Umbayee (ഉമ്പായി; 1950 – 1 August 2018) was an Indian folk musician and composer, associated with the

Ghazal The ''ghazal'' ( ar, غَزَل, bn, গজল, Hindi-Urdu: /, fa, غزل, az, qəzəl, tr, gazel, tm, gazal, uz, gʻazal, gu, ગઝલ) is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry. A ghazal may be understood as a ...

genre. Born in

Mattancherry Mattancherry (), is a locality in the city of Kochi, India. It is about 9 km south-west from the city center. It is said that the name Mattancherry comes from "Ancherry Mattom", a ''Namboodiri illam'' which the foreign traders then pronounc ...

, Kerala, Umbayee is known for his unique style of singing."...GHAZALS and GRIT"
''The Hindu'', 22 September 2012. Retrieved 8 December 2013 He died on 1 August 2018 in

Aluva Aluva (; also known by its former name Alwaye) is a town in the Ernakulam District in Kerala, India. It is a part of the Kochi metropolitan area and is situated around from the city center on the banks of Periyar River. A major transpor ...

Early years

Umbayee was born in 1950 in Mattanchery near Kochi. His real name was Ibrahim. As a child Umbayee did not have a supportive environment towards music. His father was vehemently opposed to his son being inclined to music. Ultimately Umbayee failed in his exams thereby ending his school life. Seeing his son distracted by music, father packed Ibrahim off to Bombay (now

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

) where his (Umbayee's) uncle was a seaman and made him a trainee electrician. Being sent to Bombay was a decision which changed his life. He met Ustad Munawar Ali Khan who accepted Ibrahim as his disciple. Ibrahim studied music with Ustad for about 7 years without any interruption.

Musical influences

Umbayee said "

was a melting pot of music. There was music all around. You only had to find it." Similar to the youth at the time, Ibrahim's inspiration had been Mehboob, who was a natural and enigmatic singer. During those times most of the legendary Hindustani musicians visited Mattancherry. Ibrahim used to be doing odd jobs in Abdul Khader Vakil's house where those musicians stayed. He listened to their discussions and music. According to Umbayee "That was the beginning". Once he got a chance to listen to Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Alla Rakha ‘live’ at Mattancherry. After which Ibrahim understood what he was capable of other than playing Tabla. He realised "There was so much to learn. What I was doing was childish". Umbayee 1

Albums

*Akale Mounam Pol *Gazalmaala *Hrudayaraagam *Ithuvare Sakhee Ninne Kaathirunnu *Madhuramee Gaanam *Mehboob *Nandi Pranaya Sakhi Nandi *Orikkal Nee Paranju *Oru Mukham Maathram *Paaduka Saigal Paadoo *Phir Vahee Shyaam *Pranaamam Mehboob Ororma

References

* Rejecting a reality show call
സിനിമയില്‍ പാടാനും റിയാലിറ്റി ഷോയില്‍ വിധികര്‍ത്താവാകാനും ഇല്ല: ഉമ്പായി
* Umbayee Database : http://malayalasangeetham.info/displayProfile.php?category=singers&artist=Umbayi {{authority control 1950 births 2018 deaths Indian male ghazal singers Singers from Kochi Malayali people Deaths from cancer in India 20th-century Indian male singers 20th-century Indian singers 21st-century Indian male singers 21st-century Indian singers People from Mattancherry