Crossover Girl
Listen to this story, it tells you about how times have changed. As a child, Nithya Shree would be woken up at 4 a.m. for riyaz. If she dozed off, her mother would splash water on her face. How dare the granddaughter of legendary Carnatic vocalist D.K. Pattamal on one side and mridangam maestro Palghat Mani Iyer on the other fall asleep while practising her art?

The household has changed -- Nithya is married now. And so has the manner in which she is woken up. Sachin Tendulkar's wife sent her a bouquet of flowers in the middle of night, saying she loved Nithya's voice as playback in Jeans. It happens. From Carnatic to pop playback, she is among the hottest vocal brandnames in south India. At demanding classical concerts in Chennai, she is a huge draw because of her energy and ability to weave her craft without being affected by the audience. For a recent concert in London, she went prepared with light Tamil songs. They wanted ultra-Carnatic. She switched without batting an eyelid and received an ovation. These things make having to wake up at odd hours a little easier.