Odd but strangely captivating singer who effortlessly switches between male and female vocals
Imagine the magical voice of Lata Mangeshkar combined with the velvet tones of Mohammed Rafi – both coming from one singer. Dual vocalist, Sairam Iyer’s captivating solo performances see him effortlessly switch between male and female vocals with incredible skill.
One of the first dual vocalists from India to reach global popularity, Sairam has performed over 1,500 shows across the world, even performing alongside the guitar legend Carlos Santana and Alice Coltrane, the pianist wife of Sir John Coltrane.
Drawing inspiration from notable Indian cinema playback singers, Sairam began his vocal career recreating the top Bollywood female playback singers of the time. Sairam has since moved into the playback arena for Bollywood films himself and has the unique distinction of being the only male playback who can perform playback for a female actress as well.
Recognising this unusual talent, he was signed to record label BMG Crescendo in India and released a romantic music album aptly named ‘Aisa Bhi Kabhi Hota Hai’ containing two duets (you don’t need a singing partner when you are Sairam), two female solos and two male solos.
Having learned Hindustani classical vocal music from eminent stalwarts like the late Pandit Ramesh Nadkarni and Pandit Shri Dhruva Ghosh at the Sangeet Mahabharati Institution, Sairam acquired a diploma in Hindustani classical vocal music from the University of Mumbai, training under eminent music directors Shri Kamlakar Bhagwat and Shri Achyut Thakur.
Entering his teenage years, Sairam’s voice transitioned into maturity, effectively losing its childlike softness. After several years of devoted retraining and fierce determination, Sairam rediscovered his earlier ability to sing in a female voice, paving the way for an incredible talent of performing male and female duets simultaneously.
His ability to reproduce on stage, the magical voices of his idols, is undeniably impressive. Sairam can perform classic duets unaccompanied. In amazing solo performances, he can comfortably match the scintillating heights of Asha Bhosle with the unique flamboyance of the late Kishore Kumar.
His perfect execution of the subtle nuances of distinguished singers has earned him praise from maestros of the Indian cinema industry, such as Shahrukh Khan, Akshay Kumar, Juhi Chawla and Kajol; even impressing global Queen of Pop, Madonna.
For the first time, Sairam will be conducting a UK media tour, discussing his unique assimilation of male and female vocals.
