Vaisakh Somanath

Vaisakh Somanath is a singer/songwriter/composer/music producer from Kerala whose songs largely revolve around social and ecological justice. He writes simple yet thoughtful, quirky yet profound lyrics in Tamil and Malayalam with a soul/jazz/r&b approach in his melodies. Vaisakh's debut EP titled Thevai (which means need in Tamil) deals with alternative lifestyle concepts like sustainability, minimalism and alternative schooling. The 4-track soul/jazz EP was featured as one of the 10 Best Indian EPs of 2019 by Rolling Stone India. Also, Vaisakh was nominated for two awards - Best Pop Artist and Best Male Vocalist at The Indies 2020 for the same work. He is currently making the soundtrack of his life in the form of his debut full-length album, "Muppathimoonnu" (which means 33 in Malayalam). The first single off his album, Death of January was selected as one of the 22 Best Indian Independent Singles of 2022 by Rolling Stone India. The same track bagged him the Rock/Blues/Alternative Song of the Year Award at The Indies Fourth Edition. His latest track Vaanam Thodu which is the third single of his album, is currently streaming on YouTube with a self-directed music video! He also hosts songwriting workshops under the name Ezhutthiyal where he takes unconventional ways to explore the commonalities between Malayalam and Tamil in a songwriter's lens. This journey of him took to the stage of Kerala Literature Festival 2024 where he hosted a session on songwriting.