A young professional walks to his work bay, looking dejected. Suddenly, he nods his head and sways to an oft-heard melody. He turns to see maestro Ilaiyaraaja beside him, singing a number many have played when they needed solace — ‘Thendral Vandhu Theendum Podhu’. He smiles, and looks back to see that Ilaiyaraaja has disappeared; it’s just the magic of his music, as always, caressing, consoling, rousing, melting…
They could not have thought of a better advertisement to promote Maestro’s Music — an app fans of Ilaiyaraaja have been waiting for, for years. And, it was finally launched on Monday morning, as the composer made the announcement on his Facebook page. “Welcome to my First Official Mobile App... my music fans across the globe can have access to my creations at the tip of their fingers, in the best music format and without piracy. Through this App, you will also be able to interact with me, have an inside view into my song compositions and backstage access to my events… You can now listen to my music 24 X 7, and join me on a musical journey.”
Within two hours of this post, it had garnered more than 60,000 views and over 1,500 shares.
On downloading the app, you can log in either with your Facebook or Google account, or using your phone number.
The app is well laid-out, and worked seamlessly in the 30 minutes I used it. It is classified into interesting sections — Maestro’s Radio, Maestro’s Studio (song recordings), Maestro Presents (hidden treasures, unheard songs) and the like. There’s also an Album of the week ( Vishwa Thulasi ), Song of the week (‘Maalai Soodum Velai’, from Naan Mahaan Alla ), Voice of the week (K.S. Chithra), and more.
On the homepage, the sections featured include Carnatic, classics, devotional, folk, instrumental, melody, peppy, romantic, sad and Western. There’s also a curated playlist — Dhanush’s favourite, Drive to Work, Ilaiyaraaja’s favourite, Kamal’s favourite…
And that’s how I end up listening to the lilting ‘Siriya Paravai Siragai’ from Andha Oru Nimidam . The day, wait, the week, is set to begin on a lovely note.
Director Balki on the app
"What an idea! It's possibly the most important app for life. All of Ilaiyaraaja's music in one shot. I also feel that all music companies who have the rights to Raja Sir's songs must lend them to this app..."
(The app can be downloaded on Android (bit.ly/MMPlayStore) & iOS (bit.ly/MMapple) phones.
