Yuvan Shankar Raja

At 45 years old, Yuvan Shankar Raja has this physical status:

Yuvan Shankar Raja (born 31 August 1979) is an Indian film score and soundtrack composer as well as a singer-songwriter.

He mainly composes music for Tamil films.

He began his musical career in 1996 at the age of 15, when he composed the film score for Aravindhan.

After an initial failure, he made his breakthrough with the Thulluvadho Ilamai soundtrack (2001), and rose to become one of Tamil cinema's most sought-after composers by the mid-2000s.

In 2006, he was the only Indian composer to win the Cyprus International Film Festival Award for the soundtrack of Raam.

Yuvan's talent has been compared to that of Oscar winner A.R.R.Rahman.

Yuvan Shankar Raja has appeared in more than 100 films in a span of 15 years, thanks to his outstanding performances and devoted fan base.

He is best known for his use of western music elements and is often credited with helping to bring Hip hop to Tamil film and music industry and starting the "era of remixes" in Tamil Nadu. He has received two Filmfare Awards; the best Music Director Award in 2004 for his Telugu musical Oy!

In addition, he received six nominations for Filmfare Awards, two Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, and two Tamil Nadu State Film Awards in 2006 and 2010.

U1 Records was born in 2015, and YSR Films, his own film production company, was established in 2017.

Early life

Yuvan Shankar Raja was born on August 31, 1979. Ilaiyaraaja's third and youngest child. He is the younger brother of music producer Karthik Raja and Bhavatharini, and he's the younger brother of Bhavatharini. Yuvan once admitted that his brother, Karthik Raja, was more gifted than him, but that he did not get a break into music because he didn't have a "good team to work with." Many songs have been performed by his father and his siblings under his direction. Gangai Amaran and R. D. Bhaskar are his uncles and their sons. Venkat Prabhu, Premgi Amaren, and Parthi Bhaskar, who are also working in Tamil film, are his cousins.

Yuvan Shankar attended St. Bede's Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School in Chennai and stopped studying after his tenth class. He began studying music from Jacob Master, attending piano lessons at "Musee Musical" in Chennai, which is attached to Trinity College in London, United Kingdom.

Yuvan Shankar Raja said he always wanted to be a pilot and fly "all around the world," but as he grew up "with music around him," he eventually became a guitarist. He admires the music of his father and others, including S. D. Burman, M. S. Viswanathan, and Naushad Ali, as well as singers Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, P. B. Susheela and P. B. S. Susheela.

Personal life

Yuvan Shankar Raja married Sujaya Chandran in Chennai, India, on March 21. Yuvan had attended a music cultural festival in London in 2002 and they all fell in love later. Sujaya was a London-based singer and the niece of Dr. C. R. Velayutham and Dr. Sarojini Chandran. They had a shadow registered marriage in September 2003 in London before their formal public wedding took place in 2005 with the permission of their parents. They applied for divorce by mutual consent in August 2007, which was granted in February 2008 after 6 months. The reason for the divorce was cited as "irreconcilable inconsistencies," according to the author.

He married Shilpa at the Tirupati temple in Andhra Pradesh on September 1st. The marriage took place in a simple ceremony with only family and close friends present. Shilpa was confirmed to be a B.Pharm student from Australia. A day later in Chennai, a wedding reception was held.

He revealed that he had accepted Islam on Twitter in February 2014. He legally changed his name to Abdul Haliq, but he still uses his original name more properly. He married in Zafroon Nisa, Tanzania, on January 1, 2015. On April 7, 2016 Yuvan and his wife had a baby girl.

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Career

Yuvan Shankar Raja started writing songs for an album in 1996, following his mother's suggestion that music be pursued as a profession. After hearing some of the tunes, T. Siva, the maker of the Tamil language film Aravindhan, asked him to write a trailer music score. Yuvan Shankar was given the opportunity to produce the entire film score, as Siva was captivated by the music. He accepted the invitation after consulting and receiving permission from his parents; his music career began. He was born in Tamil film and music at the age of 16, making him one of the youngest composers in the industry, which he described as "purely accidental."

