Dimple Shibin – A music profoundly based in personal style

INTRODUCTION

Dimple is our pick from Smulecommunityin featured singers. Dimple is an amazingly talented singer with a professional touch in presenting her profile with a flair of artistry. She presents her music with a great taste of entertainment value. Entertainment and music in the modern age are all about how a singer presents their music and an emphasis on its entertainment value can not be understated. Dimple’s profile is an excellent example of her tasteful presentations. Moreover, the person that we see from her profile is even more adorable to the extent that the core of her music reflects her personal attributes. Many times Dimple herself says “My music has a long way to go, in comparison to many you guys write and feature.” Yet, she knows her strengths and makes the best use of it in her song choices and presentation. 

Dimple Shibin

We are so happy to add Dimple’s profile to a line of  featured young singers with an emphasis on a very hard-working musician who takes her music so seriously. During the entire process of this article preparation, she made tremendous efforts to work with this presentation possible.

Tell us about yourself with references to your music 

Dimple Shibin is my name. I am a Keralite, residing in Florence, Italy, working currently as an Administrator in a University Housing Company. My native place is a small village called Palisery,  in Thrissur. I was born Chalakudy and brought up in Kannur with my parents and younger sister then moved to Thrissur. 

Take us through your earliest memories of your interactions with music as a child, all the small things made you start singing.

When it comes to Music, I would say I am a self-trained singer. I learned music during a young age that somehow was not the focus during later stages of schooling etc. Also during my childhood, I was more interested in Indian dances, like Bharatanatyam. Classical dancing is my favorite form to perform. I have participated in many school competitions in light music, recitation, patriotic music, and other dance forms.

Who influenced you the most as a child as far as your music interests and talents

When it comes to influences, I would mention my parents. They are the ones who took initiative to teach me music but as a child, they say it was hard to have me sit down for hours to learn music;  so dancing seems more exciting and fun.

Describe in detail all your stages from School, to college, and how your music evolved? and all details and memories, activities, etc 

More than singing I love listening to songs specifically if I would mention its old Malayalam and Tamil songs. The kind of relief they give me is immense. My day starts and ends with music. I just fell in love with listening, learning about the ragas, etc. A lack of knowledge in theory never stopped me from learning, it’s an ongoing process. My all-time guru in music was a teacher at my place called Manoharan, I still remember the days when he taught me the basics of music as a kid. Really miss those beautiful memories. There was always a spark in me to sing but as an orthodox family, education was given more importance. They really want us to be safe and have a secure life. Regardless, they had taken me to participate in many competitions,  church activities, and any other cultural competitions.

• 

• 

• 

• 

What exactly does your music mean to you? 

Interesting question, but to be honest I have never thought about it because it’s something unexplainable for me. In simple words, I would say It’s Divine! I am a pure listener with no boundaries. It’s always with me, within me, and which no one can take away. It’s a part of my life. The kind of relief music gives for any living being is as precious as it is.

Your views about the general landscape of India’s music

India’s music is a vast topic to discuss. As a child into this music world, I am more than happy to say that I am still a learner. Our music traditions are closely related to our social and cultural diversity. Am more interested in listening to Carnatic music and Indian movie songs. It’s more relatable to me and easy to understand. I truly believe that there is always something new to learn and it’s like a sea where you never see the end.

Your thoughts about Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi songs

Tamil and Malayalam are closely related to each other in many ways. I can proudly say that many breathtaking music and musicians have a great role to play in our entire film industry. Versatility is the focal point of every musician. We can enjoy the extreme of melody and fast numbers and many more varieties of music in all these three languages. I love singing Malayalam, Hindi and Tamil songs but I don’t fancy singing Hindi songs because I know how bad my Hindi pronunciation is. But maybe in near future, I will definitely try some Hindi songs for sure. My all-time favorite musicians are from Malayalam and Tamil. I do enjoy the music of the new era but old songs are my favorite.

World music and other language music of India.  

To speak about world music I should be that knowledgeable about it. But I truly believe that apart from being a great listener and beginner as a singer I have no depth knowledge of world music. I must try and listen to different areas of music. The only languages I listen to Indian music are Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi, and Telugu.

Social responsibility for an Artist, what do you think about it? (if not sure leave it, we can discuss this later)

In my point of view, as human beings we all are socially responsible for one another doesn’t matter what field you are into or which position you hold. Doesn’t mean that you have to physically be in the game for a change or you have to let the world know what you are doing. It can be silent which gives you mental happiness and that’s exactly what I am doing and am happy about it.

If you are a socially responsible artist will you take a stand for issues that matter?

