When Pragaash, the all-girl band from Kashmir disbanded early last month, Rekha Mohan’s spirit did not dither a bit. She had decided on an all-women band and was confident that the societal acceptance would be a lot more liberal.
And going by the success that they have tasted so far, with three concerts, Rekha surely is on the right track.
Remo’s Muzic Spark was formed on February 14 this year; a group solely of women, which according to the lead singer Rekha, is first-of-its-kind in South India.
The group is formed by childhood friends, all of whom had musical influences from their parents and others.
“We grew up together and started singing at an early age. When I was 3 years old, I sang a song for the film Chinnari Mutha, which is famous even now. Our mothers had a troupe and they used to sing and we are following the same trend,” said Rekha whose family has been into the music industry for many years now.
“My mother, Mangala Anjan is a regular singer. My father Anjan Kumar, who is no more, was known as Junior SPB. Back then my grandmother, Sharadha Dasi, had composed around 2000 songs and had also rendered her voice. I am now married to a singer, Mohan. I feel it is in my DNA and even the same holds good with the team who are all aged between 25 and 30 years. All are married and have kids. All of us are into various kinds of professions. But, we all felt that music was where we belonged,” explained the lead singer.
Throwing more light on the band members, Rekha said, “Archana Ravi and Kushala are singers and both play the keyboard. Priya Ramu is the drummer, while Shilpa is a singer and also plays the Congo. Prathana and I are the lead singers,” she said.
To be unique, the band has also mastered songs from different languages. “We sing in Kannada, Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and English. Apart from this, we have our own compositions too. We are also into folk music and devotional songs. Today people need variety and we are here to cater to their demand,” said Rekha.
But they have been selective in taking up shows. “We prefer to perform at government shows. We charge around Rs 70,000 for a two-hour programme. It costs at least Rs 30,000 to Rs 40,000 to hire the latest instruments. Further, if we are going for a big show, we take a few girls onboard to play some other instrument as well,” Rekha said.
