Hyderabad singer Lakshmi Meghana on playback, covers and new music

Hyderabad singer Lakshmi Meghana talks about playback singing, covers and building a career without industry backing

When Lakshmi Meghana recently released an English cover of Harleys in Hawaii by Katy Perry, a common question online was: “Are you singing or lip-syncing?” “I had to tell people it was my voice, but I took it as a compliment,” says the indie artist and playback singer.

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.

Singing across different genres | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

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.

Lakshmi has a deep bass voice | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

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.