I am very blessed to have worked with her: Leon James on Vani Jairam

A void was created in the musical industry of India following the demise of veteran singer Vani Jairam died on Saturday. As tributes pour in from the musical fraternity, speaking to Cinema Express composer Leon James recollected the time he worked with the late singer.

Leon composed the album of LKG, for which Vani sung her last song in Tamil. She sang Tamizh Thai Vaazhthu along with her contemporaries P Susheela, and LR Eswari.

Speaking about Vani, Leon said, “I remember the recording session and I am very blessed to have worked with her. Her contribution and emotional inputs for the song was very valuable. The reason we roped in her, was that we wanted to feature three legends (P Susheela, LR Eswari, Vani Jayaram) for that song (Tamizh Thai Vaazhthu). We had recorded all of them individually, but each of the session was something to cherish forever.”

The composer also credited Vani for being soft spoken and kind-hearted personality. “Despite her legendary body of work, she was very humble and accommodating when she worked with a young composer like me. Her voice was very sweet and her recording sessions were soulful,” said Leon.

Vani Jairam was 78. She passed away at her residence in Chennai on Saturday. According to reports, she slipped down in her bedroom, which caused an injury on her forehead. The singer was recently conferred with the Padma Bhushan award.

It may be noted that Vani Jairam recently completed 50 years as a professional singer. She sang over 10,000 songs in 18 different Indian languages in her career. One of the most celebrated singers in India, Vani Jairam, won the National Award thrice for Apoorva Raagangal, Sankarabharanam, and Swathi Kiranam. She also received State awards from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Odisha.