How did you get the project for composing music for Test starring Nayanthara and R. Madhavan and how did you approach creating its sonic landscape?
The director S. Sashikanth approached me in 2020, around the time of the lockdown. He had called me and told me, ‘I’m sending you a story, give it a read.’. And then he said, he would really like for me to do the music. I was really able to connect with the story and the characters, because I was able to relate to the struggle of these characters. So, because the story really spoke to me, I said, ‘Okay, this I should do.’ We began with identifying what the sound of Madhavan’s world is or what kind of soundscapes all the characters live in. So it had to be in sync with how the director imagined the colours, composition, textures and the physicality of it, visually. Our greatest opportunity and challenge was in finding that same thing through sound. So, I had actually started composing way before the movie went into shoot – composing background score with songs and presenting them to the director.

How was your experience working with Sashikanth, given your shared background in architecture?
Throughout the process, I stayed true to the story, but a lot of times, the story and characters called out for different things. The director’s brief was for just one or two songs where I felt it makes sense to the storyline. The script very naturally called out for the songs. There is this song called the Arena, which would cut to the stadium and I thought it would be cool for us to have something that embodied the spirit of the game. All of these other things would be going on, while the game was on. So that’s how I originally pitched the idea of Arena to Sashi as a background score theme, and then I felt it would also be very cool to have rap vocals over it. Because Rap and Hip Hop as a genre is something that feels like the voice of the people. I also liked doing the song writing process with Yogi B, who’s a legend and godfather of Tamil Hip Hop. I also wanted it have the spirit of Madras and the vibe of Chennai. The choice to have Mridangam and Tabla was recorded with hip hop because of wanting it to infuse it with things that I consider very quintessential.

Then there’s another song called Lullaby, which is actually about the female characters in the film. There was an opportunity for us to tell more than a story about what they’re going through. And there is this one moment in the film where they’re both on the phone with each other, and they’re both lying. And I felt like it was such an ode to what a lot of women go through in their lives when there is a lot of suffering, but they are not really speaking about it. They’re not being honest with themselves or with each other. Sashi’s script had a line that went, ‘Women and their lies’. I told him, ‘You might have an opportunity here to tell a little bit more about what these women are going through and what if we do it in the form of a song?’ He really connected with that. So, the edit was made in such a way that there was a little bit of a montage that was introduced where it would play out in the song. The actual storytelling of how these women might be compounding suffering and the conversations that I got to share with Kutti Revathi through the process of writing the song were really special because we were both able to relate to this condition of being a woman with self-imposed burdens, so to say.

So process-wise, I started working on this from the moment I got the script. There was a table-reading session, and I think it kind of kickstarted things into motion. And every week, we were meeting once a week, and I was trying to showcase these songs.

I feel with Sashi, he is someone who feels music very deeply, but at the same time, I think he speaks through his medium, his storytelling, how he imagines these characters, what they’re going through. The greatest source of information for me to be able to translate that into what it feels like musically, or what it sounds like musically.

So, our biggest challenge and opportunity again wasn’t the fact that we were both doing this for the first time. Although we have both been marinating in this for a while – him as a film producer and me as a singer; we were both living, breathing, and dreaming music and filmmaking. But this was still the first time we were walking that path of bringing our vision to life. So there was this one long scene – the exchange between Sara (Madhavan) and Kumudha (Nayanthara) that I approached first even before the shoot started. So I found it difficult to figure out what the pacing of the dialogues would be. So, I told Sashi I’m not able to gauge the pace, because that is going to determine the bass pace of the background score. He actually had two voice actors come to the studio only for the exchange of this dialogue and sent me an audio file. We were both like open books, in the sense, ‘Okay, why don’t we try this and that’. We both didn’t hold on to a set of rules that this is how it should be done and actually having something like that, I was able to make the music you all heard on Netflix. I imagined, ‘that evening she’s sitting alone in the house. There’s probably the sound of a clock that’s just clicking away.’ And if they were going to have this conversation, there would be this uncomfortable silence or pause in between. Probably the silence itself would feel heavy. And during those moments, if there was a clock that was ticking away, you would feel that it is so loud because of how uncomfortable it can be in the silence. I kind of started with the ticking of the clock and punctuated the score with the clock and the silence. And towards the end of the movie, the piece with just the orchestra and voice that spills over into the end credits is called ‘Fall of the Hero’, which is a response to the fall of the hero. How do we make it sound anthemic? It’s a counter melody, but more about this individual’s journey.

