Sangeetha Rajeev, also known as SaRa is an Indian playback singer and composer. She won the Best International Pop Singer of the year 2019 at the VIMA Music Awards in Malaysia.[1] She is the first Independent Artist from Karnataka to collaborate with Sonu Nigam for a Kannada Track called "Neene Neene"[2] which was also released in Hindi as "Tuhi Tuhi". Her track "Nee Hinga Nodabyada" which was sung, composed and performed by Sangeetha Rajeev remains one of the biggest viral Kannada independent tracks[3] She is considered to be the first female independent artist in the Kannada music scene who also introduced the genre Ka pop (Kannada Pop, ಕ pop).
Sangeetha Rajeev | |
|---|---|
 Sangeetha Rajeev Photo Shoot | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 23 October Bangalore, Karnataka, India |
| Origin | India |
| Genres | Pop, ಕ pop, Electronic dance music (EDM), Indian folk music |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, composer, actress |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Labels | Sara Records |
She entered the Telugu Independent music scene with her hit single "Naa Raju" which was supported by the Tollywood industry and launched by the legendary RP Patnaik, Sricharan Pakala, Noel Sean, Rahul Sipligunj and Rollrida. She has now entered the Punjabi Independent music scene with her first Punjabi EP "Rise" [4]
On account of world music day, YouTube featured Sangeetha Rajeev on the front page of major new paper publications[5] making her the first and only artist from Karnataka to be featured by YouTube as a part of Creating for India[6] campaign
She is now all set to make her acting debut in a Hindi feature film 'Red Collar' starring Kishore Kumar G in the lead.[7]
She is also making her acting debut as the female lead actress in the South Indian film industry with the Kannada film "Nimitta Matra" directed by Roshan Dsouza [8]
Early life
Sangeetha Rajeev was born Bangalore to a musical family. Her father S Rajeev was a bank manager, who had to move to Mumbai on an official transfer. She along with her family moved to Mumbai at the age of 6 where she spent most of her childhood. In Mumbai she was trained in Bharatnatyam and Carnatic classical music. She is also trained in Hindustani classical music.
Sangeetha did most of her schooling in Mumbai.[citation needed] Sangeetha graduated in information science engineering. She then moved to England to work before returning to India to pursue music.[citation needed]
Career
Sangeetha started her career from Kannada films. She was introduced to this industry by the music composer Dharma Vish. She sang a song in the film Aane Pataaki for which she also won the best playback singer award the same year. She was then introduced to the Tollywood industry by the Kshanam music composer Sricharan Pakala and director Shreeranjani through actor/producer Nagarjuna's home production Annapurna Studios. She started her Telugu film career with the film Rangula Ratnam where she sang the Birthday (Tic Toc) song and became the voice of Sithara (actress). She has also sung in the Hindi film Simply Ek Love Story.
