Avial, an Indian alternative rock band from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, was formed in 2003. The original lineup included lead vocalist Anandraj Benjamin Paul, guitarist Rex Vijayan, turntablist and backing vocalist Tony John, bassist Naresh Kamath, and drummer Mithun Puthanveetil. Their breakthrough came with the single "Nada Nada" in 2003, which they released on YouTube and SS Music. The band's eponymous debut album Avial was released in 2008, earning them six out of seven Jack Daniels Rock Awards and the Footprints Young Achiever's Award that year. After Paul and Kamath left in 2008, Tony John took over vocals, and Binny Isaac joined as bassist. Avial collaborated with Italian band A67 on "Chi Me Sape" in 2009 and contributed songs to Malayalam films such as Salt N' Pepper (2011) and Second Show (2012).
