| Yuvan
Shankar Raja: A chip off the old block |
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Yuvan
Shankar Raja is one of the success stories
of the Tamil music industry. The heavy burden
of expectation, being the son of ‘Maestro’
Ilayaraja, has easily been shaken off and
if his scores in the movies like ‘Nanda’,
‘7 G Rainbow Colony’, ‘Kalvanin
Kadhali’, ‘Pattiyal’,
and are any indicating, the new Raja of
Kollywood has arrived in splendid style.
Behindwoods.com
caught up with Yuvan for brief chat - on
what it takes to be a successful musician
and to remain humble, like his father. |
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On
being his father’s son :
“Sometimes it’s a bane
and sometimes it’s not. More
often, the expectation are so high
that it needs so much extra hard work
from your side. It is easier said
than done.”
On the present trend of fast
music : “As far as
I am concerned, pace of music hardly
matters as I pay a lot of attention
to melody. But, of course, the focus
should be on the script and what the
director wants. |
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Someone
recently said with worry that instruments
like drums and pads are replacing mridangam
and tabla. I don’t think we’re
losing our culture because of this. Ultimately
it all boils down to the needs of the particular
scene in the movie and the director.” |
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On his idea of music :
“It is a powerful tool and it
is a tool of human emotions. Music
is my passion and it helps me to connect
with people.”
On going with the trend :
“I believe that tunes which
are original and which have quality
will always remain. They will be timeless.”
On working with SPB :
“It was a dream come true when
we got S P Balasubramaniam to sing
the number ‘Mun Paniya’
in Nanda. Next on the list are Lata
Mangeshkar and Asha Bhonsle. So watch
out!” |
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On
getting help from his father :
“This is a tough industry
and composing songs and background
score are very challenging. Usually,
I like to sort it out myself.”
On getting feedback from
his father : “If
the tune is different, I try to
get his feedback a little discreetly.
He would listen, mumble a little
and laugh. With me, he is on a different
plane altogether!”
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On
technology in music :
“With so much technology
around, any request from the director
can be fulfilled. Usually I take
my time but I see to it that I
give only the best.”
On
projects on hand : “I
am working on a couple of films
right now. I am also excited with
my new project, an exclusive album
with a mix of Tamil and English
pop songs.
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This
album will have international artistes and
it is being planned for next summer’s
release. I also have a few Telugu films
on hand.”
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