Young Tamil rapper stays true to her passion
The lack of recognition for Sri Lankan Tamil artists is a challenge that young rapper Rathya Atputharajah and other local Tamil artists have to face, but having dreamed of becoming a musical artist from a young age, she was not willing to give up.
Rathya made her debut in the Sri Lankan music scene through her song covers and rap covers on Facebook and YouTube a few years ago. Her first solo track Manitham (Humanity) released last year. Rathya says he is the reason she took up a musical career.
“From my childhood onwards I always loved rap music and I used to rap for my friends. My favourite rap artists are Maya Arulpragasam, better known as MIA, Nicki Minaj and Cardi B. I also enjoy listening to a lot of pop music as well,” says Rathya.
While working as a cover artist, she quickly caught the eyes and ears of local music producers and singers such as Chanuka Mora, Ravi Royster and Sankha B and was soon featuring in their songs and music videos.
Rathya’s own family was not too keen on her being a singer or a rapper, as they wanted her to study law. However seeing her resolve, a few years ago her father advised her to take up a career in the media industry while studying for her law degree.
“I did not want to become a lawyer. So at 19, I joined DAN TV as a playout operator, and I had to handle all the behind-the-scenes technical operations for live shows. This was my first career in the media field, and in 2016 I began pursuing a career in rap music,” she says.
“In the Sinhala music industry, I have noticed that female singers and rappers are very bold. But in the Tamil music industry that is not the case. Girls don’t come forward and show their talents. They are worried about what their families and what other people in our community will think or say about them. So I would like more Tamil female singers and rappers to come forward and show their talents.”
Rathya has been featured by musical artists and music producers Chanuka Mora, Ravi Royster, Mirun Prathap, Shameel, Ayeshmantha, Sankha B, Akira da rapwolf and Gloomy.
She also credits musical artists MC Ra, Pj Arul, Arjun and Akeep and the studio JSC Digital Media for helping her throughout her musical journey. These days she is busy attending gigs such as the recent Beach Diwali celebration in Wellawatte and other events where she raps and sings.
2023 will see Rathya releasing two more songs, which she worked on with composer and singer Krishan Mahesan. One single called Avalai Naan (Because of her) is dedicated to her mother while the other single Theydathey (Don’t search for me) is about a broken relationship.
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