•  Tamil Jazz Collective Brings a New Sound to Sri Lanka

This past weekend, Colombo came alive with an altogether unexpected sound when the Tamil Jazz Collective performed at Cinnamon Life at City Of Dreams as part of their debut South Asia–Southeast Asia tour which began in April 2026. The richness of Tamil culture always finds its way into our lives – from the blockbusters of Kollywood and Bollywood, to fashion, to food,  the influence of this language and culture is undeniable. 

During their visit to Colombo, The Daily Morning Brunch sat down with Tamil Jazz Collective vocalist Harini Iyer for a chat on how the Collective blends Tamil music traditions with jazz, creating a sound that feels both rooted and modern. For Iyer, this is what feels both natural and right. 

“Music chose us. We didn’t have a choice in pursuing this as a career,” Iyer shared, explaining that the Collective’s music philosophy combines jazz structures with Tamil musical influences, especially Carnatic traditions. While jazz itself has a long global history with its origins tracing back to New Orleans around the late 19th to early 20th century, Tamil jazz remains a relatively niche genre. However, the Collective is trying to expand its reach beyond traditional audiences.

Combining Carnatic music and jazz

Iyer’s connection to Tamil jazz began about a decade ago after she discovered jazz unexpectedly. “It happened 10 years ago when I was exposed to jazz by chance,” she said. “I’ve been trained in Carnatic music all my life. It was just natural to combine the two.”

The result is music that moves between improvisation and classical structure. Jazz allows freedom and experimentation with sound and vocals while Carnatic music brings complex melodies and vocal techniques. Together they create something distinct from mainstream Tamil music or Western jazz traditions.

For the Collective, the goal is not to make Tamil music more “western” but to create a space where both traditions can exist equally. Their songs retain Tamil lyrics and South Asian musical influences while also embracing jazz instrumentation and improvisation.

Taking Tamil music to international audiences

Tamil is spoken by millions of people worldwide across countries including India, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia and within diaspora communities across all continents. But Iyer says international audiences often respond to the music before they even realise it is in Tamil.

“Internationally, people don’t realise I am singing in Tamil,” she said. “They simply enjoy the music even though they don’t understand it.They are open to learning though when I say Tamil is one of the oldest languages.”

According to Iyer, audiences abroad are often curious once they learn more about the language and its history, a response she feels reflects a growing trend in how global audiences consume music. 

Streaming platforms and social media have made listeners more open to songs in languages they do not speak. In recent years, music industries from South Korea, South Asia and Africa have all gained international attention from audiences across the globe. Tamil jazz remains far smaller in scale but the Collective believes there is room for growth.

The rise of Tamil culture globally

Tamil culture has also become more visible internationally in recent years, particularly through film, television, and fashion. Celebrities of Tamil heritage such as Simone Ashley and Lara Raj gained international recognition, helping increase visibility for Tamil identity in global media.

Iyer believes this growing interest could also create opportunities for Tamil jazz. For the Collective, international expansion is already becoming a focus.“I am especially targeting Berlin. I visited last year and did a few intimate and low-key performances,” Iyer shared, noting that Berlin’s live music culture and experimental arts scene make it an appealing space for independent genres that do not fit into commercial mainstream categories. Jazz audiences there are often open to cross-cultural collaborations and new musical forms.

The collective’s approach also reflects a  trend among independent South Asian artists who are increasingly bypassing traditional industry systems and building audiences through touring, festivals and online communities through social media platforms such as TikTok.

Taking the Tamil Jazz Collective global

The upcoming performances in Sri Lanka mark an important stop in the collective’s first regional tour. Sri Lanka is an important hub for Tamil language, music and art with Tamil being one of the country’s national languages.

For audiences in Colombo, the concerts offer a chance to experience a genre that remains relatively uncommon in the region’s live music scene. While jazz has dedicated audiences in South Asia, Tamil jazz occupies a space that blends heritage and modern performance.

The tour itself represents a wider ambition for the collective. Rather than staying confined to one country or diaspora audience, the group is positioning Tamil jazz as music that can travel internationally without losing its core identity.

For Iyer, language has not been a barrier to connection. Instead, she believes audiences respond first to emotion and sound.