Nakul Abhyankar, a singer for all languages

Nakul Abhyankar, who rose to fame with CEO In The House in Vijay's Sarkar, is a happening singer in multiple languages like Tamil, Tulu, Malayalam, Telugu, and Kannada. He credits his upbringing with helping him master the diction in all languages. "My mother tongue is Marathi and I was brought up in Karnataka, so I learnt Kannada naturally. I was surrounded by multiple languages through my early childhood, and by the time I was in second grade, I was able to speak more than four languages. Since I started early, learning new languages has always been an easy task for me."

Though he is comfortable with all the languages he sings in, Nakul ensures that the lyricist or the film's director is around during the recording. "I believe it helps me align with the vision of the film. An extra pause or stressing a word here and there can make a lot of difference to a song. In Tamil, Vivek always sits with me during my recordings. I've developed my own system of notation for writing down any language lyrics in a form I can understand. This aids me in getting the unique pronunciation right regardless of language."

Even as Nakul's recent tracks Adada Nana from this week's release Enai Noki Paayum Thota and Azhage from Action are topping the charts, the singer is getting set to come out with a Tamil single based on his love for the ocean. "The lyrics of this song are being penned now and you can expect it to be out in the first week of January," he says.

Nakul, who made his debut as a composer this year with Unarvu, he defines himself as a musician with vocals as the strong zone. "Just like how guitarists become composers, I see myself as a composer whose vocals aid his songs. I enjoy singing and composing equally. My wish is to compose a soulful album featuring singers I love, like Shashaa Tirupati, Haricharan, and Benny Dayal." 

Nakul was just 23 when he decided to quit his IT job and pursue a career in music. "I realised that I won't be able to concentrate on music during my prime years if I get stuck in a desk job. So I decided to quit and get trained in all formats of singing like Hindustani, Carnatic, and Jazz." Asked if it is necessary for all singers to be professionally-trained, he says, "Not necessarily. Anyone can sing. What's important is to do justice to the song you sing."