Known for its live mashups of Carnatic kritis with contemporary film tunes, Singapore-based musical band Re-inKarnation is all set to perform in Chennai for the first time on May 31 at The Music Academy.
The two-hour sold-out show will feature a collaboration with established Indian artistes – flautist Ashish Venkateswaran, singer Yazhini and vocalist Narayanan Ravishankar – covering songs in Tamil, Hindi and English, structured around 12 ragas.
A raga is a set of musical notes and patterns used in kritis, or traditional Carnatic songs, to create melodies that evoke specific moods and emotions.
“These ragas are not exclusive to Indian music. They exist everywhere – on a piano, a guitar, a saxophone, a flute, a violin and more,” said Kaushik Suresh, the band’s founder.
As a banker and local artiste best known for his appearance on Yaar Antha Star, Mediacorp’s Tamil reality singing competition, Kaushik conceived the raga-based mashup concept during a concert for Sri Muneeswaran Temple’s Mandala Abhishekam in August 2024.
After a well-received performance of Ilaiyaraaja’s Janani Janani combined with Amma Endrazhaikatha from the 1992 film Mannan and Shakthi Kodu from the 2002 film Baba, both starring Tamil superstar Rajinikanth and all set in the Kalyani raga, Kaushik reached out to long-time musician friends he had collaborated with to form a band.
The core members include vocalists Kaushik and Lavanya Sampath, keyboardist Jordan Joshua, percussionist Kumaran Sinniah, guitarist Sures Ravindran and violinist Venkatesh Sridhar.
The Carnatic-film fusion band made its debut at the Esplanade’s Kalaa Utsavam – Indian Festival of Arts, in November 2024 and has performed at high-profile events such as the Indian Community Appreciation Dinner for Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Jan 11 this year.
The band invited tabla! for an exclusive behind-the-scenes look during a rehearsal at Tonehouse Studios in Parklane Shopping Mall for its second Esplanade show, which played to a full house on March 29.
It opened with a mashup based on the Hamsadhwani raga, traditionally associated with auspicious beginnings, blending the Carnatic kriti Vaathapi Ganapathim with A.R. Rahman’s Vellai Pookal and the Bollywood hit Tu Jaane Naa.
A standout moment was the band’s unique rendition of Hedwig’s Theme, the iconic Harry Potter tune composed by the legendary John Williams, renowned for some of Hollywood’s most memorable film scores like Jaws (1975) and Jurassic Park (1993).
Set in the Kaapi raga, which induces feelings of pathos and sadness, Hedwig’s Theme was seamlessly intertwined with the devotional song Kurai Ondrum Illai, Alwarpettai Aandava from the 2004 film Vasool Raja MBBS starring Kamal Hasan and A.R. Rahman’s Mazhai Thuli from the 1999 Tamil Nadu State Award-winning film Sangamam.
The rehearsal showcased the band’s versatility in performing an array of multilingual songs while effortlessly blurring the lines between musical genres.
“We wanted to make it simple for people and let them enjoy ragas through the songs they already know,” Kaushik said.
