Masala Coffee

Masala Coffee is an Indian music band founded in 2014. The band performs across various genres - Indian folk, blues, pop and rock. Although they primarily compose original music and covers in Malayalam and Tamil, the band also performs in Hindi. Masala Coffee has also made a name for itself through the music they've composed and performed for movies including Solo, Uriyadi and Mundina Nildana.

Masala Coffee
Masala Coffee band at Mojo Rising on 20 February 2015 at Bolgatty Palace, Kochi.
Masala Coffee band at Mojo Rising on 20 February 2015 at Bolgatty Palace, Kochi.
Background information
GenresIndian folk, Indian pop, Indian rock, Blues, Reggae
Years active2014–present
MembersVarun Sunil (Percussion/Vocals)
Crishna (Vocals)
Aslam (Vocals)
Daya Sankar (Drums)
Preeth PS (Guitar)
Pauly (Bass)
Steve Kottoor (Keyboard)
AmalSivan (Violin)

History

The band was founded by Varun Sunil in 2014.[1][2] The band was named "Masala Coffee" to signify the different kind of music they play (alternate folk rock).[3]

They debuted on Kappa TV’s Music Mojo in 2014, performing their own unique versions of popular Tamil songs like “Munbe Vaa” and “Snehithane”. Videos of their performance went viral and the band soon achieved widespread fame through social media.[4][5]

When the members of Masala Coffee first jammed together, it was not with the intention of forming a band. However, following the enthusiastic reception their melodious style of music received, Masala Coffee was officially formed and has never looked back.[6][7] In 2019, the band decided to go ahead with two new lead singers Crishna & Aslam to explore & produce songs in Multiple languages.[8]

The lineup as of 2020 is Varun Sunil, Crishna, Aslam, Daya Sankar, Preeth PS, David Crimson Clifton, Paul Joseph (Pauly), Amal Sivan and Steve Kottoor.[9]

Albums

Masala Coffee announced the release of its debut album, Kimaya, in 2018. The album is composed of ten songs in Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi, including updated versions of some of their original songs in addition to all new tracks.[5] “Arivaal” was the first of the album’s songs to be released in November 2018, followed soon after by the Hindi track “Safar.” The band has since released a few more songs and music videos, with the rest of the album due to be released sequentially.[10][11]

Masala Coffee has worked on new singles after their new line up has been made one of which is “Aadiyillalo Anthamillalo” song reminds us we return to where we came from back to dust, perhaps we should pay attention to more things spend our moments preciously and “Manitham” song reflects on a period of survival for humankind and urges the listener to look for positives in these distressing times.[12]

Film composing

Masala Coffee's first foray into the world of cinema was the performance of a satirical song on liquor ban for the movie Kunjiramayanam directed by Basil Joseph.[13]

The band debuted into film music direction in 2016 with the title track in a promo video for the Malayalam movie Hello Namasthe. Its first major composing was three songs for Uriyadi,[14] a Tamil movie directed by Vijay Kumar. Masala Coffee is also one of the composers for the movie Solo, directed by Bejoy Nambiar.[15]

Filmography
YearFilmLanguageNotes
2016UriyadiTamil
2016Hello NamastheMalayalamPromo song
2017SoloMalayalam/Tamil1 song - World of Siva
2019 Mundina Nildana Kannada 1 song - Manase Maya
2020Kannum Kannum KollaiyadithaalTamil

Major events
DateEventVenue
20 February 2015Mojo Rising Music Fest[16]Bolgatty Palace Grounds, Kochi
8 November 2016The Hindu November Fest[17]The Music Academy, Chennai
19 February 2017The Global ISAI Festival[18]Phoenix MarketCity, Chennai
17 July 2017Hyderabad Arts Festival[19]Cyber Convention Center, Madhapur
11 August 2017AURA'17[20]Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS)
26 January 2018The GoMad Festival[21]Fernhills Royal Palace, Ooty

