# Thaikkudam Bridge

Thaikkudam Bridge is a multi-genre Indian music band, originated from Kerala in 2013. The band achieved its first commercial success through the musical show Music Mojo, which used to telecast on Kappa TV where they released their debut original composition, "Fish Rock," during the Kappa TV's "Music Mojo" session. The song is also popularly known by the lyrics "Ayela, mathi, choora, kaari...". The track went viral on social media, getting them extensive fame. The band has won numerous awards, and has performed at over more than 600 shows and 25 countries as of 2024.

## History

The band was conceived by Siddharth Menon and Govind Vasantha in 2013. The band’s name, proposed by band member Piyush Kapoor (ex-member), is derived from a bridge located in Kochi, Kerala. Prior to forming Thaikkudam Bridge, the members had individual careers as musical artists. The members of the band Siddharth Menon and Vian Fernandes were previously part of a band. Soon after, they formed as a band, beginning with performances in Music Mojo sessions in 2013.
Following the band's commercial breakthrough and increased demand for live shows, members put their individual careers on hold and focused on the Thaikkudam Bridge.

## Career

Formed in 2013, They began making songs with the music Television channel Kappa TV. Their first YouTube release was the cover for Michael Jackson's song "Beat It" which was performed by their former member Piyush Kapoor tribute to Michael Jackson's birthday. Later, Along with Kappa TV's Music Mojo, they released Nostalgia, featuring melodies of the popular 80s and 90s Malayalam Movie Songs "Mandara Cheppundo, "Panchakkarikkaaya Thattil", "Allimalarkavil", "Chinkarakinnaram". The track Nostalgia first went viral on social media.
On 30 August 2013, Their debut original composition, "Fish Rock," was released on, during the Kappa TV's "Music Mojo" session. The song is also popularly known by the lyrics "Ayela, mathi, choora, kaari...". The song gained significant popularity on social media, particularly on YouTube, which led to achieving their first commercial success. They were soon invited to perform at colleges and major events.
Following the success, They released their first debut studio album Navarasam in 2015, featuring nine songs, on various themes such as political satire, social inequality and historic stories from the Mughal era. It is a multi-lingual studio album where the songs are in Malayalam, Tamil and Hindi languages. The music videos for the tracks "Aarachar", "One", "Sulthan" and the title track "Navarasam" were released and became popular among audiences. Before the release of their debut album, they released their first independent single "Chathe" after the Music Mojo sessions with Kappa TV. Later, It was included in the album Navarasam.
Later in 2015, The band composed the song "Theevandi" to the soundtrack of the film "Haram". This marked their debut in composing music for a Fahadh Faasil starring feature film "Haram" which was released on 20 February 2015.
In 2017, the band's co-founder, Siddharth Menon, took a hiatus from the group. This was followed by an official announcement of his departure to pursue a solo career.
In March 2018, the band were invited to perform live at YouTube FanFest in Bangalore, an event featuring Indian YouTube creators hosted by YouTube, alongside Kappa TV.
Following the success of their first album “Navarasam”, The band's second studio album, "Namah", was released in 2019. Recording began in 2017. "Namah" is a concept album conceived as a tribute to the various artists who influenced the band's music. The album release coincided with the promotional concert from the band held at Forum Shantiniketan Mall in Bangalore.
In late 2019, the band received the "Most Popular Musical Band" Award at the Behindwoods Gold Mic Music Awards. The band also included a live tribute performance by the band in honor of A. R. Rahman.
The same year, They won the Best Band Award in the World Music Stage Category and Best Emerging Artiste at Summerfest 2019 Edition.

## Controversy

The 2022 Kannada movie Kantara has a track named Varaha Roopam, which garnered a lot of publicity and popularity for its compelling music, visuals, and folk fusion. Social media users started noticing and pointing out this track had a resemblance to the 2017 track Navarasam.
Critics have referred to the musical and thematic similarities of the two tracks. Members of the band took notice as well, to quote one of the band members: "Initially, we were okay with it as some songs do have similarities at times. However, the comments, messages and calls didn’t stop. In fact, thousands of comments were deleted on Varaha Roopam’s video. We still gave it time, listened to it a number of times and made sure of the similarities."
They filed a legal copyright lawsuit against the makers of Kannada Film ‘Kantara’, Hombale Films, on the allegations of plagiarism against the song "Varaha Roopam". The band’s management claimed that Varaha Roopam had infringed copyright laws by copying tracks from their debut album Navarasam. Later, The Kozhikode District court passed an injunction order against Hombale Films based on a suit filed by the band leading to prohibiting from playing its song Varaha Roopam in theaters, and on OTT and digital platforms.

## Band Members

The Band has 15 members consists of musicians from various parts of India who contribute their own style and influences to the ensemble.
* Peethambaran Menon - Vocalist
* Govind Vasantha - Vocalist, Violinist, Music Producer & Founder
* Mithun Raju - Lead Guitarist
* Anish TN - Drummer
* Ashok Betty Nelson - Rhythm Guitarist
* Vian Fernandes - Bass, Vocals
* Ruthin Thej - Keyboard
* Anish Krishna - Vocalist
* Krishna Bongane - Vocalist
* Nila Madhav Mohapatra - Vocalist
* Vipin Lal - Vocalist
* Christin Jose - Vocalist
* Amith Bal Kenath - Sound Engineer
* Rajan K.S - Sound Engineer
* Hemanth K - Sound Engineer

### Former Members

* Siddharth Menon - Founder, Vocalist
* Piyush Kapoor - Vocalist
* Abin Thej - Drummer

## Management

The band is managed exclusively by Wonderwall Media Pvt. Ltd., a creative entity based in Kochi. The band’s management team includes Sujith Unnithan, and Lakshmi Venugopal.

## Discography
### Albums

| Release Title | Year | No. Of Tracks |
| Navarasam | 2015 | 9 |
| Namah | 2019 | 10 |

### Singles

| Release Title | Year | Featuring |
| Giddh | 2023 | |
| Mazhaye | 2022 | Govind Vasantha |
| Hello 2021 (Tribute to A.R. Rahman) | 2021 | |
| Gokulam Kerala FC | 2018 | |
| Chathe | 2015 | |
| Theevandi (from "Haram") | 2015 | |
| Fish Rock | 2013 | |

## Major Performances

They have performed live in over 25 countries and having played more than 600 shows as of 2024 $^{aspertheband'swebsite}$.
| Event Name | Year | City |
| Mahindra Independence Rock Festival | 2022 | Mumbai |
| Summerfest | 2023 | Milwaukee |
| Echoes of Earth | 2023 | Bangalore |
| IIT Sarang | Various | Chennai |
| Indiegaga | Various | Various |
| Royal Enfield Rider Mania | 2022 | Goa |
| South Side Stories | Various | Various |
| Summerfest | 2019 | Milwaukee |
| Kasauli Rhythm and Blues Festival | 2019 | Kasauli |
| Visakha Utsav | 2018 | Visakhapatnam |
| Mojo Rising by Kappa TV | 2018 | Kochi |
| Pearl | 2016 | Hyderabad |
| Red Bull Tour Bus | 2016 | Chennai |
| NH7 Weekender | Various | Various |