Ilaiyaraaja Wiki and Biography: On June 2, 1943, Ilaiyaraaja entered the world in the little Indian town of Kambam, located in the Madras Presidency of southern Tamil Nadu. His name was updated from Gnanathesikan to the more trendy Ilaiyaraaja. His and Jeeva’s musically talented offspring include Karthik Raja, Yuvan Shankar Raja, and Bhavatharini. Ilaiyaraaja heard many different kinds of Tamil folk music as he grew up in the country.
Ilaiyaraaja Wiki: Biography, Age, Girl Friend, Family, Education, Height, Weight, Wife, Movies List, Career, Profession, Net Worth
| Real Name | Gnanathesikan, Daniel Rajayya |
|---|---|
| Nick Name | Ilaiyaraaja |
| Profession | Music Director, Singer |
| Famous For | Music |
| Wife Name | Jeeva |
| Physical Status | |
| Age | 79 years |
| Height | 5”4 |
| Weight | 62Kgs |
| Eye Color | Black |
| Hair Color | Gray, Semi Bald |
| Personal Information | |
| Date of Birth | 2 June 1943 |
| Birth Place | Pannaipuram, Madurai District, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Zodiac Sign | Gemini |
| Nationality | Indian |
| School Name | |
| College Name | Trinity College of Music, London |
| Qualifications | Degree in Western Art Music |
| Family Profile | |
| Father Name | Daniel Ramaswamy |
| Mother Name | Chinnathayammal |
| Siblings | Pavalar Varatharajan (Poet), Amar Singh (Gangai Amaran) (Music Director and Lyricist), Daniel Bhaskar |
| Career | Musician |
| Source of Income | Movies, Shows |
| Worked For | Movies |
| Net Worth Salary | Rs. 189 Crores+(Approx.) |
Ilaiyaraaja Biography
Ilaiyaraaja Education
When he first started school, his father legally changed his name from Gnanathesigan to Rajaiya. Although he earned a degree in western art music from London’s Trinity College of Music, he is still known as Raasayya by his childhood friends and neighbors. Dhanraj’s music instructor rechristened him “Raaja” when he started taking lessons. Because another famous music director, A., shared the same last name in the 1970s, producer Panchu Arunachalam gave him the name Ilaiyaraaja for his debut film, Annakili. A younger person is called a “ilaiya” in Tamil. It was written by A. M. Rajah.
Ilaiyaraaja Early Life
When he was 14, he joined a musical group and toured South India for the next decade. To begin his academic career, he enrolled in Dr. Dhanraj’s course. Ilaiyaraaja was an accomplished guitarist who studied at London’s prestigious Trinity College of Music. Annakkili, a film in Tamil, was where Ilaiyaraaja first found widespread success with his music. What made him famous was the way he was able to seamlessly incorporate the melodies of folk songs and traditional Tamil poetry into the soundtracks of blockbuster films.
He demonstrated his mastery of Western classical music on the piano, guitar, and string groups. When he later travelled to Europe, he discovered that the music of Mozart, Bach, and Beethoven all contained echoes of the Manasika Gurus. Those who witnessed Ilaiyaraaja’s creations were astounded by both their quality and quantity. He became known for an appearance that was unusual in South Indian films but became a symbol of fame across India and the world.
Ilaiyaraaja Career
Ilaiyaraaja “couldn’t comprehend how music was being made for movies” since he preferred music that was so different from what was popular in cinema at the time. But in 1975, film producer Panchu Arunachalam approached Ilaiyaraaja to create the songs and score for the Tamil movie Annakili after hearing him sing a song on the spot that captured his attention.
In the score, Ilaiyaraaja fused Western and Tamil influences by fusing contemporary popular film music with traditional folk song and poetic melodies from Tamil India. At first, he was concerned that nobody in the music industry would take notice of his work. When Annakili came out in 1976, the music was a big hit right away. The next 12 films Ilaiyaraaja scored were all done in the style of the moment, but when a new wave of films came out, he was free to write the music of his desires.
He was a master of Western classical music because of how skillfully he played the piano, guitar, and string groups. As time went on and he travelled around Europe, he settled on Beethoven, Bach, and Mozart as his Manasika Gurus. People who heard Ilaiyaraaja’s music were astounded by how good it was and how much of it there was. His fame spread rapidly, making him a household figure in India and beyond thanks to his groundbreaking contributions to South Indian cinema.
The music academy lauded Ilaiyaraaja’s creation of the new Raga “Panjamugi,” and he was invited to perform it at the beginning of the December 1994 music season. He excelled at classical guitar, earning a gold medal from London’s prestigious Trinity College. The song “Rakkamma Kaiya Thattu” from the movie “Thalapathi” was chosen the fourth most popular song of all time in a BBC poll of people from over 155 nations.
It was in 2012 that Ilaiyaraaja was recognised for his groundbreaking contributions to the field of music with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award. He garnered 49% of the vote as India’s best music composer in a 2013 CNN-IBN poll celebrating 100 years of Indian film. Ilaiyaraaja’s music has a reputation for being captivating. His contributions to the field are universally recognised and admired.
The films he scored were among the best ever made, and Ilaiyaraaja deserves most of the credit. Due to the success of his previous projects, he was commissioned to compose music for a wide variety of high-profile international projects, including the Miss World pageant in Bangalore, India, in 1996 and the film India 24 Hours. The majority of Ilaiyaraaja’s oeuvre is composed in Tamil, although his compositions have also been translated into Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi, English, Marathi, Sanskrit, and Punjabi.
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