Celebrating Tamil New Year with South London-raised Tamil songstress Pritt
Meet South London raised Tamil artist Pritt, who shares her expression, love and culture through her music. With her song ‘Unakkul Naane’ reaching almost 3 million views, she has become a Tamil sensation, staying true to her heritage, whilst taking an ‘Eastern meets Western’ approach.
We met up with Pritt, to discuss all things Tamil in celebration of Tamil New Year, and what it means to her.
1. for those that don’t know, what is Tamil New Year?
Tamil New Year is the first day of the Tamil Calendar. It’s a significant celebration, celebrated all over the world, and I know that it’s a huge thing in Tamil Nadu and Tamil Eelam (North & East of Sri Lanka), Malaysia, Singapore. It’s basically a worldwide celebration wherever Tamils are. It’s also known as Puthaandu or Puthuvaridam and it’s believed to be an auspicious day. It’s supposed to bring peace, and a sense of the universe coming together. I’m not sure if it’s a Hindu festival or not, as I’m not Hindu, but every Tamil person regardless of what religion, does tend to celebrate the day. We come together as a family, we eat buffets of food, we clean the house; pretty similar to the Western New Year.
2. How important is it for you to show your heritage through your music?
I think showing my heritage through my music is so important, because there aren’t a lot of Tamils in the industry. Growing up, there was only M.I.A and that’s the only person I get compared to these days. Or Priya Ragu. I think showing my heritage sets me apart from other artists, but also allows me to celebrate who I am with no boundaries. I think that I grew up really dulling down that side of me, but now I'm like “Wait. This is amazing.” To be able to share my heritage and share that knowledge with a wider audience, for everyone to come together through my music is amazing. It’s a flex, and I love it.
3. Describe your music style to us.
I'd say my music style is ‘Eastern meets Western.’ In the past I've said ‘Eastern meets Western R&B,’ but the older I get I appreciate other genres, and I can see a lot of Carnartic influences in other genres for sure. Definitely in a lot of pop and drill here and there. I feel like with a lot of sampling going on these days, it is possible to make that mark. So the general gist is Eastern meets Western, but I’m not closing myself off just for R&B… for the moment!
4. What inspires you about Tamil music?
Tamil music inspires me because it has a sense of nostalgia and a sense of home, where I'd listen to a certain song from 2001 or something and I'd be like “Why does this remind me of my sister’s birthday?” There’s very specific moments that I feel, which don't have the same effect on me when listening to a UK classic. I think because it’s also my first language, my mother tongue, I can bond with my parents over Tamil music. Like this was the first thing I ever heard - straight out the womb - Tamil music blasting in the house. So there’s a sense of “Oh my God, this is who I am.” And it sets me apart, because I truly appreciate it. Again, I used to dull it down and say “Nah, I don’t listen to that kind of stuff [Tamil music], my parents forced it on me” when really I was listening on my own accord. But it brings me back to my roots and who I am as a person. I really want to share that with people. That’s why I’m so happy I’m on a radio show where I can literally be like “Hey! This is a song I listened to back when I was four.” and I can link every single song with a story. It’s insane to put that together, because I feel like my parents now. I love Tamil music, I could talk about it for years! It’s beautiful and genre-blending. It’s definitely changing over the years, but I can appreciate both the old tunes and new tunes.
5. Where do you see Tamil music in the next few years?
I definitely see Tamil music taking a more Western route, but it’s already been doing that since the 00s with people like Harris Jayaraj and Yuvan Shankar Raja. I think there is a full circle moment pending, which is a good thing because it means people are going to be making 90s ARR kind of music again. I mean, my sense of foresight isn’t amazing, but I’m excited about Tamil music in the next few years. Hopefully I’ll be one of those people out there making the same kind of bangers I used to grow up listening to. So we’ll see!
6. What’s a message that you want to share with your community
A message I would like to give my community is that the come-up should be together, not just a one-person gain. When one of us wins, we all win, and there’s power in numbers!
Even if you think there aren't enough people in the industry, it literally takes one or two people to come together and create magic to put us on the map. So keep going, keep pushing those boundaries and keep asking questions. Because if someone is uncomfortable with the question you’re asking, then you’re doing the right thing! So keep pushing and keep asking, and hopefully there will be more of us in these creative spaces very soon.
CREDITS:
Talent: Pritt @urgirlpritt
Producers: Jass Mensah @_jmensah, Bethan Dadson @bethandadson
Creative Director: Jass Mensah @_jmensah
Photographer: Kai Jadwat @kai_jadwat
Photo Assist: Jack Dicks @jackdicks_
Stylist: Bethan Dadson @bethandadson
Hairstylist: Britini Campbell @britinicampbell
Makeup Artist: Tina Khatri @tinakhatrimua
BTS: George Metu @georgemetu
