So, I realized that I haven’t done a post focused entirely on music. Except for one or two entries from the early stages of my blog(that I now cringe at while reading). And quite honestly, I feel like a complete nitwit considering that there is a separate category for music on this blog. And after three(soon to be four)years there’s barely any music related posts.
Goodness, I anticipate blogging and making posts; and I want to make quality content, but it’s hard. Especially when there’s about 200+ rough drafts waiting to either be deleted or posted.
So.
Um.
Yay, procrastination!
About a month or so back, I had taken my final exams for the first semester. And let me tell you, that week and the two weeks before were just filled with unnecessarily high levels of stress and anxiety.
That entire week was just me studying till I felt like there was a dozen encyclopedias stuffed into my cranial cavity. All I was thinking after I finished an exam for a class was:
I WANT EAT
I WANT SLEEP
I’m the type of person who doesn’t show my intensive anxiety on the outside; but it always eats me up on the inside. To the point where I physically can’t stop thinking about it. So the only way I was really able to have some peace at school and while studying, was by listening to the music I liked best.
And that included K-POP.
Unfortunately, I belly flopped into the K-POP boat a wee bit later than everyone else did(about six to seven years late to be exact, but that’s okay). Now those of you out there who are cursing me out for this horrendous mistake, I’m sorry, forgive my ignorance; and please don’t lash out on me with posters and ridiculously merchandise featuring your bias(for those K-POP fans out there wondering, my bias is everyone. I love everyone. There are a few from BTS that I love especially but still. I love everyone.)
To be fair, I didn’t figure out that K-POP stood for KOREAN POP until late into last year so hear me out all of you hardcore K-POP fans.
For those of you who are left in the metaphorical dust in regards to what in the world I’m talking about(trust me if you asked me a few years back I wouldn’t have known either)here’s a little background:
Korean pop, or better known as K-POP, is essentially Korean pop music that was popularized in the early 2000s but in my opinion(meaning that these facts may or may not be accurate, so don’t take my word for it)took the world by storm a few years back when the popular Korean boy band BTS, made their debut in 2013 with their music. The stars who sing and dance in this genre are often called “idols.” (Don’t ask me why cause’ doing the “research” just confused my little brain to a pulp.)
Now, I’m of Asian descent, like 100%, so you would think that I would stay up to date on this kind of stuff, but being a hermit, I have no knowledge of what people find interesting on the world wide web. And that’s due to the fact that I don’t have any social media whatsoever(Which I’m immensely grateful for). And no, I don’t necessarily think YouTube counts. Anyways, I was too busy listening to my instrumental and EDM to really throw a glance to the K-POP genre. But it started to blossom interest in my mind.
I listen to music constantly. While doing homework, studying, working out, drawing, walking through the school campus, between passing periods, during study hall, reading at home, or- alright I think you get the point. As you can see, I have a great love for music, and all types of it. And it’s a major outlet for me, so I’m open to listening to lots of genres. So it was inevitable that I started listening to music I wasn’t engrossed in at an earlier time.
And boy was that the best decision my Spotify account could make.
(This work is not sponsored).
So, I’ve heard of BTS a lot, always seeing their well-dressed persons on the suggested bar on YouTube, and their songs always popped up in the suggested category of my Spotify. Ironically, I was never invested into boy bands in the first place, so I was skeptical that I would actually like them. But it came as a pleasant surprise(and a punch to my musical ego)and I instantly got thrown into the K-POP hole and into the arms of the waiting International Armys(“ARMY” is the name of BTS fans)
The amount of time it took for me to speed through nearly every BTS album in current existence is absolutely insane. Their music just caught me instantly and I don’t think I’ll be able to be pried out of the grips of the BTS fandom anytime soon so sanity nice knowin’ you.
I would absolutely suggest listening to this group because their music has so much heart, so much passion put into it, and each member of the group came from a different background. And what’s so great about them is that you can personally relate to them in ways that not a lot of celebrities can, where they feel untouchable because of their accomplishments and social status. But instead, they are humble and don’t put themselves above others because of their fame. Because they’re just regular people too. All of them young, extremely talented musicians who create music than anyone can enjoy. And it’s incredible that you don’t need to understand Korean in order to understand the vibe of the music they release.
Their music isn’t circulating around relationships and things interconnected with it. But things that everyone goes through but don’t usually like talk about; like mental health, self-esteem, family, etc.
Needless to say, about 85% of my Spotify playlists are now overpowered by K-POP. And hey, that isn’t entirely a bad thing.
And to keep the fire kindling on the topic of music, I would also like to switch to a musical genre that has a bit of less spunk but beautiful nevertheless; as well as honor another musician that has had quite the impact. But not recently, no, but I was introduced to his compositions very very early into my life and grew up listening to his songs, humming along to them, and being the background music to my childhood and now.
And before I end this section of the post, I’ll leave some of my favorite K-POP songs down below for you to indulge in if you are so willing.
