My Favourite Musician of All Time.

                My favourite musician of all time is A.R. Rahman. A.R. Rahman, in full Allah Rakha Rahman, original name A.S. Dileep Kumar (born January 6, 1966, Madras [now Chennai], India), Indian composer whose extensive body of work for film and the stage earned him the nickname “the Mozart of Madras.” Rahman’s father, R.K. Sekhar, was a prominent Tamil musician who composed scores for the Malayalam film industry, and Rahman began studying piano at age four. The boy’s interests lay in electronics and computers, and his father’s serendipitous purchase of a synthesizer allowed him to pursue his passion and to learn to love music at the same time. Sekhar died when Rahman was 9 years old, and by age 11 he was playing piano professionally to help support his family. He dropped out of school, but his professional experience led to a scholarship to study at Trinity College, Oxford, where he received a degree in Western classical music. He is married to Saira Banu and has three children, Khadijah, Rahima, and Aameen. Rahman is the uncle of composer G. V. Prakash Kumar, who is the son of Rahman's elder sister, A. R. Reihana.

In 1988 his family converted to Islam following a sister’s recovery from a serious illness, and he then took the name Allah Rakha Rahman. He grew bored with playing in bands and eventually turned his talents toward creating advertising jingles. He wrote more than 300 jingles and would later say that the experience taught him discipline because jingle writing required delivery of a powerful message or mood in a short time. In 1991, while at a ceremony to receive an award for his work on a coffee advertisement, Rahman met Bollywood film director Mani Ratnam, who persuaded him to write music for motion pictures. Their first project was Roja (1992), which resulted in Rahman’s first film sound track hit. More than 100 movie scores followed, including the music for Lagaan (2001), the first Bollywood film nominated for an Academy Award.

AR Rahman first album, Roja (1992). Source:Google Images)

Rahman’s albums sold more than 100 million copies. His star on the rise, Rahman proceeded to compose music for six films in 1993 and nine in 1994, including the score for Ratnam's Bombay (1995), the story of a Hindu/Muslim marriage in a time of heated relations between the two cultures. Rahman's score displayed a characteristic (and appropriate) disregard for the confines of culture, be they Eastern or Western, once again mixing traditional and modern elements. Bombay was hugely successful and the movie's theme was featured on Talvin Singh's Soundz of the Asian Underground compilation. Rahman became the first Indian artist to sign with Sony Music, negotiating a three-year contract in 1997. His premier release for the label, Vande Mataram (his first collection of non-film music), was a tribute to India, commemorating 50 years of the country's independence. The album reached record stores in 28 countries on August 15th of that year.

A.R. Rahman in his Studio (Source: Google Image)

 Since the turn of the millennium, Rahman has only seen his global recognition and acclaim continue to grow, as he has truly risen to the upper echelon of film composers worldwide. In 2005 he opened AM Studios -- regarded as one of the foremost recording facilities in Asia -- as an adjunct to Panchathan Record Inn, and the following year the composer established his own record label, KM Music. Rahman served as musical director for nearly 50 films from 2001 through 2008, the majority being Hindi- or Tamil-language movies, including noteworthy collaborations with Roja and Bombay director Mani Ratnam (Kannathil Muthamittal, Ayutha Ezhuthu/Yuva, Guru), and other directors including Rajiv Menon (Kandukondain Kandukondain), Shaad Ali (Saathiya), Ashutosh Gowariker (Swades), and S. Shankar (Boys, Sivaji), the latter of whom, like Ratnam, also directed a number of films scored by Rahman during the 1990s.

Director Mani Ratnam with A.R.Rahman.(Source: Google Images)

 He also scored the 2003 Chinese (Mandarin-language) film Warriors of Heaven and Earth directed by He Ping and co-composed (with Craig Armstrong) the score to the 2007 English-language film Elizabeth: The Golden Age, directed by Shekhar Kapur and starring Cate Blanchett. However, Rahman's widest recognition thus far -- at least with Western audiences -- came with British director Danny Boyle's 2008 hit film Slumdog Millionaire, which won eight Academy Awards in the United States, including Best Picture and Best Director as well as two for Rahman, one for Best Original Score and one for Best Song. Two Rahman songs from the film had been nominated for Oscars, "O... Saya" and "Jai Ho," the latter of which won the statuette for Rahman and for lyricist Gulzar.

A.R.Rahman won the Oscar Awards on 2009 for the Movie Slumdog Millionnaire.( Source: Google Images)

Rahman is involved in various charitable causes. In 2004, he was appointed as the Global Ambassador of the Stop TB Partnership, a project by WHO. He has shown support to charities including Save the Children, India, and worked with Cat Stevens / Yusuf Islam for his song "Indian Ocean". The song featured a-ha keyboard player Magne Furuholmen and Travis drummer, Neil Primrose. The proceeds of the song went towards helping orphans in Banda Aceh, one of the areas worst affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. He produced the single "We Can Make It Better" by Don Asian alongside Mukhtar Sahota.

Quote of A.R.Rahman.(Source:Iloveindia.com)

Quote of A.R.Rahman.(Source:Iloveindia.com)

Rahman has also introduced the 7.1 technology (Dolby surround system) in south Indian movies to provide better audio output. He has revolutionized the conventional music of Indian music industry. He is known as the epitome of music in India. His music, over the decades, has captivated audiences of all generations.AR Rahman holds the credit for totally overhauling the style in which music was being made in India. Though with a career spanning just over a decade, Rahman has already sold over one hundred million records world-wide and more than two hundred million cassettes. This has brought AR Rahman into the category of the world's top 25 all-time top selling recording artists.

Source: https://successstory.com/people/allah-rakha-rahman-a-r-rahman

                 http://www.allmusic.com-  Artist Biography by Nathan Bush