Vaali has not only written lyrics in pure Tamil, but all sorts of folk, hip-hop, rhythm and blues as well. He has also mixed other languages in Tamil songs. The legend goes that Vaali at one time in his life was contemplating suicide due to immense poverty when he heard the lines of the song "Mayakkama Kalakkamma" from the movie SumaiThangi, penned by Kannadasan. The lines "Unakkum keezhey (கீழே) ullavar kodi ninaithu paarthu nimmadhi naadu..." changed his mindset and renewed his determination to live a new life. He has said that there were once 24 hours but no food to eat and next came a time when he had enough on the plate but no time to eat.
