http://www.radioandmusic.com/content/year-ender/rewind-09/rewind-09-2009-a-milestone-year-a-r-rahman
MUMBAI:
As the Mozart of Madras turns 44 on Wednesday, Radioandmusic.com pays
tribute to the maestro by tracking his numerous successes of the past
year, a year that A R Rahman is unlikely to forget in a hurry. 2009 was
when he took the world music stage by storm, gathering up accolades and
awards in his fold and taking to the international scene in a big way.
After his Oscar win for Danny Doyle's Slumdog Millionaire in
February, recognitions, awards, Hollywood projects, and collaborations
followed - in the music world, he was the man who had everyone glued to
his every note and every move. Radioandmusic.com tracks the genius
musician.
BAFTA AND GOLDEN GLOBE GETS THE BALL ROLLING
A R Rahman becomes the first Indian musician to win the Bafta
award (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) for best original
score. Resul Pookutty and his team (Glen Freemantle, Richard Pryke, Tom
Sayers, Ian Tapp) too won Baftas for Best Sound Editing for Slumdog
Millionaire. After Bafta, Rahman eventually goes on to win four prizes
at prestigious Golden Globe awards where he bags the Best Original
Music Score award for 'Jai Ho'.
THE BIG 'O'
A month after Rahman wins the Golden Globe award for best music
score, he gets nominated for Best Original Score and Best Song (One
each for Jai Ho and O Saya) for the Oscars. The nomination also brings
international recognition for Veteran lyricist Gulzar, who has penned
the lyrics for 'Jai ho' that was nominated for best original song for
the 81st Annual Academy Awards.
PHILANTHROPHY TOUR KICKSTARTS
The first concert of the Jai Ho series is held at Corporation
Stadium in Kozhikode, Kerala, on 3 May 2009. Approximately, 50,000
people from all over the country and overseas attend the event. This,
and subsequent concerts in Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata concert
are not only meant for entertainment, but also help generate funds for
socially underprivileged.
For 2010, Rahman is scheduled to perform in Middle-east, Singapore and
Australia.
DOCTOR A R RAHMAN
First it was raining awards, now it’s time for degrees and
doctorates. Rahman gets picked for an Honorary Degree by Middlesex
University, London in July 2009.
RAHMAN BLOGS ON MJ’S DEATH
June 25 was a day that sent news media into a tizzy as Michael
Jackson passes away a month short of his comeback multi millionaire
'This is it' tour.
Rahman greives his loss on his blog, (excerpts) "I am shocked at the untimely
passing away
of Michael Jackson, one of the greatest musicians of our time. MJ, for
most of our generation, was an icon who made uncompromising music. He
pushed the milestone of Pop music to unbelievable levels through the
80s and 90s. I am yet to find an artist with that energy, perfection
and vision.
I met him personally after the Oscars in Los Angeles and we vibed
very well. He said that he loved India and the Indian people. He said
he heard good things about me and he was praising the chord progression
of Jai Ho's chorus. He was bursting with energy and told me that every
dance move he did, came from his soul and did a five second stunning
example. It was like a lightning strike."
RAHMAN INTRODUCES MJ COURSE
In November, it was reported that Rahman had introduced a course
that gave music lovers an opportunity to study MJ's music at Rahman's
Tamil Nadu based music school - the KM Music Conservatory. This is
believed to be Rahman's way of honouring the legendary pop icon. Now,
news reports also mention that Rahman is working on new tunes in memory
of Jackson that will feature musicians from all over the world.
SIGNS EXCLUSIVE DEAL WITH UNIVERSAL
After the Oscar win, Rahman signed an exclusive worldwide
publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing Group. According to the
deal, large portions of Rahman's catalog as well as new music rights to
the 'Slumdog' music were included in the UMPG deal.
David Renzer, chairman and CEO of UMPG said that the fact that
he is a twice over Oscar winner has really elevated his visibility and
notoriety globally. The Rahman deal, Renzer said, “fits the company's
strategy as film and television music are one of the key areas that are
focused on.”
BOLLYWOOD ON HOLD
The only scores that Rahman releases in 2009 for Bollywood are
Dilli 6 and Blue. While Dilli 6' 'Masakali' becomes a rage, Anthony
DSouza's Blue, which boasted a high budget and featured the likes of
Kylie Minogue, bombs. Expectations from Blue’s music get phenomenally
high after Rahman’s Oscar win, the music however fails to impress.
RAHMAN GOES ON A HOLLYWOOD RETREAT
Rahman records his score for the ensemble romantic comedy,
Couples Retreat. Written by Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn and Dana Fox, the
film - directed by Peter Billingsly – the film revolves around four couples who
go to an island resort for vacation. While one of the
couples is there to work on their marriage, the other three set out to
jet ski, enjoy the spa and have some fun in the sun. Though the film
doesn’t work as expected, the film's soundtrack, an interesting mix of
reggae and Indian sounds, is highly appreciated.
RAHMAN SCORES FOR SHORT FILM
The maestro teams up with filmmaker Shekhar Kapoor for a short
film called 'Passage' and scores four tracks for this short film which
opens with Tango (originally composed by Carla Pugliese), Atmosphere,
Aria (sung by Kavita Baliga) and Waltz.
Directed by Kapur and produced by Curious Pictures Production
and Swarovski Entertainment, Passage starrs Julia Stiles (Cry Of The
Owl, The Bourne Ultimatum), Lily Cole and Haley Benett (Marley and Me,
Music and Lyrics).
LAUNCHES ONLINE STORE
After launching his own music label in 2006, Rahman launches online shop – The
A R Rahman Store, on his official website (www.arrahman.com).
The store presently sells several items, but says it plans to expand
the inventory to “include exclusive presale tickets, merchandise, DVDs
and more”. But currently one can only shop with Canadian Dollars,
Euros, British Pounds, and US Dollars.
ANNOUNCES FREE CONCERT FOR AUSTRALIA
Out of concern for the current tensions in Australian/Indian
relations as a result of attacks on Indian students in Australia,
Rahman himself suggested a free concert as a demonstration of cultural
diplomacy and a gesture of goodwill.. Sydney Festival announces that the
Academy Award-winning composer of the Slumdog Millionaire would be
giving an exclusive free concert at Parramatta Park on Saturday 16
January as part of the 2010 Festival program.
COMMONWEALTH GAMES CONCERT CANCELLED
Ironically, Rahman’s dream to perform at the Commonwealth Games
curtainraiser in Delhi is marred by the austerity drive. Rahman's
concert scheduled for 3 October to mark 'one year to go event' before
Commonwealth Games 2010 gets cancelled. The Rahman concert, to be held
in Delhi, was supposed to have cost around Rs 30 million.
WINS GRASSROOT GRAMMY
Awards and recognition continue to flow in as Rahman bags a
Grassroot Grammy for for his soundtrack in the Tamil film "Godfather"
in the 'Best Indian album' category at the 'Just Plain Folks 2009 Music
Awards' in Nashville. Rahman also win the third place in the 'Best
Indian Song' category for 'Innisai' (Radio Mix) from "Godfather".
RECEIVES TWO GRAMMY NOMINATIONS
There’s a lot to hope for in 2010. Before the year ended, it was announced that
Rahman’s Jai Ho has received two
Grammy nominations - one each in the category of Best Song written for
Motion Picture, Television or Other visual media and Best Compilation
Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other visual Media
for Slumdog Millionaire.
Jai Ho!
