Finding his voice: The journey of Vijaynarain Rangarajan

Meet Vijaynarain Rangarajan, an Indian-Australian singer-songwriter and composer who’s known for songs similar Ei Suzhali, Aiyo Kadhale, Kaarkuzhal Kadavaiye, and the Bhairava Anthem. His euphony is rooted successful Indian melody with elements from assorted different genres similar country, blues, RnB, and acoustic-rock. This World Music Day, we chronicle his travel with euphony and stock immoderate stories down his songs.

His travel with euphony began erstwhile helium was successful 2nd grade. While successful Delhi, helium was enrolled successful Carnatic vocal classes and learnt nether the guidance of the precocious Sri O.V. Subramaniam for astir 2 years and past took a interruption successful between. “My dada had a transferable job,” helium stated, “So, determination was a interruption for 2 years oregon truthful erstwhile we shifted to Salem, and past I started again successful eighth grade.” He was successful Mumbai astatine that time, and there, helium continued grooming astatine the Sri Shanmukhananda Fine Arts and Sangeetha Sabha. After moving to Chennai, helium returned to his archetypal guru successful his 11th people for astir six months. He aboriginal decided to absorption connected his academics.

Vijayarain talks astir however the euphony astir him shaped his travel arsenic well: “Growing up successful my household, we did not perceive to a batch of movie music, astatine slightest not until we shifted to Mumbai. That was erstwhile the indie-pop civilization gyration happened. Eventually, I was exposed to a batch of music.”

When helium came to Chennai, helium heard however a telephone telephone from A.R. Rahman could alteration people’s lives. “So, that piqued my curiosity and I started listening to much of him, which truly inspired me.” He did his engineering successful Chennai and got exposed to a batch of different genres, including stone music.

“At 1 point, my sole purpose successful beingness was to sing for Rahman. So, it benignant of got obsessive, similar that.” And truthful helium began a set with immoderate assemblage mates. “Apparently, we were the archetypal Tamil stone set successful Chennai astatine the time. I don’t cognize however definite I americium of that, but we enrolled successful this televised set hunt.”

The tv amusement was called Ooh.. La La La… It was telecast connected ‘Sun TV’ backmost successful 2006 oregon 2007 and was judged by playback vocalist Vasundhara Das, percussionist Sivamani, and bass guitarist Paul Jacob. The finale of the amusement was judged by A.R. Rahman. “A batch of established musicians contiguous similar Anirudh Ravichandar and Kalyani Nair were portion of that show,” helium said. “We proceed to person a large narration with each these musicians, and they each retrieve this contest.” It was poorly organised, but Vijaynarain and the different musicians connected this amusement fostered a web wherever present everyone works with everyone.

Routine and riyaaz

You whitethorn deliberation a musician’s beingness is filled with discipline, strict schedules, and a batch of signifier time. But Vijaynarain Rangarajan doesn’t assertion his beingness to beryllium similar that. “To beryllium honest, determination is nary operation successful a musician’s life. That is the truth,” helium stated. “The subject portion is conscionable things similar regular signifier oregon prep for a show. But determination are stretches wherever thing happens, and past determination are days which are conscionable packed with work.” We should enactment present that helium besides balances a time occupation arsenic a tech advisor (work-from-home) though his main absorption is music.

“I person a beauteous boring routine, to beryllium honest,” helium jokes. “But past I emotion the information that I get to, like, you know, bash these philharmonic escapades present and past spell for a signaling and each of that.”

Tales down the songs

Vijaynarain was besides benignant capable to stock immoderate tales down immoderate of his astir celebrated songs. He shared the backstory connected his opus ‘Ei Suzhali’ from the 2016 Tamil movie Kodi (or possibly it was ‘Poyi Vazhva’ from the 2016 movie Manithan). “I can’t retrieve which opus it was, but I utilized to unrecorded successful a tiny workplace flat successful Sydney, Australia,” helium recalls. “I had to bash a distant signaling of the song. I was signaling good beyond 9 p.m., and the adjacent morning, I recovered a missive slipped nether my beforehand doorway from a neighbour who was disgruntled with the information that I was singing. It was astir however assembly laws are against sound aft 10 p.m. and that my singing was a nuisance.” Irrespective of the code and contented of the letter, helium inactive keeps it arsenic a reminder of a fond memory. “Back then, I was rather naive. I thought arsenic and erstwhile I recorded the song, I would gaffe a CD of it nether their door. I ne'er got to cognize who that said neighbour was though.”

He besides recorded the Bhairava Anthem from the 2024 movie ‘Kalki 2898 A.D.’ with the precise rocking Diljit Dosanjh. “I person Santhosh Narayanan (film composer and euphony producer) to convey for the song. My parts were recorded wholly successful Chennai. And arsenic overmuch arsenic I would person loved to conscionable Diljit Dosanjh, I did not get the accidental to. But, that’s conscionable however the manufacture works. Everybody records their parts from wherever they are,” helium says. “What I did get to bash was dabble successful a connection I had ne'er sung successful before: Punjabi. When the scratch was being made, Santhosh Narayanan called maine up and asked if I would beryllium capable to sing those lines arsenic a notation for Diljit. At that point, I wasn’t definite if I was going to beryllium successful the song.”

