Harris Jayaraj , the man of momemt

The year 2009 has been a good one for popular composer Harris Jayaraj as both his films this year feature among the top five Tamil film albums of the year. Point this out to him and the unassuming composer takes the compliment in his typical, humble way.
“First and foremost, I would like to thank the almighty who has showered his blessings on me. Then, I’d like to thank my directors K V Anand and K S Ravikumar for making the songs look great on screen. I also need to express my gratitude to the channels and FM stations for popularising the songs and to my fans for liking my kind of music.”
While his Nenje Nenje... from Ayan is a hot contender for the title of the song of the year, Vizhi Moodi... from the same album is among the most popular mobile downloads of the year. What does he think made them so popular? “Nenje Nenje... is a soothing melody with a melancholy base, superbly picturised by KV Anand; his choice of locations for the song and the fresh new pair — Suriya and Tamannaah — made it popular with the masses. My favourite in the album is Vizhi Moodi..., a beautiful poem of love written by Na Muthukumar and sung so well by Karthik. I never expected this soft montage song to become popular as a ringtone,” confesses Harris.
But it is the success of his other album — Aadhavan —which comes as a surprise, as music critics weren’t impressed with the songs. Did that trouble him? “No, I was not bothered when the critics did not appreciate the songs,” says Harris candidly, “Basically, it takes time for my songs to grow on the listeners. I always experiment with my songs and there may be some initial resistance to this, but ultimately, they become more popular.”
Just as his songs have become trendsetters, Harris too has become a trendsetter. He has started a new trend among music directors by going to exotic foreign locations to compose songs. Most of his recent tunes have been composed in foreign locations. For Ayan, he had gone to Mauritius, while for Aadhavan, it was Switzerland. Is there any sentimental reason attached to it?
“Not at all,” he laughs, “I just want to get away from the daily pressures of working in Chennai. For example, I was recently supposed to deliver a song for a Telugu film but could not do any work as unexpected guests, fans and directors, who wanted to narrate scripts, dropped in to my studio. So, composing outside the country in a new ambience ensures a peaceful atmosphere which refreshes me and gives me the energy to produce good music. At times, I also buy the local musical instruments and use them in my songs. And, these foreign musical sittings also help me to bond better with my directors and understand the script.”
Does that mean he will be going abroad for composing for his forthcoming films as well? Harris laughs and says, “I’m doing a film with Prabhu Deva, and I’ m leaving on December 19 to Sydney. I’ve found a quiet coastal place in a suburb near Sydney where we will be composing music. It will also be my first Christmas outside Chennai. After I come back, I’m going to Macau and Harbin in China for composing songs for KV Anand’s new film with Silambarasan.”
But these are only a handful of films. Why is he restricting himself to fewer films over the years? “I’m not a film music factory to dish out music,” he shoots back. “I’m very choosy. Right now, I have only three Tamil films (one each with KV Anand, Prabhu Deva and AR Murgadoss) and a Telugu film (Bommarillu Bhaskar’s Orange) for 2010. I believe in quality rather than quantity,” he signs off with a smile.