Sayanora Philip – South Indian playback singer and music composer

Sayanora Philip is a well-known South Indian playback singer and music composer, best known for her association with Rahman in his live stage shows. She owns numerous hit songs in Malayalam and Tamil films to her credit, mostly westernized tunes. In 2019 her song – Benki Benki Boom dedicated to her hometown Kannur went viral over net, registering more than 10 million views in YouTube within a couple of months of release. She is into playback singing since 2004, and Unarukayano and Nee Njangada of Udaharanam Sujatha are among her hit Malayalam films in the recent times.

Sayanora Philip was born in Kannur, Kerala in 1984. She belongs to a family with musical background. She graduated from Sree Narayana College, Kannur in professional studies. She was drawn into music young and has won many prizes at school festivals and cultural events. She was introduced to western music by her father, her first guru. She started learning Carnatic music from Balan Master at the age of 5. She married Ashley de Cruz, a trainer at gym in Kannur and the couple is now settled in Chennai with their daughter. She got into films in 2004. Yet it took 15 years to become familiar among music goers, through a single viral song.

Some of her popular songs in Malayalam movies are included in Udaharanam Sujatha, Classmates, Pranayakaalam, Baahubali: The Beginning, Notebook, Big B, Vettam, Rani Padmini, Manjupoloru Penkutty etc. In 2018 she turned a music composer with Malayalam movie, Kuttanpillayude Sivarathri. She also did its background score, and wrote ‘Ente Sivane’ song too. She is more successful as a stage performer for live concerts than her playback singing career. Her world tours as a part of Rahman concerts earned her success and recognition.

Sayanora Philip – Some interesting and less-known facts

1. Her father who owns a musical school and shop, was keen in promoting her as a musician, and forcefully sent her to musical classes. She learnt Carnatic music, and several musical instruments. His father asked her to do practise at early hours while mother insisted on academics.

2. Both her younger siblings are engineers. Her mother retired as head mistress. Her sister rendered her voice aside Sayanora for one song in ‘Stand Up’.

3. She completed 5^th grade in Western Music from Royal School, London, and has also learnt Hindustani music from Ramesh Narayan. Yet she learnt Carnatic music more, comparing other two.

4. She has done Carnatic music concert at Muneeswar temple and also rendered Khayal in a few concerts. But after singing the western song – ‘Am I Dreaming’ in Manjupoloru Penkutty, she got type casted for Western tunes and peppy numbers.

5. She went to gym to reduce fat and fell flat after seeing the gym master. Later she started going to gym regularly. With blessings of elders they got married. It’s only a rumour that she proposed Ashley de Cruz first.

6. She sang a duet, Athiradi with Rahman for Sivaji movie.

7. Her viral song – Benki Benki Boom (lyrics taken from Kannur dialect) was originally written and tuned for a movie, which never happened. Lyrics were completed by Vaisakh Sugunan, a school teacher.

8. She was one among the playback singers of Nazrein Milana Nazrein Churana song of Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na, composed by Rahman.

9. She dubbed for Trisha in Malayalam movie, Hey Jude and for Nimisha Sajayan in Stand Up. Though she is interested in acting in plays, she doesn’t want to reduce weight for this purpose only.