When People Want Melancholy, They Listen To My Music: AR Rahman
A R Rahman discusses how we need more infrastructure to nurture independent music in India.
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He has been rewarded innumerable times for the pure genius that he is. He’s not just a visionary but a luminary when it comes to his magic with the beat. You ask him about a song that shook him and he promptly says, ‘Ma tujhe salaam..’ stressing on the fact that neither his own music nor anyone else’s has made him feel that alive ever since.
When asked who he credits his success to, he modestly invokes his mother and the director Mani Ratnam.
A R Rahman is not just a name but a phenomenon that happens once in a lifetime and we are lucky that he happened in ours.
Q: Youtube Jamming is a place where various artists with varied music styles are collaborating with each other. Do you feel anxious about mentoring such a vast roster or the excitement has just started to build up?
Rahman: I agree with you but then looking at the roster, we have 4 sets of people including Clinton, Salim-Sulaiman, Mithoon and I. So we will share the burden (Smiles). Talking about different artists from different parts of the country in the digital space is fantastic as there are no gatekeepers. This is one place where no one is controlling anyone. No one can blame anyone of any kind of suppression. If you have talent, you come up. Of course mean comments are always there, you just have to ignore all of those.
Q: The flip side of having no gatekeepers calls for mediocrity as well. Do you agree?
Rahman: Absolutely yes! I don’t know if that is a good or a bad thing. Why should I judge anything that people like? Yes, mediocrity steps in but then if it does, you do not get clicks right. It determines it and balances everything out. I think you should appreciate every kind of music, the asian sub continent has various tastes. Some people are sad, so Honey Singh makes them happy; when someone wants melancholy, they listen to Rahman. We should respect every art form.
Q: The ultimate goal to be a successful musician in India fortunately or unfortunately has to do with collaborating on film music, isn’t it?
Rahman: That is a very generic comment about music just being about Bollywood. Take All India Radio for instance, they have been amazing in promoting classical and folk music, or even Doordarshan for that matter. But I think Live music needs more venues and making that happen is very important.
Q: Taking a cue from this, how can we nurture our independent artists?
Rahman: I think you need more venues where people can hang out, share knowledge and marketing tools. In the west, if the musician wants his music to get popular they go to a bar or Hard rock café as they do mini concerts. They promote their music so much. They take 10 years and eventually become big stars as people know them by then.
Here we have cinema takers, but not many live places. But having said that, eventually nothing is going to stop independent music from coming in. I feel like the wave has come in and the joy of watching great musicians live is something else. I was at NH7, and I could feel the pulse of the country. I hope people are hearing this. People loaded with money can build little places where musicians can hang out.
One song can change people’s lives, provoke a great thought. People on stage should take it up as a challenge. We are not just about love songs, there are few songs which are beautiful and can change the course of prejudice, stigma and can unify people in a way. Make them understand about a larger thing, which is humanity. There is no ‘imagine’ anymore and Indian artists should take that thought forward. That is the power of independent music. No one is stopping you, but do it in a way where people are going to love it. I keep asking myself, can I do this…? I feel I don’t even value all of my work.
Q: If the digital space was as big as it is today in the 90’s, would you have done things differently in your career?
Rahman: I don’t know if it would have turned out differently as I do not think like that. The hard work that we went through, be it every little thing from forming a beat and doing the vocals, is something that I value. I think because of valuing all of it, I am here today. Whatever goes on in the production gives character or to achieve a final goal in making music or a song or background score. It is something that I value now.
Q: You will be performing at the United Nations on our 70th Independence Day, paying homage to M.S. Subbulakshmi who was the
first musician to be awarded the Bharat Ratna. Is it nerve-wracking?
Rahman: Of course there is a lot of pressure. We all grew up with her charm, she was magic on stage. I still remember her face and to have a character like that, is such a legend. After 50 years of her performing in the UN, I would be performing there as a tribute to her and Indian music. I have a very special offering there which I will reveal very soon.
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