International concerts
  • Masala Coffee in Dubai on 17 October 2014 at the inaugural ceremony of KPL Dubai Season 3.[22]
  • Masala Coffee performing live for Raag 'N' Rock - The Indie Music Festival, on 11 September 2015 in Dubai[23][24]
  • Masala Coffee on 22 October 2016, performed at the Malaysian Independent Live Fusion Festival which will be held at the StarXpo Centre, Kuala Lumpur.[25]
  • Masala Coffee Performed for the Sarvesh Festival of Arts at the Victoria Hall, Singapore, on 25 November 2016.
  • Masala Coffee performed on 17 March 2017, at the Dubai Global Village.[26]

References
  1. M, Athira (28 June 2019). "Varun Sunil, founder of Masala Coffee, on his upcoming projects". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  2. "VoxTalks With". VoxSpace. 13 October 2019. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  3. "Some 'Masala Coffee' to soothe your musical senses". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  4. Lazarus, Susanna Myrtle (25 May 2018). "A new sound brewing with Masala Coffee". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  5. "Artist Profile: Masala Coffee". eventseeker.com. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  6. Murthy, Neeraja (20 July 2017). "A heady concoction". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  7. Gomes, Michael. "Masala Coffee to spice up things in Dubai concert". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  8. "Masala Coffee on Instagram: "Important Announcement"". Instagram. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  9. "We want to reach out to a wider audience, sing in more languages". Deccan Herald. 14 February 2020. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  10. M, Athira (31 October 2018). "Masala Coffee to launch first track from its debut album, 'Kimaya'". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  11. "Masala Coffee on their new album 'Kimaya'". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  12. "Masala Coffee on upcoming single, experimenting with their sound and working on film music". www.indulgexpress.com. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  13. Sur, Prateek (15 August 2015). "Kunjiramayanam song Salsa". Bollywood Life. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  14. Hindu, The. "Brewing New Ideas". Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  15. Riaz, Azmia (7 October 2017). "Flying Solo". Edex Live. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  16. Somani, Deepa (17 February 2015). "Kappa TV organises Mojo rising". timesofindia. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  17. Vijayan, Naveena (8 November 2016). "Brewing a new sound". The Hindu. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  18. Metro Plus (17 February 2017). "Music at the mall". The Hindu. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  19. Murthy, Neeraja (20 July 2017). "A heady concoction". The Hindu. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  20. Verma, Dinesh (16 August 2016). "Masala Coffee brews musical magic". The Hindu. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  21. Rodricks, Allan (24 January 2018). "GoMad Festival in Ooty: Madness, music and masti". The Hindu. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  22. "Masala coffee | KPL Dubai Season 3". Kpldubai.com. 8 October 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  23. "Indie Festival Brings Top Live Acts Together For An Evening Of RAAG 'n' ROCK In Dubai". Onlinepress.com. 26 July 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  24. Staff (4 September 2015). "Malayalam folk-rock sensations gear up for UAE debut". Emirates 24/7. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  25. Ganesan, Sharmila (21 October 2016). "Masala Coffee brews a spicy mix of music". Star 2. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  26. "Indian band Masala Coffee to perform in Dubai |". khaleejtimes.com. Retrieved 17 March 2018.

Further reading
  • Manorama Online - Of fusion, folk, coffee and more[1]
  • New Indian Express - Masala Coffee to soothe your musical senses[2]
  • Telangana Today - Piquant concoction of music[3]
  • The Hans India - Fifth edition of Hyderabad Arts Festival announced[4]
  • The Hans India - Masala Coffee drops some fusion rock[5]
  • Mid Day - South Indian Band Masala Coffee To Perform In Mumbai For The First Time[6]

Masala Coffee Official Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/masalacoffeeband/

  1. Rebecca, Merin (4 July 2015). "Of fusion, folk, coffee and more". manoramaonline. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  2. Damodaran, Akhila (18 November 2017). "some-masala-coffee-to-soothe-your-musical-senses". New Indian Express. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  3. B, Keerthana (16 July 2017). "Piquant concoction of music". Telangana Today. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  4. "Fifth-edition-of-Hyderabad-Arts-Festival-announced". The Hans India. Hyderabad. 14 April 2017. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  5. "Masala Coffee drops some fusion rock". The Hans India. Hyderabad. 17 July 2017. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  6. The Guide Team (18 January 2018). "South Indian Band Masala Coffee To Perform In Mumbai For The First Time". Mid-Day. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
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