Tackling pressing societal topics from gender norms and caste inequalities to academic stress, four female artists perform rhythmic verses over captivating instrumentals. This is Sollisai Sistahs, Tamil Nadu’s premier female hip-hop collective. In Tamil, Sollisai roughly means ‘rap,’ whereas sistahs highlights the strong bond of female solidarity among its members.
The ensemble consists of Abisha (Bshaa), Kavya (Kavi Chikki), Neya (Veraa), and Suwathi (Raga Kaatralai). Each of the four shares deep heritage and strong cultural ties to Tamil Nadu.
Their formation happened organically over time. Beatboxer Kavya and rapper Abisha initially bonded via Instagram, exchanging thoughts on crucial matters such as community concerns, musical craft, and the lack of female representation within Tamil hip-hop culture.
Their initial face-to-face encounter occurred during Margazhiyil Makkalisai, a yearly cultural festival honouring art traditions from marginalised communities. “Abisha was scheduled to perform, so I stopped by to offer encouragement. Instead, she brought me right onstage with her,” Kavya laughingly remembers.
Abisha envisioned forming an all-female lineup dedicated to voicing sociopolitical perspectives through song, particularly highlighting artists from historically disadvantaged backgrounds. By 2023, she and Kavya joined forces with DJ-rapper Suwathi and rapper Neya to turn that vision into reality.
Since its formation, the team has composed roughly 15 to 20 tracks while touring across Southern India as well as Mumbai. Currently, only ‘Kaadhal Pannaa’ alongside their newest single ‘Veppa Marathadiyila’ are available on streaming outlets, with the recent release highlighting climate action and ecological justice for underserved populations. “We curate individual stanzas before combining them,” Abisha explains. “Our creative exchanges occur mainly through video chats, whereas live rehearsal sessions take place in our residences across Chennai, Salem, and Bengaluru.”
They regularly rap over open-source freestyle instrumentals sourced online via YouTube. Whenever suitable tracks are unavailable, Abisha crafts custom beats herself using specialised digital audio workstations.
Bold and unwavering in their mission, the collective intends to film original music videos for their catalogue and publish an extended play before year-end.
Source: Deccan Herald
