In a land like Kerala where art and culture is imbibed naturally in every household, one cannot simply ignore extracurricular activities in their childhood. Charles Antony, a Kochiite, began his music career from the age of four. Moving ahead, he now has the distinction of crooning a Spanish song for legendary footballer Diego Maradona.

Charles is a musician who has created his own kingdom. Having performed all around the world, in more than 14 international languages, he recently gave a memorable performance at Hotel Residency. Amidst preparations for the show, he spoke to Covai Post about music and his journey.

Charles started off his career by singing in top hotels like Taj, Le Meridien and Leela Palace. Though he has travelled to several places, he says Kerala gave him the music he needed. “Kerala is a multicultural region. Ruled by the English, Portuguese and other foreign invaders, the land acquired varied styles of music. Though strongly rooted in classical and traditional music, western music is equally popular here,” he says.

As with most musicians, Charles too didn’t get much family support at the beginning of his career. “They didn’t understand me at first, but now what I am is because of their support,” says Charles.

International languages like Spanish, Italian, Hebrew, Russian, Sinhala are not new to Charles. He sings in 14 different languages. But the highlight here is that he understands the languages he sings in. “Those days there was no internet. When I used to travel to several places, I used to meet people and get to know their music. I used to sit with them, write down the lyrics and ask them for the meaning. That way I got a hang of that particular language. Travelling helped me a lot in learning languages,” says Charles. He also adds that it is very important for a musician to know a language and understand the lyrics before singing or composing, as that’s what makes the music better.

These days with technology taking the upper hand in music, Charles simply performs with an acoustic guitar and a mouth organ.  He is confident that his style of soft music is still preferred by a large number of people.

Though Charles is very well-known in India, he has not yet taken a plunge into the film industry. “I have not got a chance till now and I am not much into it… I am happy with the kind of work I am doing now,” he says.

The only way you can hear Charles Antony is by attending his live shows or watching his videos on You tube. Charles doesn’t record his songs and create albums separately. “I don’t feel good about recording my songs. I like to keep it live.”

With many moving to EDM and psychedelic rock music, isn’t it bliss to hear the classics of Bob Dylan and Jim Reeves in this age? Charles Antony feels that his music is therapy to stressed people out there. Without talking much, he takes out his guitar and starts strumming some soul-stirring music to end the interview in a memorable way.