Ilaiyaraaja Pays Tribute to S.P. Balasubrahmanyam on Birth Anniversary
CHENNAI, India — Composer Ilaiyaraaja paid tribute Thursday to legendary playback singer S.P. Balasubrahmanyam on his birth anniversary, saying no singer understood a composer’s vision faster or brought greater focus to a song.
In a post on X, Ilaiyaraaja shared an audio clip reflecting on his friendship and musical partnership with Balasubrahmanyam, popularly known as SPB.
“No one understood a composer’s vision faster, and no one poured more focus into a song than SPB. Celebrating the life, friendship, and the unmatched achievement of 50,000 songs. Happy Birthday, SPB,” Ilaiyaraaja wrote.
In the audio clip, Ilaiyaraaja said Balasubrahmanyam’s death had left a deep void.
“Balu’s absence has created a vacuum in my heart. That is because there is no other voice equal to his. Even those voices that attempt to copy his voice aren’t singing correctly. His voice cannot be copied. How can his involvement be copied?” Ilaiyaraaja said.
The composer said Balasubrahmanyam’s emotional involvement in a song, his creative ability and his talent for reproducing a composition were qualities that could not be fully explained in words.
Ilaiyaraaja said most of the male songs in his music were sung by Balasubrahmanyam not because of his fame, but because of his talent, his ability to quickly understand a composition and his instinct for the emotion a song required.
“He will sing the song in a very focused manner and he will put more effort in to the song. Whatever expectations I had, he fulfilled. He is wonderful. More than that, he is my best friend. Apart from that he was an outstanding talent among the playback singers so far,” Ilaiyaraaja said.
He also described Balasubrahmanyam’s body of work as a historic achievement.
“Singing more than 50,000 songs is no ordinary thing. It is a very great achievement in the world of music. Nobody has achieved that achievement,” Ilaiyaraaja said.
Ilaiyaraaja said many singers had emerged over the years, but none had come close to Balasubrahmanyam’s contribution.
“Long live the fame of SPB,” he said. (Source: IANS)