Of course I will. If I think I want to raise my voice for problems it’s matter to society I will definitely have my word. I don’t think there’s anything wrong in doing that. The world is changing, we all have our own views and opinions and we all have that space to open up. Speaking things for a good cause makes you feel good and gives confidence for others to speak.

Dimple Shibin

---

An honest and grounded artist who is well aware of what her music stands for. She uses her best of abilities as a singer that highlight her singing talent; that makes a beautiful profile equally pleasant and enjoyable on Smule.

Do you think there is a gender discrimination in the music industry?

In my point of view, I never felt there is any gender discrimination in music industry. It’s all about how much effort you put in to be part of the mainstream. It requires not only singing skills but also keep updating your knowledge, contacts, being active in social media, also luck. I truly believe that if there is a will there’s away. Nowadays there are a lot of ways you can showcase your talents to the outside world so nothing stops you from doing what you like. Just create your own project and work on it until you get what you dream for. Keep trying and keep looking for opportunities. This world is meant for all.

 Do you pay attention to the lyrics and meaning of songs? Do you think they are important for music? If yes then why?

It absolutely depends on the interest of an individual. For me sometimes yes lyrics are important and I would love to enjoy the lyrics which are meaningful but on the other way in order to enjoy the music we really don’t need any lyrics. For instance, some “bgms” can take you out of the world or if I say listening to the sound of rain and thunder or forest music with waterfalls, birds’ voice, or any instrumental music doesn’t need any lyrics to enjoy.

What career ambitions you have in music. Then how are you planning to achieve it?

Honestly I never thought about anything big yet. I would love to learn as many songs in different languages and I will try to sing all those songs in near future. In addition, I thought about taking lessons in Carnatic music.  Nowadays while I sing I have started giving more importance to my style of singing, word pronunciations, and expressions which I never used to do before.

Where do you see yourself five years from now in your music?

I don’t have any bigger plans yet. But I would love to do some covers and also take some music classes.

Do you have a hobby other than singing, tell us about it.

Apart from music, my hobbies are watching tv, cooking, and being a big foodie. I also like to travel a lot. But because of the current pandemic, I spend most of my time with my family.

Now it is time to list all your favorites in music

I have been listening to a lot of Malayalam and Tamil old and new songs. My all-time inspiration is the versatile singer Chithra chechi, her crystal clear voice always amazes and M. G. Sreekumar is my other personal favorite, his unique tone in his voice is always an attraction and makes me feel magical. Many other personal favorites are Janaki Amma. Sujatha Chechi, Yesudas Sir, and P. Jayachandran Sir and many more. 

Is there anything that you want to tell us more about your music?

I would like to mention the biggest platform I ever get to perform and It’s Smule. It not only enhanced my music but also I got a lot of friends like my family. They are my biggest support system. Friends I got from Smule are the real stars who encouraged me to sing, motivates me to try different songs in different languages, also helps me to correct my style of singing, and many more. Live sessions in a Smule give me the confidence to sing on public platforms. Through this app I get to know new talents, I learned a lot from them too. The appreciation I get is my happiness and that happiness encourages me to sing more and learn more and moreover a great human being.

Songs (Dimple’s songs are selected from her Smule profile)

Manikuyile

Karimizhikuruviye

Parayathe Ariyathe

Aathagara Marame

Moham Kondu Jan

Konji pesida venam

Manjupeyana

Oru chiri kandal

Chilaboli katte

Ali pazham perukan

ENDNOTES

When we finish this article an overriding thought about this singer is that, she is honest and grounded about what her music stands for. She uses her best abilities as a singer that highlight her singing talent that makes a beautiful profile that is equally pleasant and enjoyable on Smule. Dimple has a very beautiful recordable voice that is presented very stylistically. There is a lot for many to learn from Dimple’s profile where her profile represents a person who is true to who she is, and that comes out really beautiful. We encourage all our readers to go visit her profile and encourage her music.

Ambika Menon- A music re-discovered

Introduction

Ambika Menon

This week we are going back to Kerala where we have always found an abundance of talents. Bringing Ambika’s Smule profile to our esteemed line of talented featured artists is a happy and well deserved. In a few upcoming weeks we are running towards the finish line of this incredible journey. The top ~150 singers that we presented here are the reason we made a commitment to do this week after week. We are proud to say it was a lot of friends from the Indian community and mainland USA that week after week stood for a great cause and not only they all told their stories they supported their friends who understood the value of nurturing others talents as well. A big thanks to Rahul Mars for this particular feature.

It is with such great pleasure we are presenting Ambika Menon as our this week’s featured artist. Ambika used to have a profile where she had been singing for years on Smule, which had to be deleted and here is a link to her current profile. 

Please introduce yourself briefly with special references to your music.

