Page 39 - Seniorstoday May 2022 Issue

Uthup’s unique contralto was a sharp sang because my aunt told me to give it a
contrast to the other female voices one
heard in popular Hindi film hits, and the
way she interacted with the audience made
her special. At Nine Gems in Chennai, she
made her first huge impression with her
rendition of ‘Fever’. The owner Yashwant
Vikamsi was thrilled with her performance,
and offered her a weekly slot. That time,
she had worn a “green and yellow saree and
blouse, ruby-like vermillion/ sindoor on the
forehead and light green bangles”.
After her initial stints in Nine Gems,
Chennai, and Talk Of The Town, Mumbai,
she received an offer to sing at the famous
Trincas nightspot on Park Street, Kolkata.
The year was 1969, and that was to be one
of the highlights of her career. Though the
neighborhood venue Blue Fox drew packed
houses with shows by jazz artistes Louiz
Banks, Pam Crain and Braz Gonsalves,
Usha had her own fan following at Trincas,
with her rendition of Jose Feliciano’s ‘Rain’
becoming a rage. Ever since, her live shows
have been hugely popular, though she also
had remarkable success singing advertising
jingles, and had a string of Hindi film hits in
the early 1980s.
What made Uthup such a popular live
artiste? In an interview to this writer, she
says, “When I started singing all those years
ago, I had no plans to make it my career. I
SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #35 | MAY 2022
try, but I soon realised people liked what I
was doing. I also noticed that people react to
a certain melody and certain phrase, which
often ignites a wonderful memory. If you
touch people’s hearts with such melodies,
you know they will like your shows.”
Uthup points out that her main effort is to
communicate. She says, “To me, music is a
means of communication. The song is a part
of it. The other part is to make the audience
respond. It strikes a connect, and that
applause gives the artiste a thrill. In fact, the
kind of adrenaline one gets after a successful
show is much more than what all the single
malts can offer”.
Though some critics complained that she
sang to the gallery, Usha said her main aim
was to keep the audience happy. “They come
to unwind, to have a good time. So I would
try to gauge their taste early in the show and
sing according to their mood. It could be Ella
Fitzgerald, Barbra Streisand or even ‘Where
Do I Begin’ from Love Story”.
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