Despite having created independent songs, the announcement music of Thalaivar 173 made people run a search on musician Thejas Krishna, who desires to accomplish a lot in the industry, including acting. "I wish to explore as many things as possible. I like expressing myself creatively," begins Thejas, who, through his indie singles 'Parotta Varatta' and 'Paatha Edathila', had expressed his penchant for storytelling. With his music career in a nascent stage, Thejas makes it clear that his desire to act doesn't mean he needs to trade music in exchange. "I will always balance both music and acting. I don't think you need to forgo one of them to focus on the other. I look up to GV Prakash sir and Vijay Antony sir in this," he adds, further stating that the musician-to-actor transition can be seamless. "Musicians can think like actors. Similar to how directors narrate a scene to an actor and expect appropriate emotion, we express our emotions through instruments. The music used to elevate a scene operates in the same way as the emotions an actor exudes."

Another balancing act that is so crucial in the present music scene is the independent and film works. Thejas feels it is purely subjective whether or not independent music is an entry pass into films. "I don't think artists need to stop working on independent music when they begin making it big in the films. Also, it is each to their own. There is totally no harm in people treating independent music as a mere platform for films," he adds, further saying that the blurring of lines between film and independent music is not a bad thing. In the very near future, India will have a Grammy-like dedicated award gala for music. Emphasising the importance of independent music, Thejas says, "While working on an independent venture, you are sharing a piece of your own. When it comes to films, you are working for another person's vision."

The budding artist points to how his passion for music grew thanks to his parents' taste in music. "My parents are ardent fans of AR Rahman sir. His songs reverberated in my home, and I started liking the idea of creating music. Also, my mother, being a Bharatnatyam dancer, introduced me to classical music," he says, as he elaborates that his fondness towards the art, with him taking up music classes, started shaping up as a passion and career. "I took keyboard classes and attended several other musical classes. This led me to experiment with compositions through tools like GarageBand." He opens up on the crucial apprenticeship he received under Santhosh Narayanan and C Sathya. "I owe a lot to Santhosh sir. I learned a lot under his mentoring. Being a part of big films like Retro and Kalki 2898 AD helped me hone my skills, and it is because of C Sathya sir that I learned working on Logic ProX software," he tells with gratitude and hails the composer for his humility for never flaunting his skills. "When you ask Santhosh sir how he composed a particular tune, he will say, 'apdiye jolly-a vandhuchu da,'" he says, adding that it is a reflection of Santhosh Narayanan's humility when he says one need not know music to compose for films. Speaking about the intricacies in the process of music production, Thejas goes on to say that there is a distinction between composition and production, and the former requires musical knowledge, while the latter is technical. "What makes it advantageous to learn instruments is that when you are hearing a narration of a situation, you know which instrument would evoke which emotion. Musical literacy will make you informed about aspects like cords, strings, and vocal texture."

The emergence of copyright issues and increased awareness about how royalties function has given rise to composers creating their own labels. Thejas believes that every independent artist should have his/her own label. "Having a label of your own makes you independent in the truest sense. A label is usually a platform that invites audiences to a work. What an artist requires is the confidence that people will consume their work if they begin a label. Of course, it requires resources, but it's nothing when compared to an artist exercising creative freedom," he says, as he signs off with the updates of his upcoming works. "I have a lineup of three songs, which I am planning to release this year. One of the songs is a fiery number in which I am collaborating with Shan Vincent de Paul of Neeye Oli-fame. Interesting things are coming up in the acting front as well."