Yuvan Shankar Raja

Yuvan Shankar Raja
Yuvan Shankar Raja,
Yuvan in 2013
Background information
Birth nameYuvan Shankar Raja
Also known as
  • U1
  • YSR
  • BGM King
Born (1979-08-31) 31 August 1979 (age 45)
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
OriginPannaipuram, Tamil Nadu, India
Genres
Occupations
  • Arranger
  • Composer
  • Lyricist
  • Song writer
  • Playback singer
  • Orchestrator
  • Musician
  • Record producer
  • Film producer
Instruments
Years active1996–present
Labels

Abdul Haliq (born Yuvan Shankar Raja; 31 August 1979) is an Indian composer and playback singer, who continues to use his birth name professionally.[1][2] He mainly scores music for Tamil films along with few Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi films.[3] Considered a versatile composer, he is particularly known for his use of Western music elements and often credited with having introduced hip hop to the Tamil film and music industry and started the "era of remixes" in Tamil Nadu[4][5][6] which included mixed EDM and jazz. He is frequently referred to as the "BGM King" and the "Young Maestro" of Tamil Film Music.[7][8] Yuvan has won two Filmfare Awards South, five Mirchi Music Awards South, three Vijay Awards and two Tamil Nadu State Film Awards.

Within a span of 25 years, Yuvan has worked on over 190 films. Being the youngest son of composer Ilaiyaraaja, he began his musical career in 1996, at the age of 16, when he composed the film score for Aravindhan. He got his breakthrough with the Thulluvadho Ilamai (2002) soundtrack, and established himself as one of Tamil cinema's most sought-after composers by the mid-2000s.[9][10][11] He won the Filmfare Award for Best Music Director – Tamil in 2004 for his score in the drama 7G Rainbow Colony. In 2006, he became the only Indian composer to win the Cyprus International Film Festival Award for the soundtrack of Raam.[12] He also won the Filmfare Special Award – South in 2009 for his Telugu musical Oy!.

In 2015, Yuvan created his own music label, U1 Records and in 2017, he started his own film production studio, YSR Films.

  1. ^ Bureau, Entertainment (2 November 2022). "Has Yuvan Shankar Raja Made a Pilgrimage to Mecca? What We Know". News18. Retrieved 15 October 2024. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  2. ^ "Illayaraja's son Yuvan is married for the third time". Hindustan Times. 2 January 2015. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  3. ^ "25 years of Yuvan: How his music has been integral to Tamil cinema". The News Minute. 4 March 2022. Archived from the original on 15 August 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  4. ^ "Mega musical event by Yuvan". IndiaNewsReel.com. Archived from the original on 3 August 2011. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  5. ^ "Yuvan Shankar Raja's Profile". SS Music. 20 December 2009. Archived from the original on 23 June 2008. Retrieved 20 December 2009.
  6. ^ "Yuvan, the new youth icon". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 20 December 2009. Archived from the original on 10 May 2006. Retrieved 20 December 2009.
  7. ^ "SJ Suryah praises Yuvan Shankar Raja as King of BGM!". www.indiaglitz.com. 21 August 2020. Archived from the original on 6 July 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  8. ^ "Yuvan Shankar Raja Expresses His Gratitude to the Fans for Reaching a Milestone in His Film Journey!". Indiaglitz. 28 February 2022. Archived from the original on 6 July 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  9. ^ "Welcome to". Sify. 20 January 2007. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  10. ^ "Yuvan, the new youth icon". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 14 April 2006. Archived from the original on 10 May 2006. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  11. ^ "Ilayaraja's son gets his ticket to Bollywood". Archived from the original on 6 May 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  12. ^ "Versatile musician". Archived from the original on 15 June 2013. Retrieved 13 July 2012.