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A R Rahman, A Composer Extraordinaire..!!

                                      

Date of Birth: 6 January 1966, Madras, Tamil Nadu, India (now Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India)
Birth Name:    A.S. Dileep Kumar
Nickname:      The Mozart of Madras
Trade Mark:   His music always has a Southern Indian influence.

Allah Rakha Rahman is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, multi-instrumentalist and philanthropist. Described as the world’s most prominent and prolific film composer by Time, his works are notable for integrating eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and traditional orchestral arrangements. He has won two Academy Awards, two Grammy Awards, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe, four National Film Awards, fourteen Filmfare Awards, thirteen Filmfare Awards South in addition to numerous other awards and nominations.

Mini Biography

Allah Rakha Rahman was born as A.S. Dileep Kumar on January 6, 1966, in Madras (now Chennai), India, to a musically affluent family. Dileep started learning the piano at the age of 4, and at the age of 9, his father passed away. Since the pressure of supporting his family fell on him, he joined Ilayaraja’s troupe as a keyboard player at the age of 11. He dropped out of school as a result of this and traveled all around the world with various orchestras.

He accompanied the great tabla maestro Zakir Hussain on a few world tours and also won a scholarship at the Trinity College of Music at Oxford University, where he studied Western classical music and obtained a degree in music. Due to some personal crisis, Dileep Kumar embraced Islam and came to be known as A.R. Rahman. In 1987, he moved to advertising, where he composed more than 300 jingles over 5 years. In 1989, he started a small studio called Panchathan Record Inn, which later developed into one of the most well-equipped and advanced sound recording studios in India.

On August 15, 1997, he released an album called “Vande Mataram,” on Columbia/SME Records, to commemorate 50 years of Indian independence. A tribute to the motherland, it featured songs for each of the Indian flag colors. The album was released simultaneously across the world in 28 countries, and Rahman himself performed in New Delhi to a packed audience including the honorable Indian Prime Minister. Over 1.2 million copies were sold in India alone.Also known as the “John Williams” of the Indian Film Industry.
More recently, he worked with Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and Shekhar Kapur (director of Elizabeth (1998)) on a musical called “Bombay Dreams.” At 36 years old, A.R. Rahman has revolutionized Indian film music and one can only expect this musical genius to reach greater heights.

 

“Personal Quotes”

“I have rubbed many a producer the wrong way by disturbing the schedule, but it has paid off”.

“I wasn’t too happy with the I-don’t-want-to-listen-to-it attitude of our youngsters towards film music. Why can’t we get our guys to listen to our own music rather than to Michael Jackson? I didn’t want us to lose the market to the West. The music had to be cool and rooted, and yet had to branch out. It was like the wild imagination of a child… but it worked… it did travel beyond Madras and attract people”.

“I’m a deeply spiritual person. Sufism is about love – love for a fellow human, love for all round humanity, and ultimately loves for God. For me, it’s where music and religion meet – at dargahs, you will find qawwalis. That’s my inspiration”.

“It had to be unlike the one played on the radio for years. I wanted a sound that would connect me with people and capture a collective energy.”-About his song Vande Mataram

 

Hit-Spot Mini Biography By: Varun




This post first appeared on Hit-Spot | World From My Eyes, please read the originial post: here

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A R Rahman, A Composer Extraordinaire..!!

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