Singer Susmita Das. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, July 6: In an era when music albums are considered redundant, Susmita Das has been able to create a fan base that awaits her new renditions.

The mellifluous vocalist, who has always preferred light vocal compositions with a classical touch, recently released her 13th album.

Das’s latest album titled Seasons has seven poetic songs talking about the mood of various seasons. The album was released last week in New Delhi as the lyricist, Kulamani Biswal, is based in the national capital. Om Prakash Mohanty scored the music.

Though she received training in classical singing since childhood, Das has been pursuing her musical journey professionally since only the past seven years. She got her elementary training from Guru Chitta Pani, while at present, she is learning Odissi vocals from Dheeraj Mahapatra and Karthik.

“I wanted my daughters to grow up before I could dedicate myself to music,” she said. While her elder daughter Ankita is a lawyer, the younger one Vedika is a Class XII student. Her husband, Siddhanta Das, an Indian forest officer, too, helped her unconditionally in her musical pursuits.

Whether it penned by Mayadhar Mansingh or Devdas Chhotray, Das loves to lend her sonorous voice to poems. Also, from rock and pop songs to bhajans and from stage performances to playback for films, Das has proved her versatility as a singer.

When asked about why music albums hardly sell these days, the optimist quipped: “First, music CDs not selling is not an Odisha phenomenon, but a national one. In Odisha, listeners lost interest in album songs because of lewd lyrics. Thankfully, over the years, I have created a fan base that look forward to my albums. Moreover, I do not sing to earn money. My aim is to connect with the young audience and make them feel proud of their language,” she said.

While her albums are available at leading music stores, one can also easily download her songs from her website www.susmitadas.in as well.

Though Das is nearing 50, she hardly looks her age as she is a health conscious person, who regularly does meditation. Even those who have known her closely have only accolades for her.

“Her ability to uniquely blend Odia culture and tradition with value-based lyrics has broadened the expanse of music in the state,” said Devdas Chhotray.

At present, Das is busy with research work for her next album that will tentatively be based on Buddhist chants and tantras. “The whole idea is to never regret following one’s ambitions,” she said.