#HauteSounds: We’re Totally Hearting Vidya Vox’s Mash-Ups
If you regularly open your Facebook newsfeed, you’ve definitely seen and perhaps even partaken in the rage that is the mash-up of Closer and Kabira (well, that and the Obama and Biden memes). The artist behind the amazing cover is Vidya Iyer aka Vidya Vox. Born in Chennai and brought up in the US, she is definitely doing justice to both cultures. There have been a million mash-ups before and there will be a million more, nothing as soulful as what Vidya does. The blue-haired girl is killing it with her voice and we are loving it!
Singing from the age of 5, the psychology major never felt at peace doing anything else. Her childhood was spent listening to American pop songs on the radio and singing bhajans at home. There was an innate urge to combine them both. That happened when she met ace singer, Shankar Tucker. Once Iyer heard Sia’s Big Girl’s Cry, it immediately hit her that the beats were pretty similar to that of Kabhi Jo Badal Barse. Together, Tucker and Iyer tweaked the songs and the first mash-up was born. And there’s been no looking back. Even her covers of Tamil songs have garnered huge traction. She currently has over 7,00,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel. She has collaborated with a lot of other singers to produce great music — her major hit, Lean On | Jind Mahi mash- up, with Ricky Jatt, Raashi Kulkarni, and Raginder Momi, made Hrithik Roshan a fan of her voice.
Inspired by the work of Beyoncé, AR Rehman, and Ed Sheeran, her covers are nothing short of magic. The videos are shot beautifully at splendid locations. What adds to the beauty is her impeccable sense of style. She makes sure that her clothes match the tone of both languages. Long skirts, embroidered dresses, jhumkas, white sneakers — style goals on point.
She has recorded over 30 videos and each is better than the other. Here are our top 5 picks from her mesmerising bunch!
1. Lean On | Jind Mahi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Spfaub0sVk0
2. Closer | Kabira
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYcL5_iSZJE
3. Let Me Love You | Tum Hi Ho
4. Sandcastles | Teri Khair Mangdi
