Meet Susantika, the Chennai-Pondicherry artist behind Tamil indie hit ‘Idhellaam Adhisayam’

Lately, my writing playlist is all Susantika. While tripping, tumbling, and traversing through a slate of this Tamil indie artiste’s songs, I’ve found myself giggling over the occasional lyric she chooses to place in certain crevices of her songs. There is the occasional rap battle between her alter-egos, songs about womanhood, and love ballads. On other days, when the tide seems rough and life seems impossible, there is ‘Iravu Kadandhu’, the artiste’s most recognisable song, about what it takes to get through the night.

Over the six years that she has made indie music, Susantika, who toggles between Chennai and Puducherry, has released 10 singles while lying low and appealing to a niche audience. Late in July, Susantika released ‘Idhellaam Adhisayam’, a song full of romance in this age of modern love. The song begins with the line “Dating na ennakennanu theriyadhu” and then goes on, in wonderment, about what it meant to be in love with her muse. The synth through this two minute song captivates, making it easy to buy into the sway.

Having rarely spoken to the press while still being an active part of the music scene in the city, one wonders if the privacy is intentional. That is where our interview begins. She starts by clarifying a misconception. “I am not camera shy or private. I do not think I know how to work this world of promotions. How does one crack the mainstream while still staying authentic — that’s what I need — I’ve been thinking about that for years now. But somewhere in that process it gets lost,” she says.

Susantika’s foray into independent music began in 2020. She began by posting covers on Instagram and quickly moved to writing her own one-minute numbers, as days overlapped over one another during the thick of the pandemic. “I would sing at school and church as a child. There was one particular church in Pondicherry, White Parish near the beach, where the choir was full of wonderful musicians. This informed my interest at a young age. Then it was all about trying to learn structures on my brother’s guitar and posting the experiments on Instagram. That is when friends and listeners asked me to post ‘Iravu Kadandhu’ on streaming platforms. Back then, I had little to no apprehensions,” she says.

Idhellaam Adhisayam

With a laugh, Susantika adds that she thought she was the first in the State to write her own music and put it up online. “Pondy did not have an indie music scene. Only after coming to Chennai did I realise that people like Siennor and Kaber were already here. My music did help me connect with a lot of others in the space. That was rewarding,” she says.

Six years hence, everything including the texture of this artiste’s voice has changed but people keep wondering if she is going to make another ‘Iravu Kadandhu’. “My skills, interests, and the way I sing, have all changed. Most importantly, the production of it all. Today, there are videos accompanying the music and I like visualising them.”

Earlier this year, Susantika also released Roja Towers, a short drama film surrounding the lives of two women, the idea of growing up and an event that changes both their lives. The film that switches between lightness and intensity happens with little effort. There are portions where young girls steal a tube of fairness cream and apply it at school in an attempt to become ‘white’. There is also the idea of emulating older, cooler neighbours. “I’ve earned a bunch of friends who can all help me make films because they live and breathe cinema. I now enjoy the medium and cannot wait to make more,” she says.

Susantika adds that the indie scene is yet to be established in Tamil with only a few labels producing indie work (she released ‘Meimarandhen’ with Think Indie in 2025). She hopes for the medium to become more lucrative without insistence on a male-gaze based glamour, rappers speaking about how great they are, and the likes.

“In a day, a human experiences a thousand thoughts and as many feelings. Most however, do not pay as much heed to it. It is part of their life, part of their day. There are some of us who think of this feeling, ponder and write songs about the everythings and nothings. That is my pitch to you for songs,” she says.

Susantika has a number of originals lined up over the few months. Follow her work on @asusantika on Instagram.