Pied piper of peppy music: Devi Sri Prasad

Music director Devi Sri Prasad is on a roll. DSP, as he is known to fans, is all excited about the audio release of his next film titled Kanthasamy in Tamil and Mallana in Telugu today at the Chennai Trade Centre.
TOI caught up with the multi-faceted musician at his studio in Saligramam, where he was working with the film���������������������������s director Susi Ganeshan and its lyric writer Viveka.
How has the music of Kanthasamy shaped up?
We have come out with something different, that is sure to strike a chord with our target audience ��������������������������� the youth. All credit goes to director Susi Ganeshan. We had positive vibes. Each of the songs was discussed and the director visually conceptualised them. There is a lot of energy in the music, as the story line of the film is new and inspiring.
How are you able to connect with GenNext music lovers?
For me, all kinds of music are young, as I feel I���������������������������m still 18. In all my compositions, there is youthful music as I try to connect with today���������������������������s school and college going audiences. Youngsters everywhere are restless and if you can have a link to their emotions, your music is sure to strike a chord with them.
What is the mood and spirit of Kanthasamy���������������������������s music?
The director���������������������������s brief was clear ���������������������������the music had to be in sync with today���������������������������s youth audiences, who drive the opening for all films. In Kanthasamy, there are six songs and a theme song and all of them are peppy, youthful numbers. I have done it in a very different way as the music of the film is all about the freedom to express yourself and your innermost desires.
A brief on the songs in the film...
The first song in the album is Excuse Me Mr Kanthasamy... sung by Suchitra and Vikram. It creates a romantic mood as the rich and arrogant heroine wants to impress the hero over a cup of coffee, and there is a lot of variation in the music. The second song, sung by Rita, has been shot on Shriya and Italian dancers against the backdrop of the majestic opera house. The music has a Latino feel to it as the song starts with the Italian word Allgra.... The third song is a peppy and sensuous song Mia, Mia Pole..., while the fourth song in the album is a crazy number in which lyric writer Viveka has listed all kinds of dishes and snacks that are unique to Chennai like kothu parotta and sundal. The fifth song is Mambo Mamia... shot in the famous bull ring in Mexico on the lead pair and Mexican dancers accompany them. Then, there is the item number En Peru Meenakumari, En Ooru Kanyakumari... sung by Malathi and picturised by Susi in a very different way.
There has been a lot of heartburn among the traditional playback singers that you have used Vikram���������������������������s voice in four of the six songs in the film. Please comment.
There is no other male voice in the album other than Vikram���������������������������s. When the director asked me to hear his voice, I listened to it and was simply hooked. He has a good voice that suits the film in which he plays a super hero. It happens once in a blue moon to an actor, and he is not going to sing in all his films in the future. Suchitra, who is dubbing for Shriya in the film, has sung one of the songs.