Shashaa Tirupati and Sid Paul Return with Tamil Song ‘Po Irave’

Late last month, Indo-Canadian composer-singer Shashaa Tirupati teamed up with producer Sid Paul for his chill, aptly nocturnal new heartbreak song “Raat.” As a nod to his paternal roots, the duo crafted a Tamil version of the song “Po Irave,” which released today, coincidentally marking Paul’s birthday as well.

The wavy, R&B leaning track — which was originally written in 2018 and features Mumbai producer Nishant Nagar aka Khwaab on bass duties — has Tamil lyrics written by Mohan Rajan, who has worked in the South Indian film music industry for more than a decade. Paul says, “Over the time listening to the song, I felt it [“Raat”] can be expressed in Tamil, which is my mother tongue too, while also keeping Shashaa’s audience in mind.”

Tirupati has often recorded in several languages including Tamil and says all she needed was a “slow spoken pronunciation of the lyrics for precision” as she recorded from her home in Vancouver. She adds with a laugh, “It’s always an experience exploring new or unfamiliar vernaculars, although with Tamil, I feel I’ve progressed to standard II now. I’m keen on seeing which version audiences dig here. I’m torn between both.”

The lyric video for “Po Irave” brings to life a late night hang between the animated avatars of Tirupati and Paul, created by visual artists Ishana Aggarwal and Aashna Keswani. Watch below.