No Stars in Star Singer

I am not going to beat about the bush here, but this is my thought - I detest all you viewers who hold the obscenely popular television show, Idea Star Singer in high regard. I think it is just another episode of plagiarism and tomfoolery. Allow me to rationalize.


Let me begin with expressing that I have great regard for the young talents on such music reality shows and completely agree that such gems should indeed be rewarded. But frame is focused on the scores and scores of television audience around the world glued to their idiot boxes between 8:30 to 10:00 watching what can only be described as mimicry. Don't be startled, if this isn't mimicry then what would you describe it as?


Dear people of Kerala, if you could just point to me the originality in such a show. I do not mean to sound rude, but aren't they just mimicking someone else on the stage and being judged for it? And what I fail to understand is how you all come to recognize and reward a show that isn't really creating anything, but just mimicking classics.






Okay I'll agree that we do get talented singers from such shows. And let us assume that over the years we do get some real singing talents, but are these singers just enough for creating music? What we often fail to realize is that a singer merely gives breath to a creation, rather than actually creating something. The composer or music director created the song that one holds so dear to ones heart. Of course without a singer, it would never have been heard. But isn't our attitude of relating a song to its singer rather than its composer like turn a deaf ear to the real mason who did the construction and just recognizing the painter who painted it.


At this point allow me to draw your attention to a general trend in the Indian music industry, especially Malayalam industry, of giving importance to the singer of a song over its composer or music director. Our Cd covers are filled with mugshots of the singers and a stamp size picture of the music composer, conveniently tucked away at the corner. Is it not the composer's tune that you would always remember, even if the words that the singer lent are forgotten. Let me also add that even if that extra popular song was sung by singerB rather than singerA in the first place, it would still have attained the same popularity, because it is the tune of the composition that makes a song sweet.


Now if I were to ask you to reward two individuals, would you select the one who presented you with an original creation or the one who just imitated another original?


So when you are spending your evenings watching this mimicryon your telly, let me draw your attention to another singing contest called EuroVision, from Europe. The show has been broadcasted around the world every year since its inauguration in 1956 and is one of the longest-running television programmes in the world. It is also one of the most-watched non-sporting events in the world, with audience figures having been quoted in recent years as anything between 100 million and 600 million internationally


What makes the Eurovision different from our music reality shows is the one rule which is the back bone of the contest. Originality. Eurovision rules lay out that the content should be absolutely original. It asks for songs that have never been heard before and music that never has been released. Eurovision has given us some splendid talents like ABBA and Celine Dion, and it is because of this approach that I think, they compose more music than we ever do. They direct their talent to produce more music, while we direct our talents to imitating a masterpiece.


What we need on televison are shows that innovate, shows that create new music, shows that bring out comprehensive music talent. If we carry on in the current direction, I guess we will soon end up like our education system, more supply than the demand. Oh my! singers without music, is more frightening than engineers without projects.


This is not about just about Idea Star Singer, but our music reality shows in general. In this view I hold the reality comedy contests in a very high regard. After all they are pumping out new stuff, creating more and innovative ways to make the viewers laugh off their seats. Isn't it time we really stop mimicking and start creating??