However, both the soundtrack album and the film itself failed to attract audiences and do well, and Yuvan Shankar Raja's previous films Velai (1998) and Kalyana Galatta (1998) were also not fruitful; one reviewer even described the music and background score in the latter as "cacophony" and "poor." Because of the failures of his first two projects, he was not offered any film grants or positions. He was approached and directed by director Vasanth to write the songs for his film Poovellam Kettuppar (1999). The soundtrack received a overwhelmingly positive reception, with some describing it as "new" and "different" on the front page, with a New Indian Express writer referring to his "absolutely enchanting musical score [...], which "testifies to his "Raja" surname." The album became very popular, with songs such as "Irava Pagala" and "Chudithar Aninthu" becoming a hit with young people and children. The album was supposed to be his first breakthrough in the market and was to be a turning point in his career. He went to work for Unakkaga Ellam Unakkaga (1999) and Rishi (2004), Ajith Kumar's debut film and Yuvan Shankar Raja's first major success film after working for two Sundar C. films, Unakkaga (1999) and Rishi (2000). Yuvan Shankar's songs were equally successful, and they are said to have been instrumental in the film's success, although his background score was also well appreciated.

In 2001, he had three albums, the first being Thulludho Ilamai, who was collaborating with Selvaraghavan for the first time. Kasthuri Raja wrote the script and worked with Yuvan Shankar Raja for the film's soundtrack album, but Selvaraghavan wrote the script and collaborated with Yuvan Shankar Raja for the film's soundtrack album. Thulluvadho Ilamai's soundtrack album in particular appealed to the younger generation. The film itself, which marks Selvaraghavan's brother Dhanush's debut, was released a year later and became a sleeper hit at the Chennai box office. This was followed by Bala's Nandha (2001), for which he received rave reviews. He gained traction when churning out "new music" in April Kadhathil (2002), Ameer's romantic comedy films, and the triangular love story Punnagai Poove (2002), in which he also appeared in some scenes and one song sequence, but he was later released on film. He made his Telugu debut with Seshu and Malli Malli Chudali, as well as producing for the Tamil films Junior Senior and Pop Carn, starring Malayalam actors Mammootty and Mohanlal, respectively, but both of which failed at the box office.

Selvaraghavan's first independent directorial, Kaadhal Kondein, was released in 2003, and it is considered a landmark for Yuvan Shankar Raja. His contribution to the film, especially his background score, was unanimously lauded, resulting in the unveiling of a separate CD containing several film score pieces, à la "Hollywood-style," which was reportedly the first film score CD release in India. In addition, the film went on to become a blockbuster, establishing Dhanush and Yuvan Shankar as the film's lead artist. He appeared in Vishnuvardhan's debut film Kurumbu, which featured the first remix song in a Tamil film in the same year. Yuvan Shankar Raja had established himself as one of the best and most coveted music directors in Tamil cinema, despite working predominantly with younger producers and in low-budget productions by that time.

Yuvan Shankar's 2004 films, 7G Rainbow Colony, another Selvaraghavan film, and Silambarasan's Manmadhan, both critically and commercially successful films, featuring acclaimed as well as popular music by Yuvan Shankar Raja, which also contributed to the films' success. His work in the former, especially in the beginning, became internationally acclaimed and eventually led to the Best Music Direction Award at the 2004 Filmfare Awards South; at the age of 25, he was the youngest winning music composer of the competition at the time. On average, he would have nine to ten releases a year, making him one of India's most prolific film composers.

Raam was the first of nine albums to be released in 2005. His performance in the Ameer-directed thriller, described as "soul-stirring," landed him more accolades and culminated in his first prize for an Indian composer at the 2006 Cyprus International Film Festival. His prolific run continued with his new releases throughout the year, including Arinthum Ariyamalum, Kanda Naal Mudhal, and Sandakozhi; Yuvan Shankar's songs "Theepidikka" and "Dhavani Potta" from the respective soundtracks, which were reported to have been integral in the films' success; and he was one of the films' success; After the release of the soundtrack for Kalvanin Kadhali's film debut, the actor's last album of 2005, Pudhupettai, saw him again working with director Selvaraghavan, which culminated in his popularity after the film's release. Yuvan Shankar Raja's finest work to date, as well as a "musical masterpiece," was highlighted on ten-track experimental album, which has received high critical acclaim. For the first time in a Tamil film, the film's soundtrack and score included a traditional orchestral score performed by the "Chapraya Symphony" of Bangkok. Critics also agreed that this program demonstrated his abilities and skills to produce innovative and experimental scores. Despite receiving critical praise, the film itself, which was only released in May 2006, did average sales despite the fact that the film was announced.