As a celebrated singer at a young age, what motivated you to transition into composing for films?
I’ve been singing, learning Carnatic music, participating in competitions ever since I was a kid. Through college, I was kind of trying to do architecture and music side by side, because I went to college to learn design. Chennai is such a hub of music scene, so I always wanted to have my own band and write songs. I was part of a rock band at that point. So, for me, being part of a rock band and actually getting on stage and singing live what I had written and arranged was incredible. While I was a student in college, I had already started singing playback for films.

Architecture is a very sleep-deprived course. On top of that I was moonlighting with all my musical adventures. So, it was a very sleep-deprived few years. Also, my dad had not been well for a while. So, I was on very minimal sleep during my entire college life.

I have been composing for a while now and writing my own independent music. Whether it was with my band or on my own or for a movie, it has been a sort of an organic evolution. But it’s something that has been a constant. Architecture has also been a constant. Soon after college, I designed AR Rahman Sir’s music school, KM College of Music & Technology. And then I also redesigned the live ensemble room in AR Rahman Sir’s studio. And I have been also working on an immersive installation. Acoustic problem solving, or the intersection of sound and space, is something that really excites me.

Having worked with AR Rahman, did his advice or mentorship play a role in shaping your approach to composing?
Even before meeting Rahman sir, I was already inspired by his musical journey. You know that saying ‘To create a new order, you must make things worse before you can make them better’, so, as a musician, anything I make is 100% touched and inspired by everything I have grown up with – from my grandmothers songs to all of Indian cinema’s music and Carnatic music that I learnt. AR Rahman Sir’s music has been part of my growing up too and has definitely shaped and formed my artistic journey. It has fed my soul in so many ways. And also his approach to everything as a human being, has been very inspiring. It’s great to see how he’s always pushing the boundaries, in so many different ways. The fact that he started a music school made it accessible to people from here. He’s always breaking new ground. I have learned so many things, with every single song that I have had the opportunity to work with him, including his approach to songwriting and how he has actually brought these songs to life.

The biggest takeaway is that when Test project was announced, I had told Rahman Sir. ‘I don’t feel ready’, and he replied, ‘Sometimes you can’t wait to feel ready.’ And those were words of gold, because in so many cases, the only way to discover is to go through the process. And even with my own music, sometimes I’m just thinking them through, is not going to get them done, so sometimes you have to walk the path. Coming straight from this human being who I love and respect, was one of the biggest inspirations, so when he said this, I felt, ‘Okay, let me just do it.’

What have been the most memorable lessons from these collaborations with Anirudh Ravichander and others?
Anirudh’s energy and approach to things is easy-going, whether it’s the stage concerts or productions. But at the same time, I can see him constantly crafting and shaping his journey. As a producer, his precision is incredibly inspiring, because I can see how sharp he is. He knows exactly what he wants when it comes to music production. He is really cool because he would have had to exercise that muscle a thousand times over to be able to get to that place where he is today.

Your repertoire spans genres like pop, R&B, jazz, and Indian classical music. How do you adapt your voice to suit such diverse styles?
Each of these genres have their own nuances. A lot of times the decision is not premeditated, it’s almost like a state of mind or mood and the emotions that I’m trying to express. Invariably, it’s those emotions that can come out into the world in any genre. I love jazz and also Indian music with influences from Hindustani music, Carnatic music and also folk music that have emotions. I have not found those expressions in any other style of music anywhere in the world. And similarly, there are nuances to jazz that are so unique to jazz. And the writing feels real, very honest and that flavour of musical expression is something that I deeply connect to, as it’s not bound by any rules; it’s nonconformist to everything else.

What are the future projects that are lined up?
A lot of independent music. I was working on my album when I was in New York, which I had put on pause when I moved back here. I moved back in August 2023, when they were just finishing up the shoot of Test. I managed to catch the last two days of the shoot and I wanted to catch a glimpse. So, I went to the last day of the stadium shoot for that intense scene. I wanted to be here through the process of the making of the background score. There was so much FaceTime, so much back and forth that happened, when we sat with the editors. We could have still made it remotely happen but actually being present in real life and interacting with each other was really awesome. Now that it’s done, I’m all excited to unpause all of my independent music work and work on my album, alongwith a lot of singles and a lot more of music production work. There’s also an art installation project that I’ve been working on, which is an immersive interactive experience. There’s a digital version, and also a virtual version and a physical version of it, that is backed by an extensive amount of research. I want to spend more time making it better.