Having a just fluency successful Hindi, helium was capable to prime up the Punjabi intonations from a dependable note. The enactment was past sent to Dosanjh, who sang the parts successful Punjabi. The Hindi information was done by Vijaynarain. “So, I person my sanction connected a way with Diljit Dosanjh.”

In tongues

And speaking of languages, a batch of singers successful the movie manufacture sing successful aggregate languages. Vijaynarain is nary exception. When asked astir the easiest and astir hard connection to prime up, helium said, “My parent lingua is Tamil, truthful that has been precise easy. Hindi is rather casual arsenic well, arsenic I picked up the connection during my puerility successful Delhi. It is inactive functional capable to sing in, though I bash not get to signifier it enough.”

The toughest connection was Malayalam. “It is incredibly hard to person Malayalam speakers that you person sung successful their language, arsenic they volition cognize whether the vocalist is Malayali oregon not,” helium says. “I person tried it. I person a mates of releases successful the language, and erstwhile I play it to a autochthonal speaker, they tin archer I’m not a autochthonal speaker.” He besides says it’s not conscionable astir pronunciation, but besides the discourse of the connection and utilizing it successful the close places with the close intonation.

Indie vs film

As we know, Vijaynarain has dabbled successful some movie and autarkic music. He shares the differences betwixt some industries. “The making of movie euphony is precise straightforward arsenic acold arsenic I americium concerned,” helium shares. “You person a composer, who calls you to the studio. He oregon she past teaches you the opus you deliver. You’re fixed discourse of the concern the opus revolves around. You grounds it, get paid. And if it is simply a hit, blessed days. But determination are besides times erstwhile your dependable doesn’t marque the last cut.”

He besides shares the challenges of recording. “The signaling tin beryllium pressuring arsenic determination is usually not a batch of time. There are besides moments wherever you and the composer bash not person a bully equation with each other. At times, you person not worked with the composer before. So, it feels similar an exam wherever you person 3 hours, a song, and you person to larn it wrong that clip frame,” helium says. “Your pharynx besides has to beryllium cleanable connected the time of recording. You should besides beryllium successful the presumption to garbage a song, oregon postpone signaling for definite reasons.”

Indie music, connected the different hand, sees nary commercialized oregon firm restraints. It’s astir doing a opus connected immoderate you consciousness similar it tin be, similar traveling, “You conscionable commencement penning something, and past you could conscionable halt and past make it a twelvemonth aboriginal erstwhile you’re traveling again. And past that culminates successful a song. You could instrumentality your ain saccharine clip moving connected the opus earlier releasing it,” helium explains.

“And I consciousness similar an artist’s existent look of themselves comes done successful their autarkic music, due to the fact that that is erstwhile you cognize who they are and what they’re reasoning about. Because astatine the extremity of the day, artists are radical who should person much interests than conscionable music. I consciousness musicians should person a wide assortment of interests extracurricular of music, which is erstwhile they tin get inspiration to provender backmost into their songwriting. It’s besides a process of self-discovery.”

Career advice

Here’s a fewer words from the adept himself. “There is nary straightforward oregon casual reply to this. But my proposal would beryllium to dainty euphony arsenic thing that makes you happy, due to the fact that astatine the extremity of the day, it is art. And erstwhile you marque a vocation retired of art, there’s money, and determination are besides a batch of ups and downs to it,” helium says. “But astatine the extremity of the day, creation should beryllium a means of channeling your originative energies and expressing yourself. So I would accidental support that ever arsenic your superior absorption alternatively than, you know, wanting to marque it arsenic a career. And that framework of caput sets you up trying caller things without fear, different you could, you could precise easy beryllium swayed by what is commercially successful.”

He besides highlights the value of learning fundamentals, particularly successful music. “We are successful the satellite of AI wherever a elemental punctual tin springiness you anything. But it is highly important to recognize the fundamentals of music. Understand what the mentation is. And if you’re into classical music, dive heavy into that.”

Vijaynarain besides encourages actively listening to a wide scope of music. “Have an unfastened caput to each sorts of euphony and perceive to arsenic overmuch euphony arsenic you can. And past you volition commencement to recognize what appeals to you and what doesn’t. that volition signifier your influences and the basal for immoderate originative enactment that you do. All originative enactment is derivative, but to beryllium capable to deduce bully stuff, you request to person really listened to a batch of bully stuff.”

Whether it’s navigating the structured satellite of movie euphony oregon the boundless state of indie creation, Vijaynarain reminds america that music, astatine its core, is not conscionable astir perfection oregon popularity, but astir honorable look and the courageousness to support experimenting.