Dhee

Some Lesser Known Facts About Dhee

• Dhee is an Indian playback singer who has predominantly worked in the Tamil film Industry. She is well known for her songs Naan Nee (2014), Rowdy Baby (2018), and Enjoy Enjaami (2021).

• Belonging to a musical family, where her mother, grandmother, and even her great grandmother were renowned musicians, Dhee was inclined towards music since childhood. Although she was never classically trained, she learned Carnatic music from her mother and grandmother. In an interview, she said,
  

  My mum and grandma taught Carnatic music but I never sat and learnt with them properly like I should’ve and they’ve never pushed me to either. I’ve listened in on the lessons but I’ve never been professionally trained.”

• Listening to a diverse set of artists playing in her house 24/7 sparked Dhee’s interest in music. She bought her first album at the age of six after listening to the songs of the popular American girl group Destiny’s Child. In an interview, she said,
  

  When I was about six or so, I remember listening to Destiny’s Child in my cousin’s car and it blew my mind. I went and bought myself a copy of their album. It was the first album I bought myself.”

• She began her journey as a playback singer at the tender age of fourteen. She lent her voice for the song “Disco Woman” from the Tamil-language horror film Pizza II: Villa (2013). The chartbuster song was composed by her step-father, Santhosh Narayanan.

• In 2014, her song “Naan Nee” from the film ‘Madras’ earned her nominations for Best Female Playback Singer at the Vijay Awards (2014) and Filmfare Awards South (2015).

  

• In 2016, she garnered critical acclaim for her work in the sports drama film ‘Irudhi Suttru,’ featuring the songs “Ey Sandakaara” and “Usuru Narumbeley.” The songs earned her a nomination for the SIIMA Award in the category of Best Female Playback Singer.

  

• Intrigued by the entertainment industry, she quit school in 2016 and decided to pursue a full-time career as a singer.

• Thereafter, she worked as a playback singer in various Tamil films like Kabali (2016), Meyaadha Maan (2017), and Vada Chennai (2018).

• She also lent her voice in the 2017 Telugu-language sports drama film ‘Guru’ for the songs “Oo Sakkanoda” and “Gundelothulalo.”

• She struck stardom with the 2018 song “Rowdy Baby” from the Tamil-language film ‘Maari 2’ in which she sang alongside Dhanush. Unlike her previous songs, which were produced by her father, “Rowdy Baby” was produced by Yuvan Shankar Raja. The song earned immense popularity and became one of the highest viewed Tamil music videos, crossing a billion views on YouTube.

  

• In 2019, she collaborated with the celebrated Indian film composer A. R. Rahman for the song “Idharkuthaan,” featured in the Tamil-language film ‘Bigil.’

• In 2021, she made her debut as a pop singer when she released her independent Tamil song “Enjoy Enjaami,” which crossed over 100 million views in less than a month on YouTube. The crowd-puller song was produced by maajja, an initiative led by the Oscar-winning music composer A. R. Rahman and the popular English rapper-singer M.I.A., which aims at representing South Asian musical talent to a global audience. While talking about her song in an interview, she said,
  

  Enjoy Enjaami talks about a time where we, as humans weren’t divided and we were one with nature and the song is calling out to that time — calling us to be together.”

• “Enjoy Enjaami” was the first song released under the A. R. Rahman-helmed label, maajja.

• Dhee credits her mother for her unique style of dressing. In an interview, she said,
  

  I look up to my mum when it comes to fashion and style. Ever since I can remember, she’s carried herself in her own way and has never been someone who followed trends. She’s a supremely confident woman and she dresses for nobody except herself.”