Isaivani

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Isaivani
Born1996 (age 27–28)
Royapuram, Chennai
GenresGaana
Occupation(s)Singer
Associated actsThe Casteless Collective

Isaivani (born 1996) is a gaana singer from Chennai, who performs with The Casteless Collective. In 2020 she was recognised for her achievements with one of the BBC 100 Women Awards.

Biography[edit]

Isaivani was born in Royapuram in Chennai in 1996 to Sivakumar D and Selvi.[1][2][3] Her father, a self-taught keyboardist, encouraged her musical ability and singing from a young age, encouraging Selvi to sing to Isaivani and her brother while they were in the womb.[3] Her performance career began at the age of six, alongside her father and by 2018 she had performed approximately 10,000 shows with him.[3] She began sing Tamil film songs and to cover gaana songs as a teenager because audiences responded well to them.[2] In 2017, gaana musician Sabesh Solomon contacted her and encouraged her to audition for a new band that was being formed by Tenma - this band became The Casteless Collective.[1]

By joining the band, Isaivani became one of the first professional female gaana singers in the world.[4] In addition she is a woman from a low caste, succeeding in a male, high-caste dominated genre of music, despite initial opposition from people who felt that gaana should be preserved as male-only artform.[2] The music she sings with The Casteless Collective is political: in 2018 they released 'Beef Song' in protest at the lynching of dalit people; in 2019 they released 'I’m Sorry Ayyappa' about the Sabarimala temple controversy.[2] Her presence on stage has led to other women coming forward as gaana performers.[5]

In 2020, Isaivani was recognised for her contributions to gaana music with a BBC 100 Women Award.[1][5][6]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Muralidharan, Kavitha (2020-11-26). "The girl who has made it big in the male-dominated world of gaana". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Isaivani: The pathbreaking woman gaana singer now on a BBC Top 100 list". Hindustan Times. 2020-12-18. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Joseph, Raveena. "The Casteless Collective: Being a woman gaana singer". The Lede. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
  4. ↑ "Gaana singer Isaivani of The Casteless Collective on BBC's '100 Women 2020 list'". The News Minute. 2020-11-24. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "BBC 100 Women 2020: Who is on the list this year?". BBC News. 2020-11-23. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
  6. ↑ "Shaheen Bagh's Bilkis Bano, TN Singer Isaivani in BBC's Top 100 Women for 2020 List". The Wire. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
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