Exclusive Premiere: Kelvikkuri’s Emphatic Debut Song ‘Nangooram’

An entire octet of young musicians in Bengaluru, Kelvikkuri have been taking over stages in the city to packed houses for just about a couple of years now. Formed as a college band – some of the eight members are still studying – Kelvikkuri’s multi-genre approach has also led to an interesting choice of covers, from Sonu Nigam to Shadow & Light.

The band says over a collective email interview, “Live shows are our life blood for sure, getting to see laughter and stank faces in the crowd and spending a night vibing.” While covers are one way to get their audiences in the groove, Kelvikkuri have also been writing and performing their own music from the start and the very first composition, “Nangooram,” is out today. “Recording music independently has had its ups and down, and it’s been so much fun for us learning the ropes of that side of the art,” the band says.

The Tamil song talks about humanity and home, inspired by Bengaluru-based classical musician Praveen D. Rao’s song “Jog Falls.” Featuring prog-fusion turns (courtesy bassist Dhananjay Venkatesh and drummer Ujwal K.S.) and informed by upbeat jazz movements, vocalists Ananya Raja and Ranjani Ramadoss scale dizzying heights on the track, with the band switching things up throughout the six-minute track. Keyboardist Allan Varghese Thomas brings in a chill piano bridge as well as soaring synth, aided by fretplay and guitar noodling from Chlipher Christopher, Amit Nayak (mandolin) and Sanju Alex.

Ramadoss tells us that the track’s lyrics were born out of her upbringing in Chennai and living away in Bengaluru. She adds, “The lyrics talk about just thinking of ‘home’ – a place, a person, a community – as a link between you and the world. Your anchor, if you will. And that’s the title.” In present times where the idea of home and one’s origins have often been brought into public discourse, “Nangooram” even addresses other specific issues. Ramadoss says. “The line ‘Neer pola, tholaivil, uyire’ is a reference to water stress. That affects not only my hometown but many parts of the world. I think all of us in the band were and still are being affected by the environmental crisis unfolding.”

With the first song out, Kelvikkuri are working on more studio material and content. The band adds to the list, “Bigger shows and a hopefully lot of love from us to the Earth and all its life.”

Stream “Nangooram” below.