Hear Vinod Krishnan Turn to R&B on ‘Kandapadi Kaadhali’

Minnesota-based, Chennai-bred singer, pianist and composer Vinod Krishnan – currently the creative director for music at widely followed art platform IndianRaga – has written songs in Hindi and Tamil, amongst other languages but this time R&B has been on his mind.

The artist’s latest single “Kandapadi Kaadhali” features Krishnan singing in Tamil and English, over tender electronic beats and percussion, plus acoustic guitar lines.  “This song let me step out of my comfort zone and play with R&B,” says Krishnan. He adds, “It’s liberating how you can be absolutely rooted in timeless cultural values, and yet be globally relevant and enterprising, and to be all of this needn’t be conflicting.” He’s specifically referring to how the song was also influenced by master composer A.R. Rahman’s work on films such as Delhi 6 and Maryan. Krishnan says, “Growing up with ARR’s music, genres no longer seemed mutually exclusive. I felt one needn’t have to pick just one particular genre all the time.”

The song about unconditional love clocks in at just about three minutes, as Krishnan crafts layers of bilingual vocals, synths and more. Previously the composer took a Western classical string orchestra piece “Palladio” (1995) and turned it into “Anthem for the Soul,” an emphatic track that played up Krishnan’s Carnatic composing prowess.

Listen to “Kandapadi Kaadhali” below. Stream on Spotify here.

https://soundcloud.com/vinodsmusic/kandapadi-kaadhali/