“Bigson.. Bigsu.. Bigsuppa. Where did he go?” – a mother’s voice repeats this name three times, which is known in the music world as Arivu. Who is brother Bigson Mandela?
A character from his new independent album, out July 18? Or perhaps a mesmerizing rockstar, like David Bowie’s other persona, Ziggy Stardust, obsessed with making us dance?
In the first song ‘Local Jackson’ Valliamma Perandi’As ‘Bigson’ on the 12-track list, Arivu is a carefree artist. He wants people to dance to his music. He knows he’s cool, and it shows. This is Arivu’s side-B.
“Bigson is a really confident Arivu,” said the hip-hop artiste as we walked around HinduTwo days prior to the album launch, an event was held at his office in Chennai.
“I am my mother’s eldest son. That’s why I am Bigson. When I was young, I was very naughty. I realised at a point of time that being an ‘Arivu’…someone who thinks…is a problem. Why don’t I just be the childish Bigson. Society has put a lot of restrictions on Arivu. But as Bigson I am free,” he says.
Valliamma Perandi Album Cover | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Two years after ‘Enjoy Enjaami’, now embroiled in court cases and negotiations about compensation, and five years after their first hit album TherukuralArivu ready for release Valliamma Perandi with record label Sony Music India. Here, the 12 songs belong to different genres, themes and vibes. Think EDM ThiruvizhaA powerful drill number on untouchability, a wordless meditation on the origin of language for primitive man, four love songs with lyrics in Malayalam and Punjabi and a diss track called ‘Block Paniteen’.
“I didn’t know how to rap as a kid. Most of the songs I listened to were street sounds – Mariamman songs and other devotional music by LR Eswari. These sounds are still within me. I tell everyone that it is important to familiarise themselves with this particular song from every region, they understand the soil and become one with the earth. I think that’s what I am trying to do,” he says.
tracing the line
However, the task of composing and recording new music has not been easy. Arivu says that this time he has decided to work only with people he knows. This indicates that he has been successful in this task before. Valliamma PerandiHe has collaborated with Punjabi singer and friend Rashmeet Kaur on the track ‘Raasathi’, which was recorded in just two hours, and ‘Sarabaga’ also features his friends and Ambasa bandmates Gaana Balachander and Chellamuthu. His producers include Tanzania’s Gachi B, London-based Quasimode, Dopeboysmusic, Pritesh Hirjee and long-time friend Anto Franklin.
“There’s a difference between collaboration and control. In the past, I only went into the studio and focused on creating a song that arose from a certain part of consciousness. I didn’t think about whether I would be given the proper rights, credit or compensation for my work. On this independent album, without many collaborators, I’m finally creating songs that are my own. It’s my purest form,” he says.
Arivu and his other personality brother Bigson Mandela | Photo Credit: S Siva Raj
Arivu says that after facing many ups and downs after the release of ‘Enjoy Enjaami’, he has learnt lessons in understanding human nature. “People are not the words they speak but the actions they do. I always knew that there is inequality among humans, but after the song was released I gathered direct evidence of it. Despite being educated, it did not help me. I did not get the tools at a young age to deal with and fight such problems,” he says.
Now, his vision is clear. He is here to tell the stories of his ancestors and insists on doing it brilliantly. This is where Valliamma is meant to be Perandi (The grandson) is helpful. Arivu says it was his grandmother who first saw him as an artiste.
“My grandmother from Salem was taken as an indentured labourer to the tea plantations of Sri Lanka during British rule. Despite building a house there, she was forced to return to this country for no fault of hers. She is surviving and thriving despite being displaced. I visited the tea plantations some time back and felt I didn’t know how to make sense of it. I came back with ‘Enjoy Enjaami’, but this new song on the album, ‘Kangani’, is a deeper exploration of their story. This is where the plantation labourers would make fun of their supervisors through wordplay. They raised me as a child as my mother would go to work. I got care, love and a chance to be an artiste in front of them. They called me Ballavaya,” he says.
on the next
Arivu’s exploration through this album also reiterates that he is an artist who seeks joy. “Imagine what songs Arivu would make if there were no castes? I would make fun songs but my pen doesn’t allow it. After all, I am a casteless person. I want to make music that is fun. I want to connect with people through love. My band, Ambasa, and its band members are examples of how one can make joyful music through folk and anthems, without ignoring the important things,” he says.
The artist is set to go on tour soon and has already begun working on the next part of this album, but he says he is most excited for people to hear and receive it. Valliamma Perandi“I want to give people music that suits their tastes and matches my ideas,” he says. However, he mostly wants to make songs that are fun.
To make this easier, his new incarnation is ready to be unveiled. Welcome to this world, brother Bigson Mandela.
