One of the most famous Indian musicians and film producers is AR Rahman (Alla Rakha Rahman). The real name of the musician is A. S. Dilip Kumar. However, at 22, he changed his name. The artist was born on January 6, 1966 in the city of Chennai (Madras), Republic of India. From an early age, the future musician was engaged in playing the piano. This gave its results, and at the age of 11 he performed with a famous orchestra.
Moreover, at the beginning of his career, Rahman accompanied the famous musicians of India. In addition, AR Rahman and his friends created a musical group with which he performed at events. He preferred playing the piano and guitar. Also, in addition to music, Rahman was fond of computers and electronics.
At the age of 11, the musician performed with professional orchestras for a reason. A few years before that, his father, who mainly provided for the family, had died. Money was very scarce, so AR Rahman dropped out of school and went to work to provide for his family. He was talented, so even an incomplete school education did not interfere with further studies. A few years later, Rahman entered Trinity College, Oxford. Upon graduation, he received a degree in Western classical music.
AR Rahman Music Career Development
In the late 1980s, Rahman grew tired of performing in bands. He believed that he did not realize his full potential, so he decided to pursue a solo career. One of the first successful projects was the creation of musical intros for commercials. In total, he created about 300 jingles. According to the musician, this work taught him patience, attention and perseverance.
The debut in the film industry took place in 1991. At the presentation of the next award, AR Rahman met the famous director from Bollywood - Mani Ratnam. It was he who convinced the musician to try his hand at cinema and write the musical score for the film. The first work was the soundtrack for the film "Rose" (1992). After 13 years, the soundtrack entered the top 100 of the best of all time. In total, at the moment he has written music for more than 100 films.
On the wave of success in 1992, AR Rahman created his own recording studio. At first she was at the composer's house. As a result, the studio has become one of the largest in all of India. After the first commercials, the artist was engaged in the design of musical themes for television shows, short films and documentaries.
In 2002, one of the most important acquaintances in the career of AR Rahman took place. The famous English composer Andrew Lloyd Webber heard several of the artist's works and offered him cooperation. It was a colorful satirical musical "Bombay Dreams". In addition to Rahman and Webber, the poet Don Black worked on it. The public saw the musical in 2002 at the West End (in London). The premiere was not pompous, but all the creators were already very famous. As a result, the musical was a resounding success, and most of the tickets were immediately sold out by the Indian population of London. And two years later the show was presented on Broadway.
Artist now
After 2004, AR Rahman's music career continued to develop. For example, he wrote music for the theatrical production of The Lord of the Rings. Critics were negative about her, but the public reacted better. The musician created a composition for Vanessa Mae, as well as several more soundtracks for famous films. Among them: "The Man Inside", "Elizabeth: The Golden Age", "Blinded by the Light" and "The Fault in the Stars". In 2008, the musician announced the opening of his own KM Music Conservatory.
Over the past few years, AR Rahman has successfully organized several world tours and presented the album Connections.
Musician's personal life
AR Rahman's family is connected to music. In addition to his father, brother and sister, he has a wife and three children. Children tried themselves in the musical field. His nephew is the very famous composer Prakash Kumar.
Awards, prizes and degrees
Padma Shri - Order of Merit for the Motherland. This is one of the four highest civilian awards in India, which the artist received in 2000.
Honorary Award from Stanford University for World Achievement in Music in 2006.
BAFTA Award for Best Music.
He received an Oscar in 2008 and 2009 for the scores for the films Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours.
Golden Globe Award in 2008 for the soundtrack to the film Slumdog Millionaire.
In 2009, AR Rahman received an Honorary Doctor of Science degree.
The artist was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award (this is the most prestigious theatrical award in the UK).
In 2010, the artist received a Grammy Award for Best Soundtrack.
Interesting facts about AR Rahman
His father, Rajagopala Kulasheharan, was also a musician and composer. He has written music for 50 films and has directed music for over 100 films.
The artist speaks three languages: Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.
AR Rahman is a Muslim. The musician accepted it at the age of 20.
The musician has a brother and two sisters. Moreover, one of the sisters is also a composer and performer of songs. The younger sister heads the conservatory. And his brother owns his own music studio.
After receiving so many awards for his score for Slumdog Millionaire, AR Rahman went to the holy places. He wanted to thank Allah for help and favor to him.
The artist writes music mainly for films that are filmed in India. Moreover, he collaborates with the three largest studios at once: Bollywood, Tollywood, Kollywood.
He writes songs, performs them, is engaged in musical production, directing, acting in films and doing business.
Although AR Rahman is interested in many musical instruments, his favorite is the synthesizer.
The artist writes music in different genres. This is mainly Indian classical music, electronic, popular and dance.
AR Rahman is a renowned philanthropist. He is a member of several charitable organizations. The artist was even appointed an ambassador for the TB community, a project of the World Health Organization.
He has his own music label KM Music.
