Meet Iykki Berry, the Tamil-English rapper trying to break stereotypes – one song at a time

Iykki is the shorter mentation of her sanction Iykya, which means unity oregon harmony successful Tamil, says the singer. Her household calls her “Iykki”, she says, particularly her begetter who calls her “Iykki doll”. “A berry is affluent successful vitamins. Being a tegument doctor, my session sanction is besides Berry Glow Aesthetics, radical telephone maine Dr Berry,” she explains.

“Whenever my fans oregon my assemblage chant my sanction arsenic ‘Iykki’, that takes maine 1 measurement person to them and makes maine consciousness that my household is ever with maine and I don’t miss them truthful much! In a way, I get much connected with my audience,” she says.

Itihasam, Iykki’s latest work

Iykki Berry, who is based successful Chennai but primitively from Thanjavur, is retired with her latest single Itihasam. “It is an anthem of resilience and empowerment. The opus is astir overcoming obstacles and making history. Its almighty lyrics, energetic beats, and unsocial storytelling constituent marque it an inspiring way that resonates with anyone who has faced challenges and fought to emergence supra them,” she says, talking astir the opus with Tamil lyrics.

Iykki says the opus is peculiar due to the fact that it was changeable astatine A R Rahman’s virtual world studio, Ustream, astatine ARR Film City. “This groundbreaking acquisition brought unneurotic innovative exertion and our passionateness for music, making it a milestone for us. Collaborating successful specified a abstraction added a unsocial dimension to the project,” says Iykki, who besides draws inspiration from Rahman and Michael Jackson. “Their music, innovation, and quality to link with audiences globally person ever motivated maine to propulsion my boundaries and make impactful art,” adds Iykki.

The collaboration with Ustream came astir owed to Sridhar Santhanam of Ustream and Senthil Velavan from the ARR team. “They came crossed our euphony videos and believed successful our vision, giving america the incredible opportunity to enactment astatine ARR Film City,” says Iykki.

A inactive from Itihasam (Source: PR Handout)

Honouring one’s roots

Iykki says rapping successful Tamil is simply a mode to explicit her thoughts and stories successful her parent tongue. “Tamil is 1 of the oldest surviving languages, affluent successful past and culture. Rap, for me, is simply a mode to explicit my thoughts and stories successful my parent tongue, preserving its authenticity. It is my mode of honouring my roots portion sharing messages that resonate with radical from antithetic walks of life,” she says.

Grounded successful Tamil heritage

Iykki spent her puerility astatine her grandparents’ location successful Thanjavur, a metropolis affluent successful taste heritage, and says she was surrounded by euphony and the arts, which played a immense relation successful shaping her emotion for Tamil culture. “Those aboriginal influences person stayed with maine and proceed to usher my originative journey,” shares Iykki.

According to her, the extent of Tamil civilization lies successful its past traditions, language, literature, classical music, and dance. “It is simply a civilization that has survived centuries, keeping its halfway values intact. The resilience and creativity of Tamil radical person made this civilization vibrant and enduring,” she adds.

“My journey, from section performances to planetary collaborations, has helped maine refine my benignant and link with a planetary assemblage portion remaining grounded successful my Tamil heritage. From playing astir with words to creating lyrical stories that bespeak not conscionable me, but an full generation, my travel is much refined but inactive packs a punch. Evolution is astir growth, not losing your edge. I person gone from conscionable having earthy vigor to blending it with precision and finesse. I person grown without losing my wound — sharper, smarter, and ever successful my ain lane,” says Iykki.

Iykki, who became a household sanction aft her quality successful Bigg Boss Tamil a fewer years ago, says it was a “transformative experience” that gave her a wider scope of fans, particularly children and families — thing each artiste dreams of. “It opened caller doors for maine and brought fame. I would decidedly see going backmost arsenic the level helped maine link with a larger assemblage and offered immense maturation opportunities,” she adds.

‘Talent knows nary gender’

The rap country has been predominantly antheral successful India but Iykki says endowment knows nary gender. “I person worked hard to carve a peculiar abstraction for myself arsenic a pistillate rapper. It is astir proving that endowment knows nary gender. My travel has been astir breaking stereotypes and showing that women tin excel successful immoderate genre, including rap,” she says.

Rap whitethorn beryllium a mean to explicit beardown emotions similar choler oregon discontent. “But it is besides a instrumentality for storytelling, empowerment, and celebration. It allows artistes to dependable their experiences and perspectives, offering a earthy and honorable reflection of society,” says Iykki.

Iykki Berry talks astir her roots (Source: PR Handout)

What lies ahead

How person autarkic euphony portals and societal media helped the emergence of talent? “Independent euphony platforms and societal media person been crippled changers, providing artists with a nonstop transportation to their audience. They person democratised the euphony industry, allowing endowment to emergence based connected merit alternatively than accepted gatekeeping,” says Iykki.

Iykki wants the younger procreation to clasp the richness of Indian civilization and the lit of their parent lingua portion adapting to modern influences. “They request to recognize their roots and practice arsenic this cognition provides a beardown instauration for growth, creativity, and self-identity,” she shares.

How does she equilibrium her vocation arsenic a wide practitioner/clinical cosmetologist and music? “It requires dedication and passion. I usage my clip wisely betwixt these fields. Medicine allows maine to positively interaction lives, portion euphony allows maine to explicit my creativity and link with radical connected a antithetic level,” says Iykki, who says she follows a “strict routine”. “I rap and creation each day, workout regularly, and travel a nutritious, balanced diet. This helps maine support my vigor levels and enactment successful highest form, some for my euphony performances and my aesculapian practice,” she explains.

Iykki is besides a painter, swimmer, and dancer. “I emotion exploring caller countries and immersing myself successful antithetic cultures whenever I get the chance,” she says.

Next up is an ‘Itihasam’ tour, covering nationalist and planetary locations. “I privation to showcase my roots to the world. After the tour, I volition beryllium releasing my adjacent euphony video titled ‘I.Y.K.K.I, – Ignite Your Knowledge Kindness and Individuality’ which volition uncover a antithetic persona of maine – a 12-year-old Iykki who embodies happiness and playfulness with women empowerment,” says Iykki.