I'm not sure if this was posted earlier. In this interview, AR's sister Raihanah talks about AR and the Rahmannia show she is hosting in the name of AR.
I participated in her Rahmannia show yesterday and I couldn't see any difference between AR and her, be it the simplicity, or be it the spirituality. It was a wonderful experience that I had yesterday. http://rockandraga.in/blog/2008/06/05/reverberating-raihanah/ Reverberating Raihanah By Sandhya<http://rockandraga.in/blog/author/sandhya321/> ⋅ June 5, 2008 ⋅ Post a comment<http://rockandraga.in/blog/2008/06/05/reverberating-raihanah/#comments> *The enthusiasm in her voice sure does justice to the `Rahmaaaannnniaaaaa` bit she croons over air-waves! Spirited, immensely talented, down-to-earth and extremely friendly- Raihanah will win hands down in the Most Approachable Celebrity category. Unwinding over a cup of tea, here`s what the musician-RJ-singer has to say about life and everything to Sandhya Ramachandran.* <http://rockandraga.in/files/2008/06/223200834559am_1.jpg>*Sandhya Ramachandran* : Raihanah- an ideal musical name, indeed! Could we be enlightened on its meaning? *Raihanah* : It is not everyone who gets the privilege of naming themselves. When we got converted to Islam, I got this opportunity. I was always fascinated with the name Raihanah-which was the name of a friend`s sister. Its meaning was beautiful-denoting the small scented basil flower. Later I came to know the name had one more meaning. Raihanah was the name given to the first step to heaven! *Sandhya Ramachandran* : How did music become the main vein of your life? *Raihanah* : My interest in music starts from school days. I belonged to the school choir for around 7 years. Rahman and I were enrolled in guitar classes. Rahman used to be great at reading the notes while I was good at picking the music and tune. Our father was a great inspiration to both of us and we grew up in a musical environment.Our tryst with music-learning was put on hold on our father`s demise and there was a point of time when we had to let his instruments for hire! Soon Rahman entered the music field and then as they say, the rest is history!I still continue to learn music as I believe, as a composer and singer, one has to constantly keep a tab on technological improvements and get friendly with the various styles, instruments and flavours of music. *Sandhya Ramachandran* : From music director of `Machchi` and `Aadaadha Aatamellaam`, to a singer of `Malai Malai` to `Ballelakka`- how was the tryst with music till now? *Raihanah* : My involvement with film music began with harmony singing. It was not my ambition to become a composer or singer! It was all providence`s work, I must say! From Funskool crayons ads to devotional songs to film music-I`ve sung harmony for everything and love doing that! When it comes to film singing, Shankar`s assistant Madhesh was present while I was practicing the harmony of `Malai Malai Madhurai Malai`. My base voice impressed him so much that he made me sing the lead with Anuradha Sriram! `Ballelakka` was a result of Shankar`s quest for using a totally different style of singing for the song. He made me try out different styles and in the end chose what one can now hear in the song. Composing was totally a sudden yet inevitable foray! I was the manager of Rahman`s state-of-the-art cassette factory that duplicated cassettes for the market. A colleague there Mr.Boban and I used to have bets as to how many cassettes of a particular album will sell. I`d win every single time with my prediction striking the bull`s eye! Apart from this, I used to find faults with the tune and pick out the best of them also. Seeing this Mr.Boban urged me to start composing. With advertisement jingles for Aala veshtigal, Sri Kumaran Silks(Madurai), Shanthi coconut oil, Suguna motors and the unreleased-Nilgiri`s, I stepped foot into composing. Film music direction happened with `Ninaive`-a yet-to-be-released movie. Machchi and `Aadatha aatamellam` followed. *Sandhya Ramachandran* : Being the sister of a world-famous composer means 2 things- expectations and a shadowed career. How have you been able to cope with both these pressures? *Raihanah* : Expectations are always on a high and my work always tends to get compared with Rahman`s. But I only tend to take this positively and constantly attempt to lift my standards. I