Composer Dharan Kumar has dabbled in multiple genres of music throughout his career, but he is mostly known for his melodies, such as ‘Unnai Kandane’ from Parijatham, ‘Poove Poove’ from Siddhu +2, and ‘Siru Thoduthalile’ from Laadam. He intended even his latest independent single, a dance number titled ‘Chi Pae Thu’, as a melody with some rap portions, but it underwent quite the transformation. "Initially, we thought of having a nice melody to the song and bringing a small portion of rap to it. I was planning to lend my vocals to the song, get a proper lyricist, and introduce a rapper who would just do their rap portion alone. But Vaaheesan, a Sri Lankan rapper, came on board. That is where we got these commercial lyrics, like, ettana, engana, pathana… Even the title came as a result of the rapper being involved. Anyone can relate to the title because it is a common part of conversations in Tamil Nadu. I like the fact that even the kids have caught on to it. So it became a mix of both a fun commercial song and a melodic love track,” says Dharan about his latest hit.
Vaaheesan’s lyrics also contributed to Dharan roping in Santhosh Narayanan as a singer. “When he heard the song for the first time, he got hooked, and was very happy that I was introducing a new artist. He is also very keen on introducing new talents in the independent music scene,” shares Dharan.
The song has made quite an impact, with the official video garnering over 9 lakh views on YouTube and earning the appreciation of none other than Kamal Haasan. “He appreciated the song and particularly liked the fact that we brought in this rapper and lyricist from Sri Lanka, whose work he had already heard. He rued the fact that pure Tamil lyrics are no longer used in songs, and it is such lyrics that are backed in the industry," says Dharan, revealing that the legendary actor-filmmaker also said that live instruments will come back into music. "The kind of music we had when I started my career with Parijatham is no longer in existence now. Electronic music is dominating the industry. Out of 100 songs, 90 would be like ‘Chi Pae Thu’ and 10 would be melodies. But that would change if live instruments come back, bringing more melodious compositions back into the picture.”
While Dharan is working on film music, with multiple projects yet to come out, his focus remains on independent music. “The next song that I am doing is called ‘Kimchi Dosa’. There is a Korean singer named Aoora (Bigg Boss Hindi contestant) in it. He is Kimchi, and I am Dosa. And we have a battle. Ultimately, I am doing the song for kids, although it is not necessarily a children’s song.”
