Kerala's musical scene has undergone a paradigm shift in the last few years, with the arrival of many new independent artists and leading labels backing them. Popular music is no longer restricted to just film songs, as indie music's explosion has resulted in a more diverse, experimental, and widely appealing soundscape. The advent of streaming platforms and social media has only boosted the flourish, enabling artists to reach millions of viewers in a short span. With such increasing popularity, it is only natural that filmmakers are now eager to collaborate and bring these voices to mainstream cinema. Jay Stellar's entry into films is one such case.
Following his success as a music composer and producer with viral tracks like 'Pacha Parishkari', 'Legacy' and 'Neram Pokku', Jay was signed as the music director for the recently released Althaf Salim-starrer Innocent. Though he had earlier composed a single titled 'Swaha' in Vaazha, Innocent marks his full-length feature debut, for which he composed the entire soundtrack and background score. "Pacha Parishkari's success led me to Innocent. I thought the subject was very entertaining, and unlike recent films, it also had ample space for music. All the major situations are told through songs, and we have eight tracks, all in different genres."
Apart from renowned artists like Sharreth, Jassie Gift, Sithara, Job Kurian, Dabzee, the film also features a track sung by Tanzanian content creator Kili Paul, who is also acting in the film. "Imagine recording a classical song with Kili Paul! It was so much fun. He's so well versed in Malayalam that he can repeat the lines like any one of us."
Early Influences
Jay Stellar, originally Jayasoorya, didn't want to use his real name to avoid confusion with an already existing actor. The next option was using his full name, Jayasoorya SJ, but then again, there was SJ Suryah. He eventually opted for an artist name after being inspired by how Peter Gene Hernandez named himself Bruno Mars. 'Jay' was retained, and 'Soorya' was replaced with another celestial body, Stellar.
Much like his inspiration, Mars, Jay was also into upbeat funk, rhythm-driven music from a young age. A CD containing popular English, Hindi and Tamil music of the 90s and 2000s was his first introduction to music beyond Malayalam. “The beats and sounds were all entirely different,” he remembers. Weekly newspaper columns on international music artists also lured young Jay, prompting him to explore their body of work. "Those write-ups had a major influence on me as I used to cut out the photos and Google them to learn more about their music. Drake is a popular artist today, but I vividly remember reading about him in 2009. Kanye West also inspired me a lot in terms of how you can make music without following any rules."
Jay has music running in his family, but none in the mainstream. His father is a Malayalam teacher who "writes well", and his mother could also "sing decently." Two of his uncles are professors at a music college, yet Jay is not formally trained. "I'm self-taught," he proudly says. "When kids of my age were out playing in the evenings, I was installing music production software and trying to understand them. What started off as a hobby helped me learn music through a trial-and-error process."
The Boom
Jay's dreams of becoming a musician took flight in college when a theme song he composed for the college festival caught attention, boosting his confidence. "It was around 2015-16, and at that time, I wanted to work purely as an indie artist, on my own terms. I soon realised hip-hop was the right space for that. Artists like Thirumali, Rakz Radiant and many others were also just coming up, and soon we all started collaborating."
He recalls 2018-19 as the period when Malayalam indie music started making the right noise. He credits it to telecom provider Jio, which first introduced affordable plans that made data accessible for many. "Earlier, when a song clicked, it was appreciated only within the hip-hop community. The numbers in digital space were also awfully low, with a maximum of 1 or 2K views. But after the internet boom, things changed, and we could see this developing into an industry with a proper structure. Big labels also started entering Malayalam," says Jay, who collaborated with some leading labels like Mass Appeal India, Saregama, Think Music and Sony.
Viral Conundrum
With Saregama, he and Thirumali collaborated on 'Pacha Parishkari', their biggest chartbuster to date, clocking over 2.9 crore views on YouTube. A high-energy rap song, it blended traditional sounds with contemporary rap, and it became a massive hit for its catchy beats and empowerment theme. "It literally changed my life," says Jay, adding, "Though some of our previous works were getting noticed, it is with such big hits that people start recognising us. The system is such that there's no limit to reach today, and 'Pacha Parishkari' proved it."
However, he is quick to add that not every song becomes viral organically, like 'Pacha Parishkari'. "Today, with so many songs and artists, it's very difficult to go viral naturally. It's mostly achieved through marketing and promotional strategies of these labels. It doesn't matter how much effort you put in; promotions hold the key. I don't want to name any, but songs that weren't up there with quality have still been ‘made’ viral because of the huge business involved. The more you take it to people, the more you earn."
While sounding hopeful about Malayalam indie music’s “promising” future ahead, Jay also has a word of caution for upcoming artists. "Unlike when we started out, the competition is huge today, which means you have to be authentic. Your sound should have a unique identity; otherwise, you'll be stuck in the chaos."
