It’s a rainy Thursday evening, and the mood inside Aalaap Raju’s studio is anything but gloomy. Playback singers Ranjith Govind, Rahul Nambiar, and Aalaap are gathered for a jamming session, but before the music begins, the room is filled with laughter and the unmistakable warmth of close friendship. This easy camaraderie is at the heart of Makka—the band they formed together.

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Named after the Tamil word for “our people,” Makka is a celebration of their bond and their musical journey. The trio—Ranjith on vocals and ukulele, Rahul on vocals and melodica, and Aalaap on vocals and bass—are the core of the group. They’re joined by Bruce Lee on guitars, Delip on keyboards, Siddharth Nagarajan on drums and percussion, and Sean Bout handling sound engineering.