Singer Usha Uthup, who was in the city recently, reflects on a life and career deeply intertwined with Chennai, the city which, she says, shaped her. In an exclusive conversation with us, she also talks about her enduring love for the Margazhi season, being called India’s first true crossover pop icon, the evolving world of music driven by social media and more. Excerpts:

Madras is where I started, and the city has shaped my music, my discipline and my worldview. Madras audiences are extremely discerning and truly understand music, and I’m deeply grateful for that. Thank God for the Kanjivaram sari and the malli poo — I thank Madras for everything. People think Madras is conservative, but the city accepted me with open arms, and that is what makes its audience so special. The film music scene here is unparalleled, with extraordinary musicians and legends like Ilaiyaraaja sir, AR Rahman and so many fantastic musicians and singers.

The Margazhi season is just fantastic, and I would say it’s one of the biggest music festivals that happen anywhere in the world. Performing in Madras always makes me a little nervous, but that only pushes me to be better than I was in my last show. I work very hard at constantly improving myself as a musician. I always strive to perform my best for the knowledgeable Madras audience. I’m happy to be on stage in Chennai every time.

Across five decades I have sung pop, jazz, film music, regional, international, and devotional — all kinds of songs. If you ask which phase of my career truly changed the way India listened to music, I don’t know if that’s something I can claim. But I do believe I changed many things because of the timing of my presence on the scene.

People began listening to music differently — at least to my kind of music. I started in 1969, when there were not many women dressed the way I was, when women artistes constantly faced strong stereotypes. But that never deterred me because I was never in that race. I think that broke several barriers and ceilings. I realized that what people might call my limitations or weaknesses often became my strengths. It’s not about how good or bad a singer you are, but how original you are. I’ve been 100 per cent original, never tried to copy anyone, and I’m very comfortable in my own skin.

For me, everything just happened naturally. I never really did anything consciously to bridge global music with Indian audiences. I had no influences in my life except the radio and my own family (her two elder sisters also sang). There was no planning, strategy or positioning — I just sang because I loved singing and wanted to make people happy. If my music ended up connecting people across cultures or languages, that was a wonderful bonus for me.

I never once thought of giving up singing or stepping away from the stage, because for me, being on stage is everything. Along with that, my family gave me incredible support. In fact, even during the most trying times, music has made life better for me. It has kept me afloat, kept me on stage, and kept me going, earning me so many accolades and giving me so much.