Music of Kerala

Sopanam, its precursor, has religious roots and evolved through the chanting of invocatory songs at the Kalam of Kali, later extending to performances inside temples.

Traditionally, Sopanam is performed by men from the Marar and Pothuval communities, who belong to Ambalavasi (semi-Brahmin) castes and have inherited the practice as their profession.

Notable figures such as Swati Tirunal, Irayimman Thampi, Shadkala Govinda Marar, Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar, V. Dakshinamoorthy, P Leela, K. J. Yesudas, K.G Jayan (Jayavijaya), Palghat Mani Iyer, Vidwan Gopala Pillai, Chertala Gopalan Nair, M. D. Ramanathan, T. V. Gopalakrishnan, M. K. Sankaran Namboothiri, Mavelikara Krishnankutty Nair, Neyyattinkara Mohanachandran, Neyyattinkara Vasudevan, T. N. Krishnan, and T S Nandakumar have emerged as prominent musical exponents from the region.

Despite initial resistance due to its association with temple art, Kathakali gained widespread popularity, with artists like Hyderali transcending cultural barriers.

The film's music composer was P. S. Divakar, and the songs were rendered by P. Leela, T. K. Govinda Rao, Vasudeva Kurup, C. K. Raghavan, Sarojini Menon, and Vimala B. Varma, credited as the first playback singer in Malayalam cinema.

[6] During the golden age of Malayalam music (1960 to 1970), major playback singers included Kamukara Purushothaman, K. P. Udayabhanu, A. M. Raja, P. Leela, Santha P. Nair, P. Susheela, P. Madhuri, and S. Janaki.

In later years, several non-Malayali singers, such as Manna Dey, Talat Mahmood, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Hemalata, and S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, also contributed to Malayalam films.

Similarly, composers from other language industries, including Naushad Ali, Usha Khanna, M. B. Sreenivasan, Bombay Ravi, Shyam, Bappi Lahiri, Laxmikant–Pyarelal, Salil Chowdhury, Ilaiyaraaja, Vishal Bhardwaj, and A. R. Rahman, were involved in scoring music for Malayalam films to some extent.

Lyricists like Poovachal Khader, Kavalam Narayana Panicker, and Bichu Thirumala in the 1980s, and Kaithapram Damodaran Namboothiri and Gireesh Puthenchery in the 1990s, played significant roles in this musical transformation.

Contributions from composers like Kannur Rajan, Bombay Ravi, S. P. Venkatesh, Mohan Sithara, Ouseppachan, Sharath, Vidyadharan, Raghukumar, and Vidyasagar were also notable during this period.

[citation needed] Currently, prominent figures in the Malayalam music scene include composers such as M. Jayachandran, Bijibal, Rex Vijayan, Rahul Raj, Prashant Pillai, Shaan Rahman, Sushin Shyam, Jakes Bejoy, Gopi Sundar, Alphonse, and Rajesh Murugesan.

Notable lyricists include Rafeeq Ahmed, Anwar Ali, B. K. Harinarayanan, Vinayak Sasikumar, and Vayalar Sarath, while singers like Vineeth Sreenivasan, Vijay Yesudas, Shweta Mohan, Manjari, and Jyotsna Radhakrishnan also contribute significantly to the industry, among others.

National Award-winning music composers of Malayalam cinema include Johnson (1994, 1995), Bombay Ravi (1995), Ouseppachan (2008), Ilaiyaraaja (2010), Issac Thomas Kottukapally (2011), Bijibal (2012), and M. Jayachandran (2015).

Poetry plays a central role in this musical stream, which is primarily in Malayalam but incorporates Arabic words, creating a linguistic blend known as Arabimalayalam.

Mappila songs are particularly notable for their unique charm, reflecting a fusion of Kerala's local culture and the influences of West Asia.

[9] The music for the album was composed by Balabhaskar, and the song Ninakkay Thozhi Punarjanikkam, sung by Biju Narayanan, gained significant popularity.

The song Ormakkai Iniyoru Snehageetham from the album, composed by M. Jayachandran and penned by Vijayan, and sung by K. J. Yesudas and K. S. Chithra, is considered an all-time classic hit.

The song Niranja Mizhiyum, composed by Isaac Thomas Kottukappally and written by Gireesh Puthanchery, gained significant popularity among college students.

In 2006, Satyam Audios released the highly successful album Chempakame, introducing a new singing sensation, Franco, and a talented composer, Shyam Dharman.

The same year, Shaan Rahman, along with Siju Sivan and Deepu Skaria, formed a new band named DESINOISE and launched the album Revolution.

In 2008, Johny Sagarika released the album Moham, featuring the hit song Kudajadriyil, sung by Swarnalatha and composed by Mansoor Ahmed.

One of the first notable boy bands in the Malayalam pop music scene was Confusion, formed by Balabhaskar and Ishaan Dev, with their song No Tension Please becoming a hit.

Team Malayalee consisted of four talented musicians: Vineeth Sreenivasan, Jakes Bijoy, Shaan Rahman, and Arjun Sasi.

That same year, a new boy band named Arrows was formed, featuring members from the reality music show Asianet's Idea Star Singer: Arun Gopan, Roshan N.C., William Isaac, and Sudarshan Achary.

Additionally, emerging composers like Rashee (Alone, Loved and Lost), Dijo Jose Antony (La Cochin), Nithin (Autograph), and Mithun Raj (Violet) have made significant contributions to the Malayalam album industry.

[13][14] The album's initial track, Nenjodu Cherthu, garnered over 150,000 views on YouTube within three days of its release, marking it as one of the first significant Malayalam viral hits without any negative publicity.

The revival of folk music, initially championed by figures like Kavalam Narayana Panicker and further popularized by Kalabhavan Mani, has gained significant traction among teenagers in more recent years.

Within this community, one faction reveres snake gods as their primary deity and performs specific rituals and songs known as Pulluvan Pattu.