He spent time on the romantic comedies Happy and Azhagai Irukkirai Bayamai Irukkirathu and Pattiyal, as well as the gangster film Pattiyal, which were all released in early 2006. Critics lauded his Happiness's music and background score, while analysts lauded the film's "new music" as "excellent" and "the film's "main strength," while critics applauded his film's "main feature"; a Sify analyst said: "Yuvan Shankar Raja's music and background score is the life of the film." In addition, both films went on to become hugely successful ventures both commercially and critically. Silambarasan's debut as director of Vallavan and the action entertainer Thimiru were among his year's highlights. Yuvan Shankar Raja was cited as the "true hero" of the former, which included some of the year's most listened-to tracks like "Loosu Penne" and "Yammadi Aathadi," while the former film was ranked as one of the year's best-grossing films. The Paruthiveeran soundtrack album was released in November 2006, with the composer transitioning to pure rural folk music using traditional musical instruments. Despite initially being released to mixed reviews, with critics questioning whether the songs would appeal to a young audience, his first attempt at rural music was a huge success, following the film's great success at the box office. Since its debut in February 2007 and became a blockbuster, Ameer's third feature film as well as Karthi's debut venture, the film, including the song "Oororam Puliyamaram" was a chartbuster hit in Tamil Nadu, Ameer's third feature film, gaining worldwide attention.

In 2007, he had a record ten album launches in a year. The first was the soundtrack to Deepavali's romantic drama film The Trash Abramove, the Telugu family entertainer, Aadama Shabdam in Malayalam), and the romantic films Thottal Poo Malarum and Kannamooyje were also well-received, with the former three being well-received despite receiving good feedback. Venkat Prabhu's directorial debut and Aadavari Matalaku Verule, Selvaraghavan's debut Telugu debut, were all big commercial hits and became some of the year's most successful films in Tamil and Telugu. The film Kattradhu Thamizh and its soundtrack were released in late 2007. The soundtrack album, which was released as Tamil M. A., was met with praise and skepticism, as well as the film itself. Yuvan Shankar Raja's "composing abilities" were praised in a "musical miracle" and was listed as a "proof" of his "composing abilities." Despite positive reviews by critics, the film did not capture the audience's attention and did not enjoy much success, and it did not have a following. Billa, a reimagining of the 1980 Rajinikanth-starrer of the same name, was his last release of the year in 2007. This film, which was remade by Vishnuvardhan and starring Ajith Kumar in the title role, also featured two remixes from the original version. The film became one of the year's top grossers, while simultaneously receiving lauding praise for Yuvan Shankar's chic musical score.

Five films starring Yuvan's music were released in 2008, two of which were the Tamil and Kannada remakes of Aadavari Matalaku Verule, which partly featured the original score and songs. The Tamil version, in particular, was able to repeat the success of the original film, which was a huge commercial success, while still receiving the second Filmfare Award for Yuvan. Seeman's Vaindhu, Venkat Prabhu's comedy-thriller Saroja, Ajith Kumar's action thriller Silambattam, and Saroja's crime thriller Silambattam, among others, was a hit at the box office this year, with Yuvan Shankar's performance in the former and his songs in the latter receiving numerous accolades and several awards at the 2009 Isaiyaruvi Tamil Music Awards azhoutput: Nine of his soundtrack albums were released in 2009. The romantic comedy Siva Manasula Sakthi, a series of his best-selling song of the year, "Oru Kal Oru Kannadi," was out of contention at the box office. "Oru Kal" (Sarvam) and "Aedho Saigiral" (Vaamanan) became very popular, as well as "Mr. Kal" and "Sagular" (Vaamanan). In Kunguma Poovum Puravum and a sarangi-based score for Ameer's Yogi's urban action drama, he had scored once more. His Telugu romantic musical Oy! At the 2010 South Filmfare Awards, he was named Special Jury Award.

