WHAT I WANT TO SEE IN 2010
- Grammy awards
- I 'm happy to be nominated on the same platform as some of the best musicians in the world. Let's see what happens.
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- Son Shine
- Couple's Retreat was my first venture into main stream Hollywood. What makes the movie extra special is that my son Ameen has sung part of a track, Na Na, in it. He's just six-and-a half. It's too soon to say, but let's hope he chooses music when he grows up.
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- Spirit of Music
- Connected by Music
- This album is special to me. Connections -- A Journey through Anthems is a very special compilation of songs that I've done at vari ous stages. They mean a lot to me and it's got all my personal favourites, like Khalballi and Dil Se Re and some unreleased tracks.
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- Power packed
- Being named one of the most influential people in the world by Time magazine was overwhelming. I hope I can use these honours to do good for people.
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- Peace
- The situation in Sri Lanka was disturbing for every Tamilian, and I hope all the people displaced in the war are now safe.
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- Life's a stage
- What I learnt from com posing for Broadway musicals like Bombay Dreams and Lord of the Rings was that theatre commands more respect in the West than films. A lot of Hollywood and British actors attend the theatre, and support even small productions. In India, with such a rich cultural heritage, we need something equally powerful and professional.
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- Water, water
- I have teamed up with U2, Shakira and Peter Gabriel for a global video on water conservation. It is titled Moving Stars And Earth For Water and is based on the musical track Vellai Pookal by Vairamuthu, from the movie Kannathil Muttha-mittal by M.Rathnam. It was perfect for the theme of water conservation. I believe climate change is important and we should all contribute to make the planet more livable for our children.
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- Working in Tamil
- I would continue to work in Tamil films, provided the projects excite me.
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- Plan ahead
- I do not plan that far ahead,i live for today.
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WHAT I SAW IN 2009
- The Slumdog experience :
- When I work on a western project, I am in learning mode. But Danny (Boyle) was someone who really liked my work and he wanted to work with me. While discussing the project, we were like friends, walking on the streets of London, grabbing a cup of coffee. Even the actual project itself was like a holiday. I took my family with me and we stayed at my studio house in London. In between work, I'd go to the park with my kids and relax. The whole soundtrack was a memorable experience.
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- The Oscars :
- When I first heard about the Oscar nomination, I was in Chennai. As soon as the names were announced, I was flooded with questions on whether I would perform and what I would wear. At that time I was too overwhelmed. It sank in slowly much later, but apart from getting a suit stitched from my tailor in Chennai, I didn't plan anything. The awards ceremony itself was a daze. I was so focussed on my live performance, that I didn't think about anything else. But when I landed in Chennai, I was overwhelmed by the reception I got. My fans, family, friends like Sivamani and all the artistes who performed... it was great to be home.
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- Time crunch:
- Post Oscars, people started to accuse me of being aloof and unapproachable. But that's ue. I was (and still am) under not true. I was (and still am) under so much work pressure. Earlier I used to take all personal calls and reply to every email that I received. But now I find it difficult to reply to the 400-odd mails that come in every day. See, music is what got me here and if I don't focus on my music, no one will respect me. Music is my first priority, so I shut off from everything and go back to my work.
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- Teachers :
- I missed seeing my two favourite and great teachers who passed away this year. Mr Nityanandam taught me how to transcribe melodies by listening, which helped me develop my ear for music better. Among other persons who helped build my foundation in music was Mr Moses Branham, who was my first teacher at the Trinity College of Music when I was 13 years old.
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- Love's labour lost:
- MY FRIEND and long time associate Bharat Bala and I had been working on a project that we were both very passionate about. After investing two years of time and effort, the project had to be dropped. It was something I felt bad about.
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- Among the best:
- Each year Film Score Monthly, a leading music magazine from Hollywood compiles a list (by Scott Bettencourt) of the top 40 composers. This is the first time that I have been chosen by them. I was ranked 25th and it was another memorable moment.
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- Gone too soon:
- The untimely death of Michael Jackson was a hock. He was an icon shock. He was an icon and I am yet to find an artist with that energy, perfection and vision. His passing affected me on a personal level because I met him personally after the Oscars in Los Angeles and we vibed very well. He said he had heard about me and he praised the chord progression of Jai Ho's chorus. He was bursting with energy and told me that every dance move he did came from his soul and even gave me a quick five-second demo. It was like a bolt of lightning! He was deeply concerned about global warming and war and he asked me to compose a unity anthem on the lines of We are the World for him and I could just nod in awe. I wished him well for his concerts and he said `God Bless you'. His death and the death of others close to me have made me value people's existence more and respect them when they are alive.
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- Power of speech :
- Ella Pughazhum Eraivanukke", which means `All glories belong to God'. That's how I ended my Oscar speech. I am so proud to be a Tamilian, and to have achieved this. A lot of people asked why I started my speech in Hindi (Mere paas maa hain), spoke in English and finally shifted to Tamil. But I don't differentiate between Tamil or Hindi. I just said whatever came to my mind at that moment. But I'm happy that everything I felt got conveyed through that short speech.
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- Meeting Vangelis:
- I was first introduced to the music of Greek composer Vangelis by the late L Vaidyanathan, a composer and brother of L Subramaniam, in 1987. He made me listen to the music of Vangelis to illustrate his ability to bring soul into synthesizers. I still have clear memories of listening to that music on headphones on the way from Bangalore to Chennai after finishing work for music composer Vijay Anand while travelling in third class due to delayed bookings.Vangelis' music used to transport me to another planet, releasing me from those inevitable noises in a train. That's why one of the highlights of my year was when a friend took me to Vangelis' house in Greece in August, 2009. I asked him if he would collaborate on an Indian project, and he said `'Why not?'
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- Performing at the White House:
- Entering the White House was such an awe-inspiring moment. I performed Interventions from Couple's Retreat, Latika's theme with the Washington he Washington Symphony and Jai ho for some powerful world leaders and I was thrilled to know that the Obamas were fans!
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courtesy
Deccan Chronicles (Article,images)
