Yuvan Shankar Raja quotes
I see every director as a different brand. That way, it's easy for me to compartmentalise my work. So I can easily switch from one film to the other and refresh myself when I hit a mental block. I don't want my music to sound like a pastiche of other works. So I stop listening to my songs once the audio for a film is released. When I unwind, it's usually with jazz.
Yuvan Shankar Raja
I'm camera shy. But I had to do a portfolio for my world tour. So Karthik of Dreamcast and I worked in tandem and conceptualised the shoot. I wanted a rock star look. Possibly, with just a bit of the face showing. Since the show is full of surprises, I wanted the promo photos too to kindle curiosity.
Yuvan Shankar Raja
I was never interested in studies. And honestly, I never felt I had it in me to make good music. I guess, the environment in which I grew up - dad neck-deep in music, my sister Bavatharini on the piano all the time and brother Karthik Raja constantly hooked on the latest music technology - just stirred me to take the first step. ‘Thuluvatho Ilamai' and ‘Poovellam Kaettupaar' proved to be turning points.
Yuvan Shankar Raja
Dad is a man of few words. He rarely discusses my compositions. But I hear him humming my numbers to my nephew. The recent one is a hit from the Telugu flick "Oy”. A musical genius in the family is both a huge advantage and a disadvantage. I've absorbed so much from my father. But, at the same time, fans keep writing to me saying they expect more from me - because of my lineage!
Yuvan Shankar Raja
Dad used to say it's [live recording] the backbone for any musical endeavour. And I've realised that with time. So most often, my re-recordings are live. Technology does enhance music, but the warmth of a live orchestra is incomparable. Fans wrote to me after ‘Oru Devadai...' ("Vaamanan”) saying the score had a divine quality. That's because it was done live. Besides, I'm also conscious of the employment problem that technology-driven music creates.
Yuvan Shankar Raja