The soundtrack album of Paiyaa, which was dubbed a "blockbuster album" and a "magnum opus" in late 2009, was released as a result of the film's popularity, long before the film was released, and it was one of Yuvan Shankar Raja's most popular performances of his career. "Thuli Thuli" was the first Tamil song to be featured in India's Top 20 list for April 2010, implying that it was the most commonly played Tamil song on all Indian FM radio stations in the history of Tamil film music. Yuvan's score and songs made the film itself one of the year's highest earners, particularly because of Yuvan's score and songs. Naan Mahaan Alla, Baana Kaathadi, and Boss Engira Bhaskaran were among the year's top ten chartbusters, alongside Paiyaa, songs from three other films for which he composed music this year, as well as Paiyaa. He wrote "Haq Se" in early 2010 as part of the film Striker's ensemble soundtrack, starring his close friend Siddharth, which received overwhelmingly positive feedback. He collaborated with Silambarasan again in 2011 for the anthology film Vainam, with the single "Evan Di Unna Pethan" from the album, gaining a following. Avan Ivan of Bala's next film received rave reviews; Yuvan's songs received mainly positive feedback. For the critically acclaimed independent gangster film Aaranya Kaandam, he drew influence from many world music styles, receiving acclaim from critics. He went on to work in Venkat Prabhu's action thriller Mankatha, his biggest project to date, and Vishnuvardhan's first Telugu venture Panjaa. Rajapattai and Vettai's soundtrack albums were among the 2011 releases that had mixed reactions and failed to achieve success. Billa II, starring Ajith Kumar, Ameer's long-delayed Aadhi Bhagavan, and Vasanth's Moondru Per Moondru Kadhal, are among his 2012 film premieres.

Yuvan Shankar Raja's collaborations with various film producers, including Selvaraghavan, Ameer Sultan, Vishnuvardhan, Venkat Prabhu, and Linguswamy have all resulted in highly acclaimed soundtracks. In the same vein, he has collaborated with noted Tamil poet Valiant and young Tamil lyricists, such as Na. Muthukumar, Pa. Vijay and Snehan were among the first to produce commercial compositions.

Hit films such as Kedi Billa Killadi Ranga and Aarambam were released in 2013, which also included hit songs. The soundtrack of Thanga Meenkal's coming-of-age film received him rave reviews.

Nine films starring Yuvan's music were released in 2014, two of which were non-Tamil films; the Telugu film Govindudu Andarivadele and Hindi film Raja Natwarlal, which were both non-Tamil films; and Yuvan's Bollywood debut. While Govindudu Andarivadele became one of the top grossing Telugu films of 2014, Raja Natwarlal, on the other hand, was a box office flop. The other year's launches, which included Thirudan Police, Anjaan, and Poojai, were all successful, but Vanavarayan Vallavarayan received glowing reviews from critics. He has only performed one song on the album, in Vaino. Valiant Valiant was launched in 2015, but Idam Porfir Eval's photos have yet to be revealed. Masse and Yatchan were his only two films released in the next year. Despite the success of the audio album, both films were commercially poor.

After Idam Porul Eval, Dharmadurai, Chennai, India, 28229 II, Nenjam Marappathillai, Yaakkai, and Taramani were his second film starring him. Three films, including Sathriyan, Kadamban, and Anbanavan Adangadhavan, Raja Ranguski, Sandakozhi 2, Irumbu Shandhavan, Perpetro Kane, Maar Gou zalam, 1945, Peranbu, Maamohi 2, have been released in 2017, and critics and viewers have lauded the performances of these films, as well as Prof. Bamoski, Maadhavan,

In addition to Tamil films, he has also performed soundtrack for films in other South Indian languages. Around 35 of the Tamil films, for which he had composed music, were later dubbed into Telugu, Kannada, or Malayalam scripts, as were the respective soundtracks. In addition to these, he spent "straight" on Telugu projects, including Seshu, Malli Malli Chudali, Happy, Raam, Raju Bhai, and Aadavari Matalaku Verule, making him a well-known popular composer in Andhra Pradesh.

