On a song

After belting out hits like AR Rahman’s Jai Ho in Slumdog Millionaire, life changed drastically for singer Vijay Prakash. “I never expected that success would come in such a unique way. I am glad that I was a part of a life-changing song that gave me a better identity as an artiste. When we said ‘Jai Ho’, it filled us with a spirit and emotion that’s hard to explain. Thanks to Rahman — I owe everything to him. Though the song had several singers, I sang the lead vocal and it’s a nice feeling that my work came under the limelight,” he says.

Born into a musically-inclined family, it’s no surprise that he developed a liking for music even when he was barely eight or nine. “Music has always been there at home,” recalls Prakash and tells us how composing music made him a dedicated singer. “I composed music for a Kannada film called Andar Bahar starring Shivarajkumar. It got good reviews overall. Actually, only when I started to compose music, I realised how tough it was. Also it demands a lot of time and energy. Then I realised I couldn’t focus much on live performances and singing, which I love the most. I think, in that case, the singer in me over took the composer!” he smiles.

How does he manage to switch genres easily from classical to western music or jazz to pop? Prakash attributes credit to his intense Carnatic practice sessions — “Both my parents were musicians and my grandfather was a Harikatha exponent. There have been times where I used to seclude myself and practise for five to six hours at a stretch.”

Talking about his inspiration, Prakash says, Ilaiyaraaja sir has a huge impact on his music journey, “Working with Raja sir, whose songs I have grown up listening to, was a dream come true. I feel am truly blessed I have sung in his compositions.”

He also likes cooking and travelling equally — “I am a fantastic cook, but just that my wife feels whenever I enter her kitchen, I make a mess out of it!” Speaking about his band Ananthaal, which comprises Clinton Cerejo, Vijay and Bianca Gomes, he says, the pop album demonstrates what Indipop can really be. “It does not ape film music and hence we were able to produce fusion which is entirely different,” he concludes.

(Vijay Prakash is performing live today at 6 pm, the Forum Vijaya Mall)