My name is Ambika Menon. Born and raised in Calicut and Cochin, I moved to Bangalore a decade ago. I am a Chartered Accountant by profession and work for an IT services company. My parents are IELTS instructors, based in Cochin. I have an elder sister, Anasuya, who is a journalist. Husband, Arun is a Partner with a Big 4 consulting firm, and we have a 7 year old who is in Second grade.

• 

• 

Ambika’s early music 

I am trained in Carnatic music and Hindustani Classical music. Most of my formal training was in Carnatic music, for almost twelve years, and later I also took two  years of Hindustani classical.

My talent in music is inherited from my father and his family. Most of my cousins are brilliant singers, a few of them are also on Smule. My father and sister are also singers and our family functions are filled with music performances.

Your earliest memories of your interactions with music as a child, all the small things made you start singing.

My foray into music happened without planning for it! I was keen on listening to what my sister was learning, and I just joined along one day! When we were kids, we used to get together with the entire family in Nilambur, (our ancestral home) and every day was a music fest. There was someone or the other singing or discussing the new music directors and trends in music. There was not a day at home, where music was not played on the tape recorder. Thanks to all this, my sister and I are well versed with most of the old songs and even know all the lyrics byheart! So there was always a lot of music in my family itself. Achan, (dad) is an amazing singer and he is a baburaj fan and wrote a book and worked at All India Radio for some projects. But it was my mother who initiated my learning along with my sister. 

At schools I have participated in youth festivals and guruvayoor chembai festivals. In fact at that stage i was more inclined to learn south indian classical dancing Bharatanatyam. Have won a bunch of prizes in that category as well. By then I had fancied learning hindustani; that ended up me joiningMusic director Ramesh Narayan disciple Sree. Mohan Kumar to learn Hindustani. At school levels I have won prizes at state level school festivals and then as always my academics came in the way of my music. Later when i moved onto Bangalore also my Chartered Account (CA)  studies was more of a focus. Until i found Smule music was halted for a while

My husband Arun has influenced and supported me and also introduced me to a lot of western music like rock and other stuff to red hot chilli peppers, porcupine. I do listen to a lot of different genres of music. 

I am a big fan of Malayalam music director Sharareth sir. Dream would be to sing under his music direction.

Who influenced you the most as a child as far as your music interests and talents?

(An impressive training in music from some of the best teachers formed Ambika’s music).

All credit to my parents. When my father introduced me to different kinds of music, my mother found time to take me to music classes and competitions and kept that encouragement and support and pushed me to keep pursuing music always.

Ambika menon

A singer grew up to love Baburaj music and Ghazals

“A girl who heard and loved Baburaj music, from her dad, dreamed of singing songs that represented her taste. That is what makes Ambika a unique artist. Influences of Hindustani ragas and ghazals formed her mature tastes to reinvent her music. Ambika who says she wants to try her skills in Hindustani to sing more ghazals and at the same time says that she is open to progressive rock. Aunique singer that we have not represented any time before”

Describe all your Classical music expertise and detailed descriptions of your Gurus etc.

I started my formal music education with Carnatic music, when I was around 3 or 4 years old from Haripad K.P.N Pillai Sir. My sister started training first, and I used to hang around to see what they are up to. Pillai sir asked me to come sit, and it all began there. After a few years of learning from him, I also got the opportunity to tutor under late Sree Nedumangad Sasidharan Sir, for a couple of years. After moving to Cochin, I also trained in Hindustani classical music for a few years under Mohan Kumar Sir, who is the disciple of Pandit Ramesh Narayan.

Any memorable moment in your music life

There is not one incident that I can recall, but all stage performances are dear memories.

What exactly does your music mean to you? Have you thought about it?

My days start and end with music. It is the best way I can express my emotions. Actually, I need music for every activity I do. Music is my escape and something that makes my soul happy!

Your views about the general landscape of India’s classical music?

It is sad to note that nowadays, takers for Indian classical or folk music are less. All youngsters choose to watch a movie rather than go to a classical concert. They prefer popular music, which is easy to listen to. Change in times, the future is yet to be seen.I am hopeful yet with lots of new 

Your thoughts about popular music or film music or generally about Malayalam regional music?

Our generation is the most blessed, when it comes to music. If I have to take Malayalam Industry alone, we grew up listening to the best of the bests! From amazing music directors like Dakshnamoorthy Swamy and M.S Baburaj, then to Ravindran Mash and Vidyasagar, the quality of music produced by our industry has always been top notch. If we look at the singers, from K.J Yesudas to K.S Chitra, M.G Sreekumar, we had the best artists in our times. When we thought it was hard to fill the void created by some of the artists, we saw new talents coming in and creating beautiful new styles, over the years. Overall, the quality of music that is created in our industry is original and rich, one of the best in the country.

