A Song In One Breath

Let me return to some "Indipop" music now. Indipop is the term given to Indian pop music that has exploded in popularity in India over the last ten or fifteen years. I had an earlier post highlighting the Colonial Cousins.

In that same vein, here's an intriguing song by Shankar Mahadevan called Breathless. This song was a huge hit for Shankar several years ago. Through some excellent editing, it appears that Shankar sings the entire song in a single breath. It is a fascinating exercise to listen to this song (you don't have to understand a word). For me, I can actually experience some interesting physiological symptoms when listening to the song. I mean, you almost hold your breath while listening to it. It is unnerving to listen to a singer who apparently is not taking a breath during the song. At the end of the song, you feel a little breathless, almost wishing that he had paused a little during verses.

Shankar is trained in both south indian and north indian classical music. He is a computer engineer who had a successful career with Lotus and Oracle before he turned to singing. He has composed several songs for films and is an ardent fan of jazz. He performs frequently with the Swedish group Mynta.

Fascinating stuff in terms of the music as well as your reaction to it as a listener. Tell me if you reacted in any way physiologically to this song as you listened to it.

If you'd like to watch the MTV video of this song, try YouTube here.

1. Shankar Mahadevan - Breathless (2.82 MB; 128kbps MP3)