From classics to contemporary hits, there was something for everyone at the Sir Mutha Venkata Subbarao concert hall last weekend. A duo of 15-year-old twins from Bengaluru, better known as TnT transitioned effortlessly from familiar upbeat rhythms to heartfelt tributes of timeless slow rock classics, including a hauntingly mesmerising rendition of ‘Creep’ (by Radiohead) and songs by the King of Pop, Michael Jackson.
The concert started off with the electrifying energy of the Gloria Gaynor classic ‘I Will Survive,’ setting the tone for the evening. The sisters, Tara and Trisha Macaden, then moved the crowd with two of their original compositions, ‘Inside Job’ and ‘Like It Never Happened’ that they had recently worked on with professional musicians in the US.
Tara has lent her voice to the demo tracks of an upcoming musical, and the audience got a sneak preview of one of the songs, ‘Music Is The Sound Love Makes’ from the musical Music Boywritten by Mark Schoenfeld, composer of Broadway hits like ‘BKLYN’.
Tara says, “As both our parents were also musicians, we grew up listening to and playing music from a young age. Trisha and I would try out harmonies, weave our voices together and improvise”. Both the sisters are formally trained in Western vocals. Tara also sings in multiple languages, including Spanish, Italian, French, Hindi, and Tamil apart from English. ‘La Vie En Rose’, the jazz French song, was also part of the recital.
Tara and Trisha | Photo Credit: special arrangement
Adds Trisha, “We like to write songs that carry a unique message, tell a compelling story, and embody diverse styles of music. For example, our song ‘Inside Job’ is about the need to look at people beyond their external appearances.”
The twins are planning on doing more live gigs across the South from around Deepavali to New Year’s Eve before they get back to recording the rest of their album in 2024. Tara says, “both Trisha and I have learnt a lot from performing live. There’s a certain energy when you and your band feel comfortable enough to have fun on stage, and connect with your audience. We have also learnt to improvise a lot more”.
The duo ended their performance with a soul stirring rendition of the Journey classic, ‘Don’t Stop Believing’. The twins were backed by Conrad Simmons on bass, Vinay Ramakrishnan on drums and Vivan Kuruvilla on keyboards.
