Rahul Nambiar
Encyclopedia
Rahul Nambiar is an India
n playback singer
and live performer. A MBA
and M.Com
-graduate, he won the Swapthaswarangal show in 2001 and began singing live. He later ventured into playback singing, performing for many leading South Indian film composers in various languages, while also launching an independent band named Rahlaap with bass player Aalap Raju
.
, Kerala and was brought up in Delhi and Chennai. He began learning music from a young age, becoming trained in Carnatic
and Hindustani music. After completing his MBA
and M.Com
, Rahul started working for two years in a bank, which he felt was too "monotonous", before performing at live shows with Sunitha Sarathy
. In 2001, he won the Sun TV
Sapthaswarangal contest, beating 3000 contestants, following which he decided to pursue a singing career. Rahul was introduced as a playback singer
by Vijay Antony
in the Tamil film Dishyum
.
In 2009, Rahul joined hands with his long time friend and Bass player Aalap Raju
to form a band named Rahlaap. The duo released their a self-titled album in Hindi
language based on "Music beyond genres", on which they had worked for four years. He is considered a versatile singer, having sung in various genres such as Western, Carnatic, light music and hip-hop. Rahul has performed more than 400 live shows around India and abroad, and over 350 songs for films, most prominent ones being Mani Sharma
's "Vasantha Mullai" (Pokkiri
), Yuvan Shankar Raja
's "Adada Mazhaida" (Paiyaa) which fetched him his first Filmfare
nomination for the Best Male Playback Singer Award
, and Thaman
's "Guruvaram" (Dookudu
), besides having lent his voice for several ad jingles.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n playback singer
Playback singer
A playback singer is a singer whose singing is prerecorded for use in movies. Playback singers record songs for soundtracks, and actors or actresses lip-sync the songs for cameras, while the actual singer does not appear on screen.-South Asia:...
and live performer. A MBA
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
and M.Com
Master of Commerce
Master of Commerce is a postgraduate Masters Degree focusing on commerce-, management- and economics-related subjects. Like the undergraduate Bachelor of Commerce, the degree is offered in Commonwealth nations.-Structure:The Master of Commerce typically requires one year of full-time study...
-graduate, he won the Swapthaswarangal show in 2001 and began singing live. He later ventured into playback singing, performing for many leading South Indian film composers in various languages, while also launching an independent band named Rahlaap with bass player Aalap Raju
Aalap Raju
Aalaap Raju is an Indian playback singer and a bass guitar player from Chennai, India. Been working with music directors like Harris Jayaraj, Ilaiyaraja, Thaman.S, Imman, Deepak Dev and Devan Ekambaram, his hits include "Engeyum Kaadhal" from Engeyum Kaadhal, "Ennamo Yedho" from Ko, "Anjana...
.
Career
Rahul hails from KannurKannur
Kannur , also known as Cannanore, is a city in Kannur district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the District of Kannur and 518km north of state capital Trivandrum. During British rule in India, Kannur was known by its old name Cannanore, which is still in...
, Kerala and was brought up in Delhi and Chennai. He began learning music from a young age, becoming trained in Carnatic
Carnatic music
Carnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, with its area roughly confined to four modern states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu...
and Hindustani music. After completing his MBA
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
and M.Com
Master of Commerce
Master of Commerce is a postgraduate Masters Degree focusing on commerce-, management- and economics-related subjects. Like the undergraduate Bachelor of Commerce, the degree is offered in Commonwealth nations.-Structure:The Master of Commerce typically requires one year of full-time study...
, Rahul started working for two years in a bank, which he felt was too "monotonous", before performing at live shows with Sunitha Sarathy
Sunitha Sarathy
Sunitha Sarathy is a vocalist and performer in both Indian and Western musical genres.She is winner of Channel [V]'s voice hunt.She debuted with Tamil song Yei Nee Romba Azhaga Irukke,singing along with singer Srinivas.-Career:...
