Legendary playback singer S. Janaki is no more. Indian music has lost one of its greatest voices. With her expressive vocals and unparalleled versatility, she has mesmerized listeners for more than six decades.
Janaki’s voice has brought life to thousands of Hindi songs in different languages, from soulful melodies to soulful folk songs.
Her versatility to suit each character’s singing has made her one of the most respected playback singers in the industry. She has many accomplishments under her belt, but one rare feat still amazes music fans to this day.
S. Janaki’s rare record of singing three voices in one song
One of the best examples of Janaki’s exceptional talent was in the 1994 Tamil film ‘Magalir Mattum’, where she sang for three lead actresses, Revathi, Urvashi and Rohini, in three very different vocal styles for one song.
Janaki did not sing in her natural voice all the time but changed her accent and pronunciation to perfectly suit each character’s personality. Revathi gave a contemporary and stylish sound, used a Brahmin dialect for Urvashi, and switched to graceful Chennai vernacular for Rohini.
Written by lyricist Vaali and composed by Ilaiyaraaja, the song remains a classic example of her ability to change her sound without losing musical perfection.
A singer can become any character
S. Janaki did not limit himself to singing in a female voice only. She has sung with ease to little girls, little boys, old ladies, and to male characters when the song needed it all throughout her career. This rare flexibility sets her apart from all other playback singers of her generation. She has sung more than 48,000 songs in around 17 languages, such as Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi, Sanskrit, Urdu and Sinhala. Her voice transcended the language barrier, and her expressive face attracted people across the country.
S Janaki The extraordinary legacy will live on forever
From MS Viswanathan & Ilaiyaraaja to AR Rahman, every major Indian composer has found in S. Janaki a singer of exceptional talent and given her unforgettable songs. She also composed music and wrote lyrics for devotional albums, proving that her creativity was not limited to re-singing. But her feat of creating three distinct voices in one song in Magalir Mattum is one of the rarest feats of Indian cinema. It always serves as a constant reminder that S.
Janaki was not just a singer, she was a true vocal artist, and her legacy will serve as an inspiration to generations of musicians and music lovers.
