It takes someone very special to be the voice for over 31,000 film songs!

SPB (as he is referred to) is without doubt one of the most prolific playback singers ever. Through a career spanning 32 years, he has enthralled listeners in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi.

SPB is a six-time National award winner for songs in the films - Sankarabharanam (Telugu), Ek Duje Ke Liye (Hindi), Sagara Sangamam (Telugu), Rudraveena (Telugu), Ganayogi Panchakshari Gavai (Kannada) and Minsara Kanavu (Tamil).

He has composed for over 35 films, has acted in several hit films and has also taken on the role of Producer.

His appeal lies in the life he infuses the lyrics with and the warm timbre he possesses in his singing voice.

U Srinivas was born in Palakol, in the state of Andhra Pradesh on February 28, 1969. When he was six, his parents came home to find him playing on his father's mandolin. That kick-started his musical training under his father. Practice on the Mandolin stretched 10 to 12 hours a day. His grooming as a complete Carnatic musician was under Rudraraju Subbaraju. Realising that Chennai was the Carnatic music hub, Srinivas and his family moved to the city in 1980. In 1983, he performed at the Music Academy for the first time. Since then he has been the foremost ambassador of the Mandolin as an instrument for Carnatic music.

His wizardry on the Mandolin has enthralled both purists and liberals, in the country and abroad. His mastery is all the more incredible when one realises that his is a staccato instrument, that he gives an amazingly strong expressive power. From the super-fast figurations of his early performances, Srinivas' music has mellowed to a less hurried pace today.

For more information : www.mandolinshrinivas.org

VEENA GAYATHRI

Born in 1959, E Gayathri's first public performance on the Veena (a stringed musical instrument) was at nine. Despite an unsteady Carnatic music foundation in her childhood, she performed to great acclaim as a child prodigy. After her father's death in 1975, she worked in the film industry for two years.

Today, her playing is characterised by a more authentic touch that leaves listeners spellbound. Always willing to experiment, Gayathri has performed in various genres of music. She has also broadened her scope by singing and recording her first Tamil Pop album titled Butterfly.

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