. In 2001, he won the Sun TV
Sun TV (India)
Sun TV is a regional Indian cable television station. It is the flagship channel of the Chennai-based Sun Network. It was founded and currently owned by Kalanidhi Maran. It was the first fully privately owned television channel in India when it emerged in 1992...
Sapthaswarangal contest, beating 3000 contestants, following which he decided to pursue a singing career. Rahul was introduced as a playback singer
Playback singer
A playback singer is a singer whose singing is prerecorded for use in movies. Playback singers record songs for soundtracks, and actors or actresses lip-sync the songs for cameras, while the actual singer does not appear on screen.-South Asia:...
by Vijay Antony
Vijay Antony
-Biography and career:Antony first worked as a sound engineer, later becoming a music director. In 1998 he studied at Loyola College, Chennai after which he founded his own studio, 'Audiophiles', composing and sound engineering for TV jingles and documentaries. The soundtrack of the film Sukran,...
in the Tamil film Dishyum
Dishyum
Dishyum is a Tamil film directed by Sasi. The film stars Jeeva, Sandhya, Undapakru, Venkat Prabhu, Nassar and Anee Malavika. The film's score and soundtrack are composed by Vijay Antony of Sukran fame...
.
In 2009, Rahul joined hands with his long time friend and Bass player Aalap Raju
Aalap Raju
Aalaap Raju is an Indian playback singer and a bass guitar player from Chennai, India. Been working with music directors like Harris Jayaraj, Ilaiyaraja, Thaman.S, Imman, Deepak Dev and Devan Ekambaram, his hits include "Engeyum Kaadhal" from Engeyum Kaadhal, "Ennamo Yedho" from Ko, "Anjana...
to form a band named Rahlaap. The duo released their a self-titled album in Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
language based on "Music beyond genres", on which they had worked for four years. He is considered a versatile singer, having sung in various genres such as Western, Carnatic, light music and hip-hop. Rahul has performed more than 400 live shows around India and abroad, and over 350 songs for films, most prominent ones being Mani Sharma
Mani Sharma
Mani Sharma Yanamandra is a music director known for his works in Tollywood. He has composed music for over 140 films. He is popularly known as "Swara Brahma" for his contributions to music in Tollywood. Mani Sharma started his career as a music director in 1998. Before that Sharma used to work...
's "Vasantha Mullai" (Pokkiri
Pokkiri
Pokkiri is a 2007 Tamil action-thriller film directed by Prabhu Deva. The film stars Vijay and Asin with Prakash Raj, Nassar, Vadivelu, Sriman and Napoleon playing supporting roles. Mumaith Khan and Prabhu Deva make guest appearances. Nirav Shah handled cinematography while Kola Bhaskar was the...
), Yuvan Shankar Raja
Yuvan Shankar Raja
Yuvan Shankar Raja is an Indian film score and soundtrack composer, singer and occasional lyricist. He has predominantly scored music for Tamil as well as several Telugu films. His musical career began in 1996, at age 16, as he composed the film score for Aravindhan...
's "Adada Mazhaida" (Paiyaa) which fetched him his first Filmfare
Filmfare Awards South
Filmfare Awards South is the South Indian segment of the annual Filmfare Awards, presented by The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the South Indian film industry. The awards are separately given for Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films...
nomination for the Best Male Playback Singer Award
Filmfare Best Male Playback Award (Tamil)
The Tamil Filmfare Best Male Playback Award is given by the Filmfare magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Tamil films. The award was first presented in 2005 with Karthik as winner....
, and Thaman
Thaman
Thaman is an Indian music composer who works for Telugu and Tamil films. Despite debuting his film career as an actor in Shankar's Boys, he has since established himself as a prominent music director in the South Indian film industries....
's "Guruvaram" (Dookudu
Dookudu
Dookudu is a 2011 Telugu action comedy romantic film directed by Sreenu Vaitla and distributed by 14 Reels Entertainment. The ensemble cast, stars Mahesh Babu and Samantha. The film was released on September 23, 2011, with the largest worldwide opening for a Telugu film...
), besides having lent his voice for several ad jingles.