am yet to reach my full potential when it comes to composing and I`m constantly in the quest for higher levels and greater adventures in producing good music! *Sandhya Ramachandran *: You`ve been traveling with Rahman to all his shows till date. How has the experience been? *Raihanah* : It is fun traveling with a crowd that shares the same wavelength. It is like one big family that travel together! Travelling with Rahman is a great experience in itself! The respect and love he commands also embraces us all! *Sandhya Ramachandran :* Your influence on his music. His influences on your music- are the above present or absent? *Raihanah* : We were both shaped by the same music that we grew up hearing. Since our father was a composer, music was a staple food in our everyday diet! The influence in our music is mutual in the sense that we have the same roots from which we have emerged. *Sandhya Ramachandran* : How has `Rahmania on Aahaa FM` influenced your life? How does it feel discussing your brother`s life and music with absolutely crazy fans-both singers/composers and listeners? *Raihanah* : Rahmania has been a major confidence-booster in my life! After the success of `Rajangam` hosted by Bhavatharini, Aahaa FM decided to start `Rahmania` initially with Chinmayii in mind for compeering the show. Since she was already hosting another show, she suggested I take this up as she felt I was both good at talking and obviously knew Rahman`s music from a more personal level. What began thus has shaped up to be a soul-satisfying ritual where I just get drowned in Rahman`s music. Moreover talking with fellow Rahmaniacs is a treat! Discussing the nitty-gritty of his compositions and providing a collection of his songs in every show is a delightful thing! *Sandhya Ramachandran* : What does the brother-sister duo apart from music have in common? How`s the rapport? *Raihanah* : Rahman and I have a small difference in age and hence practically grew up together. We discuss everything under the sun with music forming the main theme, of course. We share a lot of similarities. In fact our views and principles regarding many things are pretty much the same. Although I`m the older one, I`ve learnt a lot from Rahman-the person apart from the music director. His sense of discipline, concentration and dedication are inspiring. *Sandhya Ramachandran* : Can we expect a "Rahman-Raihanah" creation someday? *Raihanah* : That is a possibility I can completely rule out. We are individualistic and love our space. Hence composing together may turn difficult and cramped. So apart from maybe singing for one another or producing one another`s work, a composition together may not be feasible! *Sandhya Ramachandran* : How does it feel to have a composer son in G.V.Prakash? Do you discuss ideas? *Raihanah* : My son has very beautifully followed his uncle`s footsteps and started with a great success through Veyil`s music. Starting as a singer from childhood, producing such hits like `Chikkubukku rayilae` and `Palakkattu machchanukku` to today`s `Kadhal yaanai varugira Remo`, I`m indeed proud of his success as a singer too! But influencing his music and discussing ideas is a strict no! I never dip my oar unless asked for. As a composer myself, I recognize the need for space and self-initiated attempts when it comes to composing. *Sandhya Ramachandran* : Who wins at the end of the day- Raihanah, The composer? Raihanah, the singer? Or the newly emerged RJ? *Raihanah* : Heart of hearts, I am a singer! I relish singing. Your voice is the only thing you carry along with you. I was never much of a talker and in fact I was always chided for speaking less at home! It`s the show that`s got me talking. Composing is something that I love doing. But what wins hands down at the end of the day is singing, of course! *Sandhya Ramachandran* : How shall we see you tomorrow? Any new roles in the offing? *Raihanah* : I`m not consciously aiming at donning any new role as of now. I hold a commerce degree but ended up in the music industry with no initial ambitions to sing or compose! While composing, I ended up directing advertisements (Aala Veshtigal and Sri Kumaran Silks-Madurai) as I had undergone a course in direction. I`m interested in gardening and Interior decoration. Let`s see what course life takes as it goes… Cheers, Madhavan.R Be a Music Fan; not a Music Pirate!
