I’m an accidental singer: Niranj Suresh

Niranj Suresh has emerged as one of the most popular vocalists in the South Indian film industry. The youngster has found a place in the industry both as a playback singer and as an actor. The film Naam, an engaging campus drama, is his first project as a lead actor and singer. The 28-year-old is the lead singer of Motherjane, a progressive Rock Band in Kochi. He is also the lead vocalist of Blank Planet and has also launched his own music venture, NRJ Project. 

"I never dreamt of becoming a singer during my childhood. I am an accidental singer. I learnt carnatic music during my school days for a very short period. Music was nowhere in the picture till I was selected as the lead singer of the college band. Around the same time, I was invited to sing in Nemesis, a metalcore band. Nemesis was the first band I sang for," says the singer. Later, he joined Blank Planet as their lead vocalist and songwriter. He started working with them doing live shows and later released a single named MAYA. "I started my career as a playback singer, after singing the song Nannavoola for the film Asha Black. I've recently started learning Hindustani Music," he adds.

Niranj has also sung for Gopi Sundar (Role Models), Prasanth Pillai (Anuraga Karikkin Vellam, Sakhavu and Solo), Bijibal (Aby) and Shaan Rahman (Godha). The title song of the film Thoppil Joppan, composed by Vidyasagar, gave him an identity. "After singing Thechille Penne for the film Role Models, people started recognising me. I am so glad that I've worked with these legends," he says. Last year, he made his debut in Tamil with the film Ki. Recently, he has also made his debut in Telugu, but the film is yet to be released.

"Among the Indian musicians, my inspirations are Vishal Dadlani and Benny Dayal. I aspire to become unique in my own way. There is a struggle for survival in every field; it's all about putting in the right amount of hard work. I strongly believe that, when you want something, the universe conspires in helping you achieve it," he says.

He has also sung in the film Mandaram starring Asif Ali, which is yet to be released. He got the Asianet Best Comic Song Award 2017 for the song, Thechille Penne. He also won the Mangalam Trendy Singer Award 2018.

Niranj has sung five songs for the film Naam, which is his latest acting-and-singing venture.