One Voice, Many Spaces: a Contemporary Female Self-Taught Musician’S Pathways Into Tamil Film Song Cover Culture in Chennai, South India
ONE VOICE, MANY SPACES: A CONTEMPORARY FEMALE SELF-TAUGHT MUSICIAN’S PATHWAYS INTO TAMIL FILM SONG COVER CULTURE IN CHENNAI, SOUTH INDIA By NINA MENEZES A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2018 © 2018 Nina Menezes To Vandana, whose life and quirky curiosity inspired this work. The voices —hers, theirs, and mine— are not my creation They are part of the paths hidden until now the paths we have been the paths we are the paths we will uncover They are all a part of her, them, and I Like every story, this one is based on a truth— hers, theirs, and mine. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am indebted to several individuals—across two continents— who were so generous with their time and support. Thanks to Vandana; without her story, music, dynamic personality, and passion to persevere I would not have uncovered the many cover spaces for Tamil film song in such a short time. I am grateful for her friendship, and the conversations we shared about music and life as we sipped on suda suda filter kapi and munched on idlis and vadas at the local Murugan Idli Kadai. Vandana’s sister, Vagu, and their extended network of self-taught musicians—Shantha, Alex, Prabhu, and Achu—shared their experiences as self-taught musicians within the cover scene. Their passion, adaptability, and self-discovery made fieldwork informative, rewarding, and above all a source of inspiration. I am thankful for their continued friendship.
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