Journey Uphill
In a few years, this talented youngster has come a long way. There is always curiousity to know the likes of the playlist of musicians. Well, he is versatile when it comes to choosing to like a particular artist or musical genre. “There are so many films coming out every week and there are hundreds of music directors coming in every year. From MSV sir, to everyone who comes in today is doing a good job.” Tastes in music evolve as people grow. Well, Anirudh agrees. “It keeps changing. Everybody goes through phases. I was in a rock phase while in college, after which I went into a funk phase. Then, I was on a huge hip-hop phase followed by an electro phase that lasted for one and a half years. Finally, I got out of it. Right now, I am into old music like jazz. So yes, it definitely keeps changing.”
Being a part of this industry, Anirudh is practical about how it all works. “There is no competition in music, people come and tell me I am going to go places, but it does not work that way. Music is not a game of numbers. It is not like the box office. It all comes down to how much people like your music and how far they can relate to it.”
Certain compositions go a long, long way in people’s memory lane. Especially when artists come together and integrate to create a number, they are etched, and there is often more excitement than usual. Does Anirudh feel the need to do so for marketing his music or because the song demands? “There is no question of selling music; the song would not be an automatic hit just because you collaborate with other artists. That is never the case, for your music should also be good.”
He looks beyond practices that have prevailed so far. To him, it is a completely new experience and that is what music is about. “The reason why I work with new artists is because musical ideas get exchanged and that is the concept in the West, where collaborations happen. However, that does not happen here, wherein, there are a set of ten singers whom everybody uses repeatedly. It is just for that whole new experience, and I wanted to bring in that and I am glad people accept and like it.”
