The right to education is a cause that singer and actor Andrea Jeremiah is quite passionate about. “I strongly believe it is the single greatest weapon to fight poverty, ignorance and corruption. The primary purpose of education is to create awareness and a skill set. If you don’t have a skill, you can’t make a living,” she says.

So it’s no surprise that she’s lending her voice to support a fundraiser for a Skill Development Centre to be built by Y’s Men International. She will be live in concert today at Phoenix MarketCity. “I’m going to be performing only in English, taking a chance and doing more of my own music. The singer/songwriter side of me has been kept under wraps for too long,” says the singer, who grew up listening to country music. “When I was doing musical theatre and mainstream pop, my idols were Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Celine Dion. Then in my late teens, I discovered Ella Fitzgerald and fell in love with jazz. Lately, I’ve been listening to a lot of eclectic EDM; so I basically listen to everything,” she says, when asked about her musical influences.

While she recently composed, wrote and sang an original number for her latest film, Taramani, she says, “Moving to music is not an option for me at the moment, simply because the independent music scene in India hasn’t fully evolved yet.” That being said, she has been spending a lot of time in the recording studio. “I have songs in various stages of development. I need to focus on releasing these.”

As for balancing cinema and music, Jeremiah says, “Cinema is a common platform for artists to create something together, from the art director to the actor. Being an actor is a different experience from being a singer, but they are both gratifying.”

Opening the show for Jeremiah is Sharanya Gopinath, who’s known for her songs in Uttama Villain, Valiyavan and Maragadha Naanayam. She will be performing with the Drop Squad Band, singing a mix of English, Hindi and Tamil numbers. “The set list includes upbeat songs from the 70s, like Gloria Gaynor, Diana Ross et al. There’s going to be something for everyone,” she says.

Andrea Jeremiah Live In Concert will take place at Phoenix MarketCity, today at 7 pm. Tickets at ₹2,000, ₹1,000 and ₹500 available on bookmyshow.com. 66513007

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Entertainment> Music / by Susanna Myrtle Lazarus / September 22nd, 2017