The world might be in lockdown during a pandemic but the mind of an artist continues to roam free in search of new ideas and novel interpretations.
Award-winning local musician and composer Shabir Tabare Alam hopes to inspire listeners during this time of uncertainty through a new single he has just released, titled Ezhuvom (Rise).
Vizhunthaal Ezhuvom which translates to 'We will rise up after a fall' soon became its hashtag, as Ezhuvom's teaser was launched on May 6 on Jaya TV in India. Incidentally, Shabir rose to fame in Tamil Nadu, India as the Music Director of the song 'Yaayum'.
Ezhuvom is inspired by a motivational Italian folk song, 'Bella Ciao', whose tune is rooted back to the Italian resistance movement in the 19th Century.
Shabir creatively re-interpreted the original melody of Bella Ciao by infusing Gaana (a form of urban folk genre originated from Chennai, Tamil Nadu) and some Thappankuthu into the song.
The single is part of Shabir's upcoming album 'The Lockdown', which explores themes of vulnerability, hope and strength amid the ongoing battle against COVID-19.
Listen to the Ezhuvom here:
Shabir is the inaugural winner of Vasantham Star 2005, hosted by Mediacorp, Vasantham. He was the winner of the Singapore Youth Award in 2017 – the first music artist of Tamil and Indian descent to do so.
