Suchitra Pillai’s ‘Yaara’ Gets a Revamp with Samiir

Singer, actor and emcee Suchitra Pillai returns with new music (sort of) with a revamped version of her song “Yaara,” with singer-producer Samiir and composer Ashish Painoli.

The song was originally penned by Pillai in 2004. “I’d written it for my future husband, Lars Kjeldsen. He didn’t understand what it was all about, so I had to explain it to him,” Pillai says over the phone and laughs.

“Yaara” made it to her 2011 album Such Is Life, but it took another journey when singer-producer and lyricist Samiir came across the song while working with Pillai on her other projects. Samiir told her “Yaara” was a beautiful song that “was just sitting there” and suggested they revamp it. Pillai once again re-enlisted Painoli, who worked on Such Is Life and together, the artists added a few modern production elements to the dreamy song that recalls songs by U2.

There’s no doubt a nostalgic element that drives “Yaara” – not just musically, but also in the sense that a prominent figure from the early 2000s is releasing music again. Pillai says she’s always been one of those “soppy, romantic people” who made songs that are melody-driven.

She says, “Music has been a passion for me since I was six years old. I’ve been singing at zonal competitions in Bandra, where I lived. I’ve been singing in jingles with [piano and keyboard veteran] Louis Banks. When I was in England, I sang with [British psychedelic rock band] Kula Shaker, I was in the videos for Bali Sagoo, Apache Indian and sang for Talvin Singh.”

Today, Pillai says with a bit of pride that her 16-year-old daughter also listens to music from the Eighties, including U2 and Phil Collins. In giving “Yaara” that sort of nostalgic but modern touch, Pillai has been seeing a warm response across ages. “My daughter’s friends have also been posting it on Instagram,” she says.

The song comes with a music video showcasing the recording of “Yaara” with Pillai, Samiir and Painoli. Originally, Pillai was set to release her EP History of Rock and Roll sometime in 2018 but says “life had other plans.” She adds, “There were too many things on the table that I was doing – the modeling, the acting, the compering.”

Releasing more music now is very much on the cards. “Singing whether it’s live, singing whether it’s in front of a mic, it transforms me, and I intend to go with that transformation. I think this is the right time,” Pillai says.

To that end, “The Sad Song” with Assamese artist Papon is her next release. Already recorded and prepped with a music video, Pillai promises to put it out soon.

Watch the video for “Yaara” below. Stream the song on Spotify.