Usha Uthup may not have got many chances to sing for Hindi films, but music gave her the best things in life. In 2013, she shared her story in her own inimitable manner at an INKtalks event.
00:00Let the sky fall, when it crumbles, we will stand tall, face it all, together let the sky fall.
00:16Many people think that only Madonna recorded Fever, well she did, but I recorded that in 1969.
00:25I didn't get so many chances to really sing in Hindi films, because they always thought that in Hindi films all the good girls had to sound just so, you know, with a high voice.
00:34Absolutely, but there I was sounding like I do.
00:37I picked up more and more languages, I did 17 Indian languages and 8 foreign languages.
00:42Almost every day we sing in those.
00:44Feelings, nothing more than feelings.
00:48Sing yang lang mak ching chow, sing yang lang mak chow.
00:51What a surprise this audience is, it's superb.
00:57So much of diversity in just saying Namaskar, Namaskaram, Sat Sri Akal, Salaam Alaikum.
01:02But so much of unity.
01:04Music has shrunk the world, music brings people together.
01:08But for me, completely untrained, no formal training at all in music to be here for 44 years.
01:16You've loved me, you've accepted me just the way I am.
01:19And, you know, talking the way I do, as part of wearing the bindi.
01:23Do you like my saree by the way? Quickly in the minute here.
01:26Bigger one than that, come on, it's specially for ring.
01:31My bindi and my flowers and my hair and the bangles.
01:35People would have probably thought that it was a fantastic idea and a fantastic strategy and positioning and planning.
01:42But frankly, it's none of those.
01:45It just so happened that I was born into a very middle class South Indian family.
01:49And the only dress I knew beside the uniform was my saree.
01:54My Amma's saree in those days.
01:56And in the larger picture, though we're all citizens of the world,
01:59it's wonderful to say, hey, I'm Indian and thank God for the saree.
02:02One of my earliest memories of my nightclub life.
02:06By the way, for those of you don't know, I actually, I'm not as bad as I look.
02:10I started as a nightclub singer in 1969 in Madras in a small little nightclub called Nine Gems.
02:16And then I got into another nightclub in Savera Hotel in Madras.
02:22In those days, there was obviously no electronic media.
02:25But the ad said tonight and every night, Usha, no cover charge.
02:30Whoa. So it actually started then.
02:34Yeah. And people never imagined that someone looking like me would be in a nightclub.
02:38And I'm so grateful to God that it happened that way because I couldn't think of another life.
02:44My music gave me the best things in my life.
02:49Gave me my family, gave me my husband, gave me my children, gave me my grandchildren, gave me all of you.
02:56Amazing ads that I had or shall I say write ups was in Hong Kong in the Straits times when they said hot chapati, she's good.
03:04And somebody else said she's Shirley Bassey in a sari.
03:08I've always appreciated things like that.
03:10Even when they said that I sounded like Tom Jones or Jose Feliciano, sometimes Frank Sinatra.
03:15It's lovely. But that's my voice, you know.
03:17And because of this kind of voice that I have and I had in that time as well, I didn't get so many chances to really sing in Hindi films.
03:25Because they always thought that in Hindi films, all the good girls had to sound just so, you know, with a high voice.
03:31Absolutely. But there I was sounding like I do.
03:34And then, hey, I just believed in myself and made all my limitations into my strengths.
03:39And that's why I remain original today.
03:41So when people said that I sounded like this one and that one and the other one, I was really, really happy.
03:46Because I think all that people really want to do or want to listen or want to feel is a connect with the rest of the world.
03:53Who cares who sang that song before?
03:55It really didn't matter because I was singing Frank Sinatra.
03:58I was singing The Beatles. I was singing Rolling Stones.
04:01I was singing Muhammad Rafi.
04:03I was singing everybody.
04:05I sometimes wonder, maybe this is a good question for Inc.
04:08What do you do if you want to sing and you never had any training and you never had an original song to sing?
04:15Hey, you just sing anyway.
04:19Because a song is a song is a song.
04:22It just gets people together.
04:24And for everybody who ever heard me before would know that some of my biggest songs were the James Bond movie songs.
04:31And I've done each and every one, recorded all of them.
04:34Though many people think that only Madonna recorded Fever.
04:39Well, she did.
04:40But I recorded that in 1969.
04:43Can you imagine?
04:44So many years ago.
04:45So I feel proud to say in front of all of you, let me sing for you a beautiful song.
04:50The Oscar winning song, Skyfall.
04:53Make me do it like I've never done before.
04:55Yeah.
04:56We have it.
04:58Lovely.
04:59Whoa.
05:00You've got to make me do it because I depend on you.
05:06I can't believe that you're in India.
05:10In God's own country.
05:13Kerala.
05:14Cochin.
05:16Listening to Skyfall.
05:19In a sari.
05:32This is the end.
05:36Hold your breath and count to ten.
05:43Feel the earth moving then.
05:49Hear my heart burst again.
05:56For this is the end.
06:01I've drowned and dreamt each moment.
06:08So overdue I overcame.
06:15Swept away and stolen.
06:22Let the sky fall.
06:25When it crumbles, we will stand tall.
06:31Face it all together.
06:34Let the sky fall.
06:38When it crumbles, we will stand tall.
06:44Face it all together.
06:46Let the sky fall.
06:52I started very early in life realizing the power of music
06:56and knowing that it had absolutely no barriers of caste,