World music and other language music of India. You told me you like Jazz music, tell us more about it. Are you aware of the Recent trends of Jazz and India’s Hindustani music?

I grew up listening to Malayalam and Tamil songs. So, my love for music began there. Thanks to MTV and Channel V, (those who grew up in the 90s will remember these music channels!) I was introduced to international music. From Indie rock, to metal, jazz, pop, hard rock, we heard them all! My husband introduced me to Progressive and Alternative rock, and some of the bands I love are Red Hot Chilli Peppers, A Perfect Circle and Porcupine Tree. I closely follow their new albums. My exposure to other Indian languages is limited to Kannada and Telugu. I do not think I actively track new trends in any genre, unless someone asks me ,’hey, have you heard this new song? ‘

Social responsibility for an Artist, what do you think about it?

This is a very debatable subject. There are conflicting views about this. There are many who choose art just for the love of it – they may not like to be burdened with social responsibilities. But we have also seen many artists who have eventually turned to politics and used their popularity for a larger cause. This is very subjective and an individual decision that each artist needs to take, depending on what suits them and what their goals are.

If you are a socially responsible artist will you take a stand if you can influence the decisions taken at political or other levels?

Absolutely. I am the kind who believes, with great power (or popularity, in the case of an artist), comes great responsibility. Not many have the capability to influence the masses like artists. I would personally take a stand, but as I said, not every artist will choose to do so. I would stand for causes that I believe in.

Do you pay attention to the lyrics and meaning of songs? Do you think they are important for music? If yes, then why?

Absolutely yes. To emote, you need to know and appreciate the lyrics. Through a song, you need to be able to convey the emotion. It would be incomplete if you do not get the meaning of the song. When I sing a song that is not in Malayalam or English, I try to do some research on the lyrics and see what it is about.

What career ambitions you have in music. Then how are you planning to achieve it? You said that you are not ‘very career oriented as far as your music ambitions. But that is perfectly ok, but what do you think you want to achieve from your singing experience? 

All we do must have a purpose, I must say I agree that all we do have a purpose. As I said earlier, music is my only escape. It is something I do if I am stressed. However, lately I am thinking about exploring more genres. The general feedback I get is that I restrict myself to the 90s or early 2000s songs and do not explore the latest numbers. I am usually very picky in the songs that I choose to attempt on Smule. I intend to explore more languages and more genres, thereby broadening my understanding of all the lovely music we have out there and appreciate music more.

Where do you see yourself in five years from now in your music? Will you learn more music if you have not done so far?

At some point, I intend to start from where I left off – Hindustani classical. I had to stop my training owing to my academic commitments. I plan to start training in Hindustani classical soon. 

Now it is time to list all your favorite musicians 

Carnatic male female: M. Balamurali Krishna, Sharreth, Pandit Ramesh Narayan, M.S.Subbulakshmi, Sudha Ragunathan

Play back -all languages you like or sing hindi any other: K.J Yesudas, Hariharan, M. G. Sreekumar, Chitra, Shreya Ghosal

Music directors Sharreth, Vidyasagar, Raveendran Mash, A.R Rahman, the list is endless…

Genre of music Ghazals, Classical and Progressive rock

Do you do any sports? If so which one? if not what other hobbies you have?

Apart from music, I am a huge fan of dancing. I am trained in Bharatanatyam and have participated in events all through school and college. Apart from this, I am also pursuing a degree in Psychology. I only watch sports, too lazy to be part of any

ENDNOTES

Ambika’s music started quite early in her childhood. A girl who heard and loved Baburaj music, from her dad, dreamed of singing songs that represented her taste. That is what makes Ambika a unique artist. Influences of Hindustani ragas and ghazals formed her mature tastes to reinvent her music. Ambika who says she wants to try her skills in Hindustani to sing more ghazals and at the same time very open to progressive rock is a unique singer that we have not represented any time before. Ambika does not do many videos saying she wants people to recognize through her singing. She made quite a few friends on Smule whom she respect a lot. Ambika when asked to sing she picked her favorite Baburaj song Thaliritta Kinakal and from Hindi she chose Abhi na jao, both beautiful songs. It told volumes about Ambika and her music.

It is our pleasure to have Ambika joined us in this journey and shared her music with all of us. Please visit her profile and encourage her singing. Here are some songs Ambika specially made to go with her feature.

Song links 

Abhi na jao:

Enna solla:

Kannalane unplugged

Neelakurinjikal:

Thaliritta kinakkal:

Shalabhamayi:

Bhavalokada:

Moh moh ke:

Nila mazha: