High five, musically

Simon, music director of Ainthu Ainthu Ainthu, talks of his exciting debut

Music director Simon

M udhal Mazhai Kaalam and Vizhiyile Vizhiyile , the peppy romantic songs from director Sasi’s Ainthu Ainthu Ainthu , penned by Na Muthukumar, are already topping the popularity charts. But the brain behind these hit songs is debutant musician Simon, who is basking in his new-found glory in tinsel town.

Simon recalls, “I had left a CD with around twenty songs at director Sasi’s office. On my way home, I got a call from him saying that he wanted to meet me. I rushed at once to meet him, and he said that he wanted me to do his next movie and that he liked the Elavu song a lot. I was surprised and thrilled to get the opportunity.”

The transition from a musician to a music director was a long journey full of challenges, confesses the engineering graduate. What makes him stand out is his belief in acquiring the art. “I was always passionate about music and playing the piano. Along with my studies, I used to compose jingles and take on music assignments. I worked for a brief while in an IT company, but soon realised that music was my first love and that’s where my heart belonged. I learned music on my own and did a lot of research on the various forms of music,” says Simon, who has done the entire jingles for both ‘Hello FM’ and ‘Thanthi TV’ channels.

Considering that he has not taken any formal training in music and comes from a non-filmy background, he confesses that he learned a lot regarding music direction from director Sasi, in whom he sees a philosopher and guide. “He taught me to think universally, and create music keeping in mind the audience, and the expectations of the director. Muthukumar and Sasi never made me feel like a newcomer, and gave me all the freedom to create my music.”

Every moment of working on the songs is memorable for this budding artiste. “Chinmayi and Haricharan, who sang Vizhiyile Vizhiyile, were very supportive. We all brainstormed together while producing it. I was very happy when our producers loved our first song. VizhiyileVizhiyile brought in a lot of good feedback, and it was a confidence booster.”

Simon is satisfied with the good reception for his work, but in humble words, he says that learning is an ongoing process. “While working on

Ainthu Ainthu Ainthu , I got offers but I wanted to focus on the film at hand and learn the art of music direction. I have gone through the entire process, from the inception of the song to the release of the movie, and this has given me the confidence to deliver better music. I wish to work with directors who have good scripts,” signs off Simon, who is already in talks with director G N R Kumaravelan of

Haridas fame for his untitled project.