MILI (singer-songwriter)

This article is about the singer-songwriter from India. For other uses, see Mili (disambiguation).

MILI [1]

Birth name| Mili Nair
Born| 7 April
Origin| India
Genres| Pop, Jazz, Playback singer, Original soundtracks, Film music, Inde
Occupation(s)| Singer-Songwriter, Recording Artist
Years active| 2009 - (Present)
Website| www.miliofficial.com

Musical artist

MILI also known as Mili Nair (born on April 7th), is singer, songwriter, composer from India.

She released her debut album, Written In The Stars, which featured Vinnie Colaiuta on drums, Michael Landau on guitar, James Genus on bass, and George Whitty on piano/keys. She wrote and composed all the songs on the album.

In addition to writing her own music, she has also contributed to the Indian playback film industry by recording and singing in multiple languages with notable composers such as A.R. Rahman, Amit Trivedi, Yuvan Shankar Raja, and Pritam.

She had also lent her voice to some of the biggest advertising brand campaigns like Incredible India! directed by Prakash Varma.

## Biography

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### Early life

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Mili was born in Mumbai and studied in Pune and Bangalore.[1] Her journey into music began at an early age and she confesses she knew right from the very start that she was destined to sing and become a musician.

### Album: Written in the Stars

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Mili released her first album Written in the Stars in which she has composed all ten songs on the album and has collaborated with veteran musicians Vinnie Colaiuta, Michael Landau, James Genus and George Whitty.[2] The album was launched with the first video Dream Like A Skylark on YouTube. Written in the Stars was recorded and produced in Los Angeles, California and released under the label Apostrophe Music.[3][4]

The music video for the song Fooling was filmed in Budapest, Hungary and Stockholm, Sweden and was broadcast on VH1.

### Single: Keep The Hope Alive!

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Mili released her first single "Keep The Hope Alive!” on 10 July 2020, which aims at keeping our spirits up, as the whole world is fighting against the pandemic.

### Playback Singing in Mainstream Indian Music & Coke Studio@MTV

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A. R. Rahman gave Mili her first break in film music with the Tamil song Keda Kari in Raavanan and Maham Maye in the Telugu film Komaram Puli.[1] Her most recent release is Parakka Seivaai in the Tamil film Ambikapathy, composed by Rahman.[5] She was discovered by Keith Peters while she was performing in Bangalore.[6]

Mili also sang on Meethi Boliyaan in the Hindi film Kai Po Che! for Amit Trivedi. In the hands of Trivedi, Meethi Boliyan evolved into a beautiful composition that infused something new and unconventional in Bollywood music. Impressed by Mili's originality and style, Trivedi incorporated her idea of vocal improvisation in the track which enhanced its fresh appeal. Meethi Boliyaan from Kai Po Che! brought a great response from the listeners and Mili has been acknowledged with award nominations from the Music Industry. She was also a part of Amit Trivedi's concert tours.

Mili has sung and collaborated with director Mahesh Bhatt on the title song for the film Mr. X composed by Jeet Gaanguli.[7]

She has also worked with leading film composer Harris Jayaraj, rendering the Tamil hit Rettai Kathire in Maattrraan .

Mili got recognition and was praised for her performance on Coke Studio Season 2 on MTV when she sang Badari Badariya and Yatra, both composed by Amit Trivedi.[8]

She has sung on major advertisement campaigns, including Seagram's Music, Coca-Cola's Maaza campaign, the Incredible India! Tourism Campaign and Cadbury Silk to name a few. Her international debut performance was in 2009 with jazz guitarist Vinnie Valentino at the Java Jazz Festival in Jakarta.[1]

## Discography

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### Albums

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#### Written in the Stars : Track Listing

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All songs written and composed by Mili.

