Some memories are stored in photographs. Some live in old letters, familiar places, or the voices of people we have loved. For me, some of mine live in songs.
Music has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. Before I understood what music could do, I knew what it felt like to hear my mother sing.
My mother, Mrs. Rajalakshmi Kannan, was trained in Carnatic music and had a beautiful, melodic, pitch-perfect voice. I grew up listening to compositions that I now know are extraordinarily difficult. At the time, they simply belonged to my world because they belonged to hers.
She was also the person who introduced me to far more than music. She taught me to notice subtlety, beauty and the finer things in life. Every one of my books carries a quiet dedication to her, because so much of what I create begins there.
Today, my listening moves freely through Hindustani classical, Carnatic, operatic pop, jazz, country, fusion, film music and instrumentals. Genre has never mattered as much as what the music makes me feel. If a piece of music evokes something deep within me, it finds a place in my playlist.
Whenever I write fiction, songs find their way into the story, and before long, each novel has its own playlist.
Music is not something that one listens just for relaxation. It gives memories a place to live. Certain songs belong to people, others to seasons of life, and some become inseparable from characters who exist only on a page.
So I began creating playlists for my novels.
Taste of Fate has songs that became intertwined with Maya and Arjun’s journey. Work-Love Balance has Vikram’s Setlist because Vikram is a singer and music is woven into his story.
With Wings of Love, I wanted to do something a little different.
There are two Spotify playlists this time.
🎧 Reading Companion: instrumental music to accompany the novel and create the mood while you read.
🎼 The Soundtrack to Wings of Love: songs that remind me of Shalini, Vishal and the emotions that shape their story.
Perhaps this is why making a playlist for every novel has become such a natural part of writing for me. It began with a mother who filled our home with music and taught me to notice the beautiful things. Rajalakshmi Kannan will always be part of whatever I do. Anything good in me has been imbibed from her. Whatever is flawed is entirely my own.
This playlist tradition, like so much else in my life, is dedicated to her.
If you’re a music lover like me and would like the Spotify links, comment PLAYLIST and I’ll DM them to you.
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#WingsofLove #Soundtrack #ReadingCompanion #Love #Friendship