging new voices? Pradip is busy in his own musical world, setting new records as an online singer, experimenting with audio blogs, music platforms and music websites, collaborating with musicians across the globe having not met many of them personally, making new friends, releasing albums both online and off the net. Talking to Pradip would make one feel suddenly ignorant of a possible world on the computer screen in front of you. “Possibilities are such that you can sell your own music today without any middlemen,” says Pradip who is not just a singer but also the Principal of Government College of Applied Science, Vadakkenchery.A computer-buff, it was natural for the singer in him to explore the chances of creating music online. He was introduced to blogging by a friend, Joseph Thomas. “The internet was just blooming and social networking happening. Lots of talented amateurs got the opportunity to let their voices be heard through the medium of internet and audio blogging. I learnt computerised audio recording in its early days which helped me create, record and advertise my music in the digital world,” he says.Pradip is always ready for a song, for his vocal cords are in shape, thanks to audio blogging. He says that the seeds of his first Malayalam album ‘Mazhanritham’ which got released few months back happened because of his online ventures. It was here in the virtual world that he met actor Manoj K Jayan, who sang in his album, and Sohanlal, who penned the lyrics. It was a comment by composer Sandeep Chowta (‘Satya’, ‘Mast’ and ‘Company’ fame) in his audio blog that led to an intimate friendship between the two. “I submitted my songs online to his site, he rang me up and promised me that I would be working with him soon. Coincidentally he was the one who brought Sunidhi Chauhan into the limelight in Bollywood with ‘Mast’. Since then, I have worked for two big budget films with him in Telugu- ‘Bujjigadu made in Chennai’ in 2008 and ‘Saleem’ in 2010. The songs were big hits,” Pradip recollects. Pradip was also part of the first online music album Blog-Swara which was a result of the hard work of extremely talented audio bloggers from all around the world.Pradip is a contract singer for artistaloud.com where you can spot three of his original music for marketing. He has also collaborated with musicians from across the globe to sing on AIDS awareness, on the platform of hungama.com.The online-enthusiast that he is, Pradip is well aware of its shortcomings too. “Be it online music or otherwise, the pirated version appears online on thousands of sites. This has discouraged the audio industry tremendously and has affected the prospects of potential entrepreneurs in the industry. Everyone wants free music these days,” Pradip chips in. Born in Nelluvaya in Thrissur, Pradip took to classical music at the age of 13. It was in 1996 that ‘Meri Awaaz Suno’ happened. Singing before legends like Lata Mangeshkar, Pandit Jasraj, Mannadey and Bhupen Hazarika remains one of his cherished memories. However, the dream to sing in one of Yash Chopra’s films still remains unfulfilled.Pradip has little regard for the kind of reality shows happening now. “They have become ways to exploit singers and their parents who are looking for quick fame and money. They burn out young talents before they establish themselves. The TV channels, judges, sponsors and the mobile companies are those who actually gain. Such shows have now degraded to become a way for retired singers/music directors to earn daily bread and butter,” he says.Pradip lives in Thrissur with his family - wife Renjini, children Aiswarya and Aswin. His only goal is to keep making good music and to keep learning more classical music. “Classical music is the only form of music that you can continue to perform on stage even at the age of 85,” he says. Pradip’s website is www.pradipsomasundaran.com and his blog: Pradip Ki Awaz Suno.
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