Page 42 - Rolling Stone - India (December 2019)

much as each of the tracks brings out the
individuality of artists, there is a consistency Clinton Cerejo
in terms of the production quality. It has
been a lengthy and painstaking process
which has required a lot of investment by
way of time, effort and money, but the output
has been so promising that it has wowed
us all.”
Cerejo concurs: “Bianca Gomes, my co-
songwriter, and I have already been writing
songs and collaborating with the potential
lab winners. They have been writing lyrics to
these melodies and the results we’re seeing
are mind-bending. I mean, these tracks are
truly something the country can be proud of.
This is just the beginning of something big.”



A few days after the cover shoot, we have
an appointment to meet A.R. Rahman
at his Mumbai studio for a one-on-one
conversation. It’s around 10 p.m. on a
Thursday at the end of an ordinary work
day. There is no hustle and bustle of a shoot
but somehow it is a lot more nerve-wracking.
We arrive a few minutes before time and get
a chance to take in all the positive energy
thrumming within the intimate studio’s
neon-lit thresholds. It’s comfortable, bright
and a tiny reflection of who Rahman is at
his core. While we’re waiting, I continue
my interview prep, a part which includes (a
15th) look over the list of awards he’s won—
two Grammys, two Oscars, six National
Film Awards, a BAFTA, a Golden Globe, 15
Filmfare Awards and 17 Filmfare Awards
South. Not to mention the Padma Bhushan
conferred on him in 2010. My brain is
melting, trying to comprehend the series of
events in my life that led to this interview,
when the door opens and the he enters.
Almost immediately, I feel the ‘Rahman COURTESY OF THE ARTIST
effect’ kick in.
The composer is barefoot, and clad in dark
blue jeans and a casual shirt. He greets us
with a cheerful smile and leads us into one
of the recording studios. The man exudes
great energy despite being at the end of a
pretty crazy week—in a space of five days,
he’d somehow managed to pack in a concert When I listened to some of the artists that made
in Dubai, a trip to Tokyo, various other secret
assignments and this interview. In between the cut I was blown away by the talent we have in
it all, he’s tapping away on his phone, our own backyard. The 24 Nexa Lab artists have
sending emails and approvals on his recent
single “Ahimsa” with Irish rock legends U2 blurred genre lines to define what English music
(which is to release the next morning) but
stays engaged in our conversation, laughing in India sounds like right now.
politely at all my nervous bad jokes. The
Chennai-based music luminary seems to - Clinton Cerejo
prefer doing the listening at first but as

42 | Rolling Stone India December 2019