OUR army’s loss is our music industry’s gain where the velvet-voiced Elvira Arul is concerned.
“Growing up I never thought of singing,” said Elvira during our interview. “I wanted to be a soldier,” she said softly.
She then recalled how in one of her first media interviews with the late Errol De Cruz, he laughed at her answer, while her father piped in and said she was a little rascal.
During her formative years, she wanted to be a sound engineer. “Music, yes, but singing was never on my radar in that sense.”
It was during college that she and her friends began singing for fun, and even tried busking. One of her friends threw a hat down, and a tourist passing by put some money in it. Even then, it did not occur to her to make singing her career.
Later, a friend who started an events company approached her to put together a band for a show. “I had a week to put a band together ... After the show, he handed me a cheque. I looked at him, blinking, and that was the start of the rest of my life.”
Elvira started off in the Jerry Felix Band in 2004, replacing then-lead singer Jaclyn Victor who had gone off to take part in Malaysian Idol.
She progressed from there, fronting her own band at one time, and then creating her own niche in the music industry.
She is one of the many singers I have met on-and-off over the course of many years, as she has been invited to sing at many functions. Elvira is well-known in the local jazz and music events scene.
Despite already being a known name, she took part in a reality singing competition in 2018, Mentor Otai, which she won.
When asked what made her take part in a show like Mentor Otai at that stage of her career, Elvira admitted she really could not give me a proper answer.
“An opportunity arose, and it felt right. I am happy I did it. You only feel the impact of your decisions in hindsight. I am glad that I did it because my father got to see me on a big stage, a national stage, before he passed. If anything, I am very grateful for that.”
She does not know why she never participated in similar competitions earlier, but she is happy to have that experience under her belt.
Due to the pandemic, Elvira – like many other singers – has been performing online. “Yes, we are opening up to new audiences, which is lovely. But this is not opening us up to revenue, because we are performers and we survive on revenue from singing live at shows.”
As she points out, artistes such as herself also have bills to pay, and have mouths to feed regardless of marital status.
In Elvira’s case she has been a copywriter for the past 15 years, and says that she is grateful for her copywriting projects.
There are also some media outlets offering monetary remuneration and token performance spaces for her.
“I wouldn’t say the money I make is covering all my bills. For me I am grateful, don’t get me wrong. But at the same time I am feeling the pinch.
“I love that there are platforms coming forward and saying: ‘Hey give me content and I will pay you for it.’ Some of these platforms are government-funded, some privately-funded.
“I also am glad that this #KitaJagaKita motto has really come back into our lives.”
She noted that this ‘village mentality’ where everyone takes care of each other is so important right now.
“We have entities that have sprung up who are dedicated to taking care of our elderly musicians, our buskers. I can vouch that the entire music community is trying to help out each other in different ways.”
However, Elvira said that while there are avenues to make money, some musicians still have no access to Facebook or the internet.
Therefore, there are people who are still marginalised within the entertainment community.
On how she is maintaining a work-life balance, Elvira said: “That is the question of the day. I work out for my mental health, I have began to reorganise my space, also for mental health.
“I am thankful for technology, because we can do video calls with our family members, calling each other, texting more ... I have been reading more. While we may be physically distancing, we are not socially distancing. We have never been closer.”
