A.R. Rahman | Artist

Allah Rakha Rahman is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer and songwriter born 1967 in Chennai. The artist is immensely popular for his works in Indian cinema, predominantly in Tamil and Hindi films, with occasional forays in international cinema such as the mainstream movie Slumdog Millionaire. Rahman's father, R.K. Shekhar, was a film-score composer and conductor for Tamil and Malayalam films, and Rahman Jr began studying piano at age four, assisting his father in the studio playing the keyboard. By the age of 11 he had mastered the keyboard, piano, synthesizer, harmonium and guitar, and played in an orchestra where he was exposed to the works of many famous Indian composers. Rahman initially composed scores for documentaries and jingles for advertisements on Indian television but in 1992 was approached by director Mani Ratnam to compose the soundtrack for his Tamil film Roja, which was a huge hit and a career breakthrough for Rahman. Skilled in Carnatic music, Western, Hindustani classical music and the Qawwali style of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Rahman is noted for film songs amalgamating elements of these and other genres, layering instruments from different musical idioms in an improvisational style. A prolific recording artist, Rahman has released over 160 studio albums including many film soundtracks. Standouts include his 1992 debut Roja, plus Bombay (1995), Rangeela (1995), Vande Mataram (1997), Dil Se.. (1998) and Rockstar (2011). Rahman has also become a humanitarian and philanthropist, donating and raising money for a number of causes and charities. In 2006, he was honoured by Stanford University for his contributions to global music, and in 2009 was included on Time Magazine's list of the world's 100 most influential people. Rahman earned an Academy Award for his soundtrack for Slumdog Millionaire (2008).

Artist Website: arrahman.com

Featured Albums: A.R. Rahman

Related Artists: Rahul Dev Burman, Super Heavy