Rumour Has It
The story of a church-bred Indian American teenager who made Adeles songs her own and has become a sensation on the American talent show The Voice.
The story of a church-bred Indian American teenager who made Adeles songs her own and has become a sensation on the American talent show The Voice.
Adeles massive hit Rumor has it is likely to make a star of an Indian American teenager who goes by the single name of Mathai. Eighteen-year-old Mathai earned rave reviews after belting out Adeles hit track last month on The Voice,a singing contest on NBC thats challenging the long-running American Idol in the US. We are looking at a star, said judge and vocal coach Blake Shelton,a country musician. You owned everything you were doing, added Adam Levine,front man for the band Maroon 5. Christina Aguilera gave her a thumbs up.
For all the accolades and a potentially rewarding music career,the teenager has a firm grasp on her roots. She has dropped her first name Sharon and sticks with her surname Mathai for the stage because she wants to assert her Indian identity. She says,It just shows who I am,my culture,where I come from and I definitely want to highlight that.
Mathai is the daughter of Indian immigrants Samuel and Elsa Mathai,who are originally from Kerala. They moved to the US in 1991,living in New York for 11 years,and then moving to Dallas,Texas 10 years ago. The Mathais knew their daughter could carry a tune,having noticed her talent when she was three years old and getting her a voice tutor at a young age. But they were as amazed as the judges by her performance on The Voice. We know shes a good singer,but,wow,this is big, says her father.
Several commentators have raved about her unusual voice,and the ease with which she covered Adele,even modifying the song to suit her style. Mathai attributes this to years of singing in church,which gave her the confidence to sing before crowds. She took jazz voice lessons until she was about 10 years old,and then opera and choral lessons in high school. Now she is taking guitar lessons and also messing with the ukulele. Last August,Mathai cleared the cattle call audition for the show,which drew over 40,000 aspirants. After making it to a shortlist of 125,she is currently in a group of 48 contestants,from which a final winner will be chosen.
Shes not even a particularly devoted fan of Adeles,Mathai says. But after hearing the song during a random YouTube surfing session,she decided to sing it at the blind audition of The Voice,where the judges make their choice based solely on hearing the contestants,without knowing who they are. I just loved it its sassy and fun,and I thought it would be a really good song as it would not only show my vocal stuff but also be a crowd-pleaser,something that everyone could clap to,cheer for, says Mathai. While her family is based in Dallas,Mathai recently moved to Atlanta alone to pursue opportunities in music. She has also put her education on hold,her chosen field of medicine taking a back seat to music for now. I still love medicine so much and I would love to finish school but I know right now its music. Im going to let the show progress and see what happens and then,hopefully,this will lead to a career, she says.
Coming from an Indian family,however,her sabbatical was tied up with a promise. As her father says,Obviously,that has been a concern for us. But then she has also given us the assurance that shell definitely go back to school. Mathais elder brother David is already studying to become a doctor. Her father is a psychiatrist and her mother a nurse. Her parents were also concerned about a career in entertainment. Mathais favourite singer,for instance,is Amy Winehouse,hardly an encouraging role model,given how a toxic mix of drugs and drink ended her life when she was 27. But Mathais parents are convinced she has her feet firmly on the ground. Her father says,Shes got her values and I think weve trained her well.
Mathai says she only listened to Christian music till class VII. It was only in her teens that she started listening to music on secular radio stations. What does she listen to now? Most of the music she likes is Western, says her father,like jazz,pop and,you know,Ramp;B. I dont really listen to Ramp;B,Dad, pipes up Mathai,adding cheerfully,My parents have no clue what kind of music I listen to. She has a clear idea,however,of the kind of music she wants to perform. Last year,Mathai signed with a manager in Atlanta,Stone Stafford of Burke Stone Entertainment. Stafford first heard her perform at a music conference in Orlando,where she stuck out like a bright star. Describing her music as jazz influenced,theres a little bluesiness there,some soulfulness in there,a little folk,a blend of all those. Stafford says they hope to keep Mathais music pure,simple,melodic and organic.
Mathai is also writing her own material,there was also a record deal in the offing,but Stafford says everything will be on hold during The Voice. The current season will end when it picks a winner in early May. After that,he wants to pursue all options,including record deals,television,film and endorsements.
Id love for her to do as much as she can in India as well, says Stafford,who is now discovering terms like bhangra. Mathai also wants to implement Indian influences in her music. While she has no formal training in Indian music and has spent all her life in the US,Mathais connections to India are strong. She visits India with her family every couple of years; she understands her native language Malayalam; her cousins back in India have been following her success online; she is a big fan of AR Rahman; and she loves sarees.
Fashion is a big part of her life,but one that shes ready to share with her parents. Their jaws drop sometimes and theyre like why are you wearing that? But we compromise and if they really dont like something I wont wear it, says Mathai,who describes her parents as super conservative Christians from Kerala. She calls herself very conservative as well,saying the outfit of high-waisted shorts and camisole blouse she wore for Rumor has it was about as bold as she was going to get.
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