How Harris Jayaraj’s son Samuel Nicholas is making his mark in music

Samuel Nicholas Harris, composer Photo Credit: Thamodharan B

The year was 2001. AR Rahman was not only into Tamil film music but was also releasing memorable albums. rent In Hindi. Even after working in Vikram-starrer films, Ilaiyaraaja remained in demand. tightly and Vijay-Surya-starrer Friend,

and then minnale Hit screen. The sound of ‘Maddy O Maddy’ resonated in the theatres, while the melodious tune of ‘Vaseegaara’ captured the imagination of many. Gautham Menon came in as a filmmaker, and brought with him an exciting new composer named Harris Jayaraj.

minnale Released in February 2021, while Harris was waiting to become a father. While he was enjoying the success of the film, he became the father of a child named Samuel Nicholas. “I was a kid at the time and was unaware of the impact this film had on our lives,” says Samuel. “Growing up, I minnale Of course, but as the days go by, I’m revisiting these albums and wondering how this guy packed so many good songs into it,” he says, referring to his father’s early work.

perfect noise

During the making of several superhit Tamil film albums, Samuel Nicholls had the best seat in the house, at Studio H, the composer’s studio-cum-residence in Valasaravakkam. “In my formative years, I didn’t see my father much, as he worked day and night on his films,” he recalls, “I used to take my PSP with me wherever I went, and if it There was some noise in the studio, I used to get angry glances from my father.

Once he reached the age where he would “behave”, Samuel would be allowed to go for recording sessions but with one strict order: to remain completely silent. “I will see who is coming and going. Sometimes, to entertain himself, he would record my voice.” Samuel’s first musical contribution was in the Suriya starrer Arivu at 7 amWhere Harris recorded a children’s chorus. Since then he has been actively involved in several film albums and assisting his father in his musical work. “As I became more aware and interested in music, I listened to many songs and kept thinking about why they chose to do certain things and why they didn’t. I soon started composing my own tunes.

Harris Jayaraj with his son Samuel Nicholas. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

keep it young

Samuel Nicholas is currently 23 years old. Like his father in the 2000s, Samuel also dreams of making it big in the music industry. The first big step in this direction is her recently released independent single ‘Aiyyo’. Part of the Think Indie series and directed by Sana Mariam, the catchy tune – a song which Samuel has written, sung and even danced to – is representative of all things young.

“I am very camera shy. The real challenge in ‘Aiyyo’ was to dance in front of the camera,” he recalls. “We tried to rehearse our reactions to things as much as possible and still try to nail the expressions.”

Samuel is aware of the expectations from an artiste in today’s Instagram-first world, where apart from composing and singing, one also has to package a music video with a dance hook step.

“I think it’s exciting. Apart from improving my music, I am also going to dance classes. My father regretted not being able to learn to sing, and so he encouraged me to take singing lessons. In the recent live shows, where I played guitar and sang, we tried choreographed dance-music, which got an overwhelming response,” says Samuel, who is also influenced by AR Rahman and Yuvan Shankar Raja, apart from his are mainly affected. His own father’s work. He is now listening to a lot of dance music and Anirudh’s tracks, and he believes the musician is killing it at the moment. “I love ‘Chalea’.”

Samuel is not the average struggling musician; He sits in a luxurious music studio, probably one of the best in Asia, and has access to the best singers. All this because he is Harris Jayaraj’s son, a fact he repeatedly acknowledges in conversations. What is his reaction when people call him on the basis of nepotism? “I completely agree with them,” he says, “but I also think it’s not a bad thing if it results in good music.” It is also strange that while the children of doctors and lawyers are encouraged to take up similar professions, the children of film industry professionals are not viewed in the same light. At the end of the day, whoever creates good content will be rewarded.”