Remembering SP Balasubrahmanyam Through The MSV Era, The Ilaiyaraaja Era, And Beyond

Singing great SP Balasubrahmanyam would have turned 75 today. The legendary singer, who died last September from a coronavirus infection, has left behind a massive trove of timeless songs for his fans. To many, he is music itself — a man who sang more than 40,000 songs in 16 languages. It was his silken voice that many remember as lullabies, his songs played in our heads as our heart learned to love for the first time and it is the music we listened to when we dealt with heartbreak. His songs are eternal.
To see SPB perform at concerts was especially joyful. He really let his hair down and showed us the kind of camaraderie, and mutual respect and admiration he shared with his fellow singers and musicians. His concert Voice of Legends packs so many wonderful moments and memorable anecdotes, which sort of uplifts our spirit on multiple fronts. The best way to celebrate his birthday is to watch this great musician doing what he does best.
SPB never took his success for granted, always remained a student of life and music, which was one of the reasons behind longevity as a playback singer. He showed great reverence to his seniors, he was generous in his praise for young singers and composers, and he was in an eternal state of thankfulness for being able to make a living and a name by singing his heart out for about five decades.

A journey through the great singer’s songs in Tamil cinema, by the two great composers who used him the most, and used him the best.

Some Last Year Tweets when we lost SPB-