His Telugu album Oy!

It had been a grand success for several weeks as it topped the charts for several weeks. Panjaa, a Yuvan band that debuted in 2011, has set all-time records, including new waves (trends) as a rocking band in Andhra Pradesh. Yuvan has signed up for Woolfell, a Hollywood animated film that was released by Haricane Studios in 2015.

Yuvan Shankar Raja is also a well-known playback artist, in addition to scoring. He has performed over 80 songs, mainly his own compositions, and he has recorded for his father Ilaiyaraaja and his brother Karthik Raja several times. He first appeared in 1988, when he was eight years old for a song in En Bommukutty Ammavukku, a father's film. Since then, he has appeared in films including Anjali (1990), Chatriyan (1990), Ramana (2004), and Neethane En Ponvasantham (2012). He had appeared in the films Naam Iruvar (1998), Ullam Kollai Poguthae (2001), and Veyilodu Vilayadu (2012) under his brother's direction. He had also performed a song for the film Siddu +2 (2010), composed by his colleague Dharan, and had lent his voice for the World Classical Tamil Conference 2010, which was also tuned by A. R. Rahman. In the film Maryan, he sang a song for Rahman.

However, he is best known as a performer of his own compositions. Thulluvadho Ilamai, June Maadhathil, Pudhupettay, Pattiyal, Azhagai Irukkirathu (in which he had performed all songs), Deepavali, Kattradhu, Sirva Manasula Sakthi, Sarvam, Paiyaa, and Naan Mahaan Mahaan Alla were among the films starring some of his most popular songs as a performer

He also makes personal music albums from time to time, in addition to scoring film music and soundtracks. In 1999, he produced the Tamil pop album The Blast, which contained 12 songs starring vocals by Kamal Haasan, P. Unnikrishnan, and Nithyashree Mahadevan. However, the album went downright unnoticed. He began working on his second album, the rights of which had been purchased by Sony BMG had been acquired by the artist in 2008. The album was unveiled on a bilingual record, and it was made in both Tamil and Hindi.

He joined hands with former President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam of India for a grand music video album titled "Song of Youth" in 2010. Kalam wrote and produced the popular song of the same name, which also includes many other sports and entertainment celebrities. The album was produced in three languages, Tamil, Hindi, and English, and is also unreleased.

Yuvan performed his first live performance in January 2009, which was supposed to be held at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada, on April 25th, 2009. According to Yuvan, the program would have featured around 30 songs performed by well-known singers and his father, Ilaiyaraaja, as well as some stage dances in between, directed by actresses Sana Khan and Meenakshi. However, the concert was postponed eventually, with Yuvan Shankar claiming he was working on new techniques to make the performance memorable and, consequently, postponed the performance. He revealed in October 2009 that a world tour, titled "Oru Naalil," is planned in a three-hour stage performance in various cities around the globe. On December 1, 2009, the Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, welcomed singers such as Shankar Mahadevan, Hariharan, Karthik, Harish Raghavendra, and Silambarasan, as well as professional dancers from Mumbai, which was supposed to be followed by shows in Canada, the United States, and South Africa. Also, the show was supposed to be held in Muscat, Oman, and Kuwait, but the tour was postponed due to the Dubai concert.

Yuvan Shankar Raja announced in October 2010 that he had registered for his first live concert in Chennai. On January 16, 2011, the festival, titled Yuvan – Live in Concert, which was sponsored, arranged, and later broadcast on STAR Vijay, was held in Nandanam, Chennai, India. In addition, a promotional music video titled "I'll Be There for You" by Yuvan Shankar himself, directed by Vishnuvardhan, and shot by Nirav Shah, was shot by Nirav Shah, while STAR Vijay aired a three-week, 14 episode serial on Yuvan Shankar Raja as a build-up to the performance.

Techofes arranged a live-in tribute concert for Yuvan Shankar Raja on February 16, where he also appeared.

On December 15, 2012, he appeared at the inaugural Kuala Lumpur International Music Festival 2012 held at the Bukit Jalil Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In the first week of September, Yuvan Shankar Raja performed a few songs in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, where a pre-launch function to promote the concert was held.

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