<p>What started as penning down words during the lockdown, led to a recent viral Malayalam single ‘Lokame’ by RJ Ekalavyan. It talks about current issues and tries to instigate a change.</p>.<p>The song which released a week ago has picked up a lot of attention and been shared by actors across the industry.</p>.<p>In a candid chat with <em><span class="italic">Metrolife</span></em>, the singer talks about the single and the journey.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>What triggered the song?</strong></p>.<p>Time triggered the song. I always wanted to write and make music. Everyone had ample time on themselves during the lockdown. Even I was at home wondering about what to do. One fine day, I took a pen and paper and started writing the lyrics and finished it in an hour. I wrote around eight songs in a span of two weeks.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>How did the lyrics happen? What is the inspiration behind the song and the words?</strong></p>.<p>The lyrics just happened. I just started writing ‘Lokame, ningal onnu ingu sradhiku’ (meaning Hey world, listen up). The rest just instantly came to me and I liked the sound of it.</p>.<p>The world was under stress and everyone was facing the heat. I wanted my lines to be socio-political. The song talks about a number of issues — note ban and demonetisation, fake votes, fake news and asks people to unite.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>What pushed you to create the song? </strong></p>.<p>I was at a homestay with some friends, which is were it all started. By then the lines were ready and I knew that I wanted to make it into a rap video. I was jamming with some friends and one of them asked me to sing a song, which is when I rapped a part of the song. A common friend took a video and convinced me about uploading it online. It went viral.</p>.<p>The ‘sneak peek’ video was appreciated by many in the industry, after which it got the attention of a big production house, but things didn’t work out because of their earlier commitments. Soon after, actress Mamta Mohandas agreed to produce the song.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>What was your reaction when Mamta agreed to produce the single? </strong></p>.<p>I was so happy that it is unexplainable. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen. I was just very thankful to god and nature.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>Does music have to reflect issues and talk about today’s times?</strong></p>.<p>I don’t believe that every track has to talk about it. For rap and hiphop, it is a factor. I would like to work on tracks with genuine issues, but not all my tracks will be socio-political.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>Who is your favourite rap artiste?</strong></p>.<p>I am not someone who has followed rap music strictly. To me, Eminem is the rap god and I listen to him. I love listening to Arijit Singh, Sonu Nigam and Lucky Ali.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>Any projects lined up?</strong></p>.<p>I have a few songs planned for the future. One of my upcoming numbers will be about a never-say-die attitude.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>Apart from being an RJ, what are other things you have tried?</strong></p>.<p>I like trying everything. Other than radio, I’m into football refereeing. I’m a qualified football referee under Kerala Football Association and the All India Football Federation. </p>
<p>What started as penning down words during the lockdown, led to a recent viral Malayalam single ‘Lokame’ by RJ Ekalavyan. It talks about current issues and tries to instigate a change.</p>.<p>The song which released a week ago has picked up a lot of attention and been shared by actors across the industry.</p>.<p>In a candid chat with <em><span class="italic">Metrolife</span></em>, the singer talks about the single and the journey.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>What triggered the song?</strong></p>.<p>Time triggered the song. I always wanted to write and make music. Everyone had ample time on themselves during the lockdown. Even I was at home wondering about what to do. One fine day, I took a pen and paper and started writing the lyrics and finished it in an hour. I wrote around eight songs in a span of two weeks.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>How did the lyrics happen? What is the inspiration behind the song and the words?</strong></p>.<p>The lyrics just happened. I just started writing ‘Lokame, ningal onnu ingu sradhiku’ (meaning Hey world, listen up). The rest just instantly came to me and I liked the sound of it.</p>.<p>The world was under stress and everyone was facing the heat. I wanted my lines to be socio-political. The song talks about a number of issues — note ban and demonetisation, fake votes, fake news and asks people to unite.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>What pushed you to create the song? </strong></p>.<p>I was at a homestay with some friends, which is were it all started. By then the lines were ready and I knew that I wanted to make it into a rap video. I was jamming with some friends and one of them asked me to sing a song, which is when I rapped a part of the song. A common friend took a video and convinced me about uploading it online. It went viral.</p>.<p>The ‘sneak peek’ video was appreciated by many in the industry, after which it got the attention of a big production house, but things didn’t work out because of their earlier commitments. Soon after, actress Mamta Mohandas agreed to produce the song.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>What was your reaction when Mamta agreed to produce the single? </strong></p>.<p>I was so happy that it is unexplainable. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen. I was just very thankful to god and nature.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>Does music have to reflect issues and talk about today’s times?</strong></p>.<p>I don’t believe that every track has to talk about it. For rap and hiphop, it is a factor. I would like to work on tracks with genuine issues, but not all my tracks will be socio-political.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>Who is your favourite rap artiste?</strong></p>.<p>I am not someone who has followed rap music strictly. To me, Eminem is the rap god and I listen to him. I love listening to Arijit Singh, Sonu Nigam and Lucky Ali.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>Any projects lined up?</strong></p>.<p>I have a few songs planned for the future. One of my upcoming numbers will be about a never-say-die attitude.</p>.<p class="Question"><strong>Apart from being an RJ, what are other things you have tried?</strong></p>.<p>I like trying everything. Other than radio, I’m into football refereeing. I’m a qualified football referee under Kerala Football Association and the All India Football Federation. </p>