At the age of 12, M. L. Vasanthakumari debuted in 1940, accompanying her mother, Lalithangi in a recital. In 1942, she gave her first solo performance in
Bengaluru and recorded her first 78-rpm disc. By 1950, she was regularly performing on stage.
Musical style Vasanthakumari's style was influenced by her mentor G. N. Balasubramaniam. Musicologist Indira Menon noted that Vasanthakumari adopted Balasubramaniam’s approach of introducing a
raga with a quick sketch across two octaves, followed by a more detailed elaboration. Menon also observed that she used vocal ornamentation (brigas) selectively and exercised restraint in her performance.
Purandaradasa tradition Vasanthakumari's mother Lalithangi performed a repertoire of
Purandaradasa kritis, many of which she taught to her daughter. Vasanthakumari later included these compositions in her performances, contributing to the wider dissemination of Purandara Dasa's Devaranamas. Her role has been compared to
T. Brinda's role in popularizing
Kshetrayya Padams and
M. S. Subbalakshmi’s efforts with
Annamacharya kritis.
Sindhu Bhairavi Vasanthakumari helped popularize
Narayana Teertha's Kalyana Gopalam and
Purandaradasa's Venkatachala Nilayam in
Sindhubhairavi raga.
Hindustani maestro
Bade Ghulam Ali Khan praised her for her music.
Sudha Raghunathan, also a prominent
Carnatic singer, once said, "MLV Amma told me that it was
Bade Ghulam Ali Khan Saab who taught her the nuances of Sindhu Bhairavi in the Hindustani style." Vasanthakumari also sang
Ayya Saami in the 1951 film,
Or Iravu. This song was based on the song
Gore Gore O Banke Chhore from the film 1950
Samaadhi, which was in turn based on the
Latin American song
Chico Chico from Puerto Rico, featured in the film
Cuban Pete. In the 1952 film
Thai Ullam, she sang
Konjum Purave, which was based on the
Hindi song
Thandi Havayen. Vasanthakumari would continue to sing in films until 1970.
Accompanists Mridangam maestro
Palghat Mani Iyer made an exception to his decision to not accompany a female performer and later accompanied Vasanthakumari for concerts. Other accompanists include
Mannargudi Easwaran,
Srimushnam V. Raja Rao, Seerkazhi J. Skandaprasad,
Thiruvarur Bakthavathsalam, R. Ramesh, Karaikudi Krishnamurthy,
G. Harishankar (Kanjira), Dwaram Mangathayaru (Violin),
Kanyakumari (Violin). ==Family==