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The connection between maestro AR Rahman and legendary playback singer SP Balasubrahmanyam, who would have celebrated his 77th birthday on June 4 if he were still with us, was a unique and cherished one. From the very moment they embarked on their creative journey in 1992, giving birth to the timeless masterpiece “Kaadhal Rojave,” audiences were consistently blessed with the sublime synergy they shared. However, the untimely passing of SP Balasubrahmanyam in 2020 marked the end of their magnificent collaboration, leaving a void in the hearts of music lovers everywhere.
The duo has blessed their fans with timeless songs, ranging from “Anjali Anjali” and “Kathalikkum Penin Kaikal” to “Balleilakka”, “Oruvan Oruvan”, “Thanga Thamarai”, and “Sakkarai”. Their songs such as “Puthiya Manidha”, “En Kaadhale”, and “En Veettu Thottathil” too have left a lasting impression. Even the duo’s live concerts have consistently attracted admirers.
However, the two geniuses couldn’t materialise the last concert they planned together. Though the duo had extended discussions about it, SPB’s untimely departure left the dream unfulfilled.
“In January (2020), I saw a recording of him singing ‘En Kadhale’ and it sounded just the same. After seeing the recording, I called him and said, ‘Why don’t we take songs that you have not sung for me, of the past 10 years, and do an unplugged version?’ He was very excited. We almost planned the recording and even the arrangement was fixed and that’s when Covid-19 happened. We thought prayers were going to help him. There’s no use brooding over his loss, we should celebrate him,” Rahman had told The Hindu with a lump in his throat.
“SPB was a superman. 40,000 is almost 1,000 people’s bandwidth. Some people do just 20 songs in their lifetime. But, he succeeds every time. He was amazing in every way,” he added.
“My entire five years in the Telugu industry was just waiting for SPB. He almost sang every song (that the industry was producing). I used to go to the respective studios at 7 am, set up my equipment, and rehearse everything. At 12 o’clock we’ll be waiting. (If we ask someone) what happened? (They will say) SPB has to come, he is singing for Ilaiyaraaja. He’ll finish that, come at 12.45 pm and learn our song in 10 minutes or so. Finish recording it by 1.15 and then boom, he’s gone. This was what I watched every day,” Rahman said recalling his initial days of working with SPB as a technician.
SP Balasubrahmanyam passed away at the age of 74 on September 25, 2020, following coronavirus complications. SPB was tested positive for Covid-19 in the first week of August. He was later shifted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of MGM Healthcare in Chennai after his condition deteriorated. He remained on ventilator and ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) support till his last breath.
Widely regarded as one of the finest male playback singers with a 50-year-long career, SPB transcended barriers by singing in 16 languages, including Hindi, Telugu, Kannada and Tamil among others.
From MG Ramachandran, Sivaji Ganesan, Gemini Ganesan to Kamal Hassan, Mohan and a slew of actors in the present day, SP Balasubrahmanyam’s voice was a fixture for all of them. That he held the Guinness Book of World Record for singing the highest number of songs ever (40,000 songs) was just another feather in his cap.
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