She has also produced and composed many independent singles in the Kannada and Hindi languages, including "Nee Hinga Nodabyada".[3] Her single "Neene Neene" was a collaboration with Sonu Nigam[9]
Influences
One of SaRa's early musical influences was her mother herself, M K Sharadamba,[10] who is a Carnatic classical musician. SaRa is highly influenced by western music and considers the late great Michael Jackson to be her western influences.[11]
Discography
As a playback singer
| Year | Song | Film / Album | Composer | Language | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | "Yentane taragathi" | Aane Pataaki | Dharma Vish | Kannada | [12] |
| "Thinbedakami 2" | Lucia | Poornachandra Tejaswi | [13] | ||
| 2014 | "Haule Haule" | Simply Ek Love Story | Karthik Vijay | Hindi | [14] |
| 2015 | "Ali Baba" | Rebel | Jassie Gift | Kannada | [15] |
| "Namma ee aata" | Aadhya | Jeevan Reddy | |||
| 2016 | "Bijili Krishna" | I Dash You | Adil Nadaf | ||
| "Hero cylce nalli nanu" | Bhujanga | Poornachandra Tejaswi (composer) | [16] | ||
| "Khushi" | Looty | Dharma Vish | Tulu | [17] | |
| 2017 | "Dhool Yebbussro" | Raj Vishnu | Arjun Janya | Kannada | [18] |
| 2018 | "Birthday" | Rangula Ratnam | Sricharan Pakala | Telugu | [19] |
| 2018 | "Namde Lifu" | Edakallu Guddada Mele | Ashic Arun | Kannada | [20] |
| 2019 | "Rum Rum Rurum (Psychedelic Song)" | Mataash | S.D. Aravinda | [21] | |
| "Heartalli" | Chanaksha | Abhimann Roy | [22] | ||
| "Nadu Naachide" | Naguva Nayana | Karthik Pai | [23] | ||
| "Payanava" | Premier Padmini | Arjun Janya | [24] | ||
| "Taasha" | Kushka | Abhilash Gupta | [25] | ||
| "Shaane Top Agavne" | Sinnga | Dharma Vish | [26] | ||
| "Mussanje-EDM" | Paaravvana Kanasu | Tharun Symonds | [27] | ||
| 2020 | "Moodanada Surya" | Gule | Sangeetha Rajeev | [27] | |
| "Oora Bittu" | Gule | Sangeetha Rajeev | [27] | ||
| 2021 | "I Love You" Feat Puneeth Rajkumar | Namma Hudugaru | Abhimann Roy | [28] | |
| "Late Late" | Puncture | Manasa Holla | |||
| 2022 | "Coka 2.0" | Liger | Jaani, Lijo George-DJ Chetas | [29] | |
| 2023 | "Yaaro Yaaro" | Yadha Yadha Hi | Sricharan Pakala |
Independent Music
| Year | Work | Composer | Language |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | "Sarvasva"[30] | Sangeetha Rajeev | Kannada |
| 2016 | "Chan Se Udi"[31] | Hindi | |
| 2017 | "Kare"[32] | Kannada | |
| 2018 | "Tu Hi"[33] | Hindi | |
| 2018 | "Ee Sala Cup Namde (RCB Anthem)"[34] | Kannada | |
| 2018 | "Zindagi"[35] | Hindi | |
| 2018 | "Nan E Life"[36] | Kannada | |
| 2019 | "Hai Salaam"[37] | Hindi | |
| 2020 | "YML"[37] | Kannada | |
| 2020 | "Thank You Maa"[38] | ||
| "Wedlock Down"[39] | |||
| "Nee Hinga Nodabyada"[40] | |||
| "Neene Neene"[41] | |||
| "Tuhi Tuhi"[42] | Hindi | ||
| "Ena Maadali"[43] | Kannada | ||
| 2021 | "Noda Noda"[44] | ||
| "Appa"[45] | |||
| "Nee Hinga Nodabyada 2"[46] | |||
| "Nannatta Soodamaku"[47] | Telugu | ||
| "Nannatta Soodamaku 2"[48] | |||
| "Naa Muttidella Chinna"[49] | Kannada | ||
| 2022 | "Lovvu Lovvu"[50] | ||
| 2022 | "Naa Raju"[51] | Telugu | |
| "Nan Raja"[52] | Kannada | ||
| 2022 | "Neene Illade"[53] | Sangeetha Rajeev | Kannada |
| 2022 | "Tanha"[54] | Hindi | |
| 2023 | "Aigiri Nandini"[55] | Kannada | |
| 2023 | "Innu Yaaka Baralilla"[56] | Kannada | |
| 2023 | "Rise"[57] [58] | Punjabi |
Filmography (As Actor)
| Year | Film | Language | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Red Collar | Hindi | [59] |
| 2024 | Nimitta Matra | Kannada | [60] [61] |
Awards
| Award | Song | Language | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| VIMA International Music Awards | Zindagi | Hindi | [1] |
| KiMA International Music Awards | Yentane Taragathi | Kannada |