Hyderabad singer Lakshmi Meghana on playback, covers and new music

When Lakshmi Meghana recently released an English cover of Harleys in Hawaii by Katy Perry, she received an enthusiastic praise: “I really didn’t expect this to be this good. Today, I have learned a lesson. I will never judge a book by its cover.” Surprised and happy with the comments, the indie artist and playback singer says, “I had to tell some people it was my voice, but I took it as a compliment.”

Dressed in a blue sequinned kurta sharara at her home in KPHB Colony, Hyderabad, Lakshmi is elated at the response to her recent English originals, I Am Just Alive and No Blues, written by Sai Kiran and composed by her friend, Shashank Bhaskaroni. Behind her is a wooden showcase lined with nearly 70 mementoes and trophies, including a photograph of a little girl with a microphone — someone who dreamt of making it big in the music industry.

Interest in music

In a family with no singers but plenty of music lovers, Lakshmi was five when her parents noticed her interest and enrolled her in Carnatic music classes. At 11, she won the reality show Paadutha Teeyaga Juniors, hosted by the late S. P. Balasubrahmanyam. Though born and raised in Hyderabad, she auditioned from Palakollu in Andhra Pradesh because of her grandfather. “SPB garu often referred to me as the Palakollu ammayi on the show, that’s a memory I treasure,” she says.

Playback singing

Mashups and covers of English and Telugu songs helped her build a digital audience. Her professional journey began with the Hindi animation series Junior G, followed by playback singing for television serials and her Telugu film debut with music directors Suresh Bobbili and Ajay Arasada. Breaking into playback without industry connections was, she says, “a big deal”. “There was no one to guide me. I didn’t even know how to give demos,” she adds, crediting social media for opening doors.

Professional journey

In a seven-year career, the business administration graduate has sung a handful of originals, numerous covers in Telugu and English, and over 50 playback tracks across Telugu, Tamil and Hindi. Her songs include Kannamma, Saral Saral,Oorum Blood and Sitakoka Chiluka, working with composers such as Vijai Bulgani , Thaman, Sai Abhyankar, and Hesham Abdul Wahab, across films like Rasavati Anna (Tamil), Dude (Hindi dubbed) and Beauty and The Girlfriend (Telugu).

Her Telugu original Chilaka, composed by Vijai Bulganin, has crossed 40 million views on YouTube. A major milestone for her was being selected for 99 Songs by A. R. Rahman in 2021. While her latest song is from the movie Raakaasaa, she looks forward to her next project, an untitled Gopichand film. “There are a couple of other projects, but I can’t reveal them yet; tracks can change even at the last minute,” she says.

With a naturally deep bass voice and a grounding in both Carnatic and Western music, Lakshmi enjoys moving across genres. “My only wish is to be part of a good composition, whether it’s an indie track or for a small or big film, it doesn’t matter.”

Lakshmi Meghana sings “Chilaka”