Release: 15 December 2017

No: | Song Name | Time

|
|

1\.  | Good Morning  | 4:11
2\.  | Had To Be You  | 5:01
3\.  | Dream Like A Skylark  | 4:17
4\.  | Written in the Stars  | 5:10
5\.  | Got An Eye  | 3:23
6\.  | Longing  | 4:42
7\.  | New Day  | 4:09
8\.  | Is It Something  | 4:30
9\.  | Inside Out  | 4:33
10\.  | Fooling  | 4:36

Personnel

* MILI – Vocals
* Vinnie Colaiuta – Drums
* Michael Landau \- Guitars
* James Genus \- Bass
* George Whitty \- Piano

Also appearing

* Bill Churchville – Trumpet
* Alejandro Carballo - Trombone
* Terry Landry - Tenor & Barritone Saxophone

Composition & Lyrics by MILI Produced by Hamesh

### Singles

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1. Keep The Hope Alive! (Acoustic)

Date of Release | Single | Composer

|
|

10 July 2020  | Keep The Hope alive! (Acoustic) | MILI

### Feature films

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Film | Song Name | Composer

|
|

Mr. X | Mr. X Title Song - You Can Call Me X - Mahesh Bhatt | Jeet Gannguli
Kai Po Che! | Meethi Boliyaan | Amit Trivedi
Ambikapathy | Parakka Seivaai | A.R. Rahman
Shaadi Ke Side Effects | Tumse Pyar Ho Gaya | Pritam
Poojai | Ippadiye | Yuvan Shankar Raja
Nanbenda | Nee Sunno Moono | Harris Jayaraj
Nerungi Vaa Muthamidathe | Hey Suttrum | Madley Blues
Maalai Nerathu Mayakkam  | Ennodu | Amrit Rao
Raavanan | Keda Kari | A.R. Rahman
Puli | Maham Maye | A.R. Rahman
Maattrraan | Rettai Kathire | Harris Jayaraj
Vanakkam Chennai | Oh Penne Penne (Movie Version) | Anirudh Ravichander
Kalakalappu | Angelina | Vijay Ebenezer
Urumi | Movie Theme | Deepak Dev
Veera Parampare | Ambarada | Narayan .S.
Aidondla Aidu | Neragi | Ouseppachan

### Coke Studio at MTV India

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Season | Song Name | Composer/ Producer | Lyricists | Singers

|
|
|
|

Season 2 | Yatra | Amit Trivedi | Swanand Kirkire | Mili Nair, Shriram Iyer
Season 2 | Badari Badariyan | Amit Trivedi | Kausar Munir | Mili Nair, Mame Khan

## Awards and nominations

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Year | Award | Film/ Song | Title

|
|
|

2013 | GIMA Awards | Film: Kai Po Che! / Song: Meethi Boliyan | Best Debut Bollywood – Nominated
2013 | GIMA Awards | Film: Kai Po Che! / Song: Meethi Boliyan | Best Duet Bollywood – Nominated
2014 | Mirchi Music Awards | Film: Kai Po Che! / Song: Meethi Boliyan | Upcoming Singer (Female) Bollywood – Nominated

## References

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1. ^ a b c d Elias, Esther (1 August 2013). "Her own singer". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
2. ^ "Mumbai Diary: Sunday Dossier". mid-day. 25 February 2018. Archived from the original on 20 March 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
3. ^ "Music should be listened to like an event: Mili". Deccan Chronicle. 13 December 2017. Archived from the original on 12 February 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
4. ^ "Mili Nair releases a new video, Fooling, from her debut album". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 19 March 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
5. ^ "AR Rahman introduced me as a playback singer: Mili Nair - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
6. ^ Elias, Esther (20 February 2015). "Mili Nair and all that jazz". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 9 January 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
7. ^ Harikumar, Subramanian. "Mr X music review: Ankit Tiwari and Jeet Gannguli come up with a disappointingly average album for Emraan Hashmi!". Retrieved 19 March 2018.
8. ^ "Mirzya singer Mame Khan is going solo". The Indian Express. 9 October 2016. Archived from the original on 20 March 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2018.

## External links

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* Official website – official site
* Mili discography at Discogs
* Mili Keep The Hope Alive - Single Release Press. The New Indian Express - Indulge - India
* Mili Written In The Stars - Album Pre Release Press. Deccan Chronicle India
* [1] Times of India, Bangalore Times 2018.
* [2] Singer-songwriter Mili to release 'Fooling' video.

Authority control databases: Artists |

* MusicBrainz

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