I composed, wrote, sang and performed Enjoy Enjaami: Arivu breaks silence on his exclusion from song promotions

Tamil indie song Enjoy Enjaami featuring rapper-lyricist Arivu along with singer Dhee released last year and became a sensation among music lovers. The song was considered as a strong voice that talked for the oppressed community. However, it also grabbed the spotlight further after music magazine Rolling Stone India featured singer Dhee along with rapper Shan Vincent de Paul for Enjoy Enjaami and Neeye Oli respectively in August 2021. While Arivu was part of both the songs, he was excluded from being featured on the magazine which had only one quote from him. For this, music label Maajaa, Dhee and Rolling Stone, had received backlash for sidelining Arivu’s contribution, while featuring the songs and the rest of the artists in the magazine extensively. While many, including Pa Ranjith, called out the magazine for Arivu’s exclusion, and appropriating his art, Arivu, who was an integral part of Enjoy Enjaami, had not commented on the issue then.

However, months after the backlash was received, Arivu, on Monday, broke the silence on the issue for the first time. Sharing a still of himself from the song video, the rapper asserted that he had “written, composed, sung and performed” the song.

“Nobody gave me a Tune, Melody or a Single word to write this one. Spent almost 6 months of sleepless and stressful nights and days for everything it is right now. No doubt it’s a great team work. No doubt it calls everyone together. But it doesn’t mean that’s not the history of Valliammal or the landless Tea plantation slave ancestors of mine. Every song of mine will be having the scarmark of this generational oppression. Like this Just One..There are 10000 songs of folk in this land. The Songs that carry the breath of ancestors, Their pain, Their Life, Love, Their Resistance and all about their existence. It’s all speaking to you in beautiful songs. Because we are a generation of blood and sweat turned into melodies of liberating arts. We carry the legacy through songs. Anyone can snatch away your treasure when You’re alseep. Never when you are awake. Jaibhim. Truth will always win in the end,” Arivu wrote. The rapper also used the hashtags; #enjoyenjaami #appropriationart.

It is to be noted that Enjoy Enjaami which is considered a milestone single in the Tamil indie music space, is based on the story of Arivu's grandmother, Valliammal and the repercussions she faced due to caste oppression. While the remix version of the song by DJ Snake became the first-ever Independent Tamil song to get featured on Times Square Billboard, people had pointed out how Arivu's image was not used alongside Dhee on the billboard. At the time when the Rolling Stone magazine issue was out, many, like CS Amudhan, singer Chinmayi Sripada, filmmaker Leena Manimekalai had spoke out against the exclusion of Arivu. Subsequently, the magazine had to release a digital cover featuring Arivu solely.