“Perfect Man” by SHINHWA
“Good to Me” by SEVENTEEN
And here are some of my personal favorite songs by BTS:
“Lie” by BTS
“Airplane Pt. 2” by BTS
“Go Go” by BTS
“DNA” by BTS
“Don’t Leave Me” by BTS
“I Need U” by BTS
“Serendipity” by BTS
“Intro: Singularity” by BTS
“Intro: Boy Meets Evil” by BTS
“Save Me” by BTS
“Blood Sweat and Tears” by BTS
“Run” by BTS
Call me cliché but, deep down, nearly every older sister or brother would testify to the fact that no matter how much our younger siblings will grow, we would still love the little munchkins to the point of oblivion. I mean, older siblings struggle with a lot of things with the watchful eyes of not only your parents and peers, but the little ones who look up to you for guidance. Where nearly everything you do circulates around not only succeeding in life and for yourself; but to also be a responsible voice of reason, a role model, a teacher, a protector.
And it goes the same exact way for parents and guardians. They will try their absolute best to influence their children in the most positive ways so they can be successful and happy when they are older. And they become better people in society as they grow up. So, like many people, they share what they find interesting to they children.
From when I was a little girl until now, Tamil music always dominated the soft lull of our household. (Okay, “soft lull” meaning the constant screeches of small children, and bickering between siblings.) We don’t necessarily listen to the more recently released Tamil songs from movies and stuff. But the classics from the 1900’s. I guess I personally prefer the old Tamil stuff from the new because it just sounds like there’s much more effort and soul put into it, than what’s produced now in movies and such.
But a specific contributor to these works of art, is from a Tamil composer, singer, songwriter, conductor, arranger, and a bunch of other things that I don’t remember the names of; Illayraja.
Talk about high-status.
Those of you who are readers of this blog, but also relatives or close friends of our family, would probably know my dad’s ocean deep appreciation for Illayraja. And his infatuation with the maestro’s music So, in honor of him,(and my dad’s relatable mild obsession), here is a bit of a backstory to those of you who are unfamiliar with South India’s household musical name and how he came to be the legend he is deemed now.
(Just so none of the Illayraja super fans lash out at me in the comment section, I would like to point out that I’m most likely not spelling his name right since I’ve seen so many variations of it through my reading. Which didn’t help at all to further remedy my confusion, so forgive me if my misspellings have provoked you.)
Illayraja was born on the second of July in 1943, but was born under the name of Gnanathesikan in Pannaipuram(not pani puri, no that’s a food)of the Theni District in Tamil Nadu, India.
So I’m just gonna add a little tidbit in here and then we can continue onto the background portion of this post. Cause’ I think this applies to more than just Illayraja.
What I’ve learned over the years from personal observation, and being attentive to other peoples actions; is that the place(s)you grow up in, and who brings you up, can heavily influence who you are and how you perceive the world. I was born and raised in California; but I have abundant South Indian influence because both of my parents are Indian, making me 100% South Indian by blood. So many of my views of the world, the things I do, the people I talk to and befriend, is all from what I was taught, what I was exposed to, and what I know about the world from the position I was put in when I was born. So there are the things I do and don’t know, which affect my actions and opinions.
This applies to quite literally, anyone.
What I mean by that, is everything that you do, writing, drawing, or participating in discussions. Your views and view points are solely influenced by what you’re being surrounded with.
Music for example, I prefer foreign music rather than Western music because I grew up listening to songs that mostly weren’t in English. Though I didn’t realize this maybe two or three years ago, it still came to be that I’ve become more opinionated with musical dialect. Not that I have anything against songs in English, I just don’t listen to them as much as I listen to foreign genres.
And this goes for everyone, your personal likes and dislikes can and are manifested by what you have been exposed to throughout your life. And keep in mind that it can be anything.
So don’t underestimate the power of what you usually overlook everyday as something that doesn’t need to be acknowledged or accounted for; because it can easily find it’s place in your own mind.
Alright, psychological lecture over; moving on.
Illayraja was exposed to a lot of traditional village music, folk music, and you know all that jazz(no, not actual jazz, that was just an expression). Making his music and compositions have many traditional elements to them. Most of his songs have a fusion between common Indian instrumentals, and lead Western instruments like flutes and saxes. With this interesting combo of stylistics, it creates a kind of seamless bond between long-established South Indian folk tunes, and classic orchestral pieces that one would usually find more popular in Western canonical music.
With this unique blend, listening to just one of these compositions is whimsical in the experience of hearing the highs and lows, the dips and caresses of the violins to the higher instruments. Even though I only have eight to nine years of musical exposure, it was obvious that Illayraja has a keen eye for dolce(sweet, delicate)in his music. And he managed to bring that sweet swell of the music and put it perfectly on sheet music.
Illayraja’s music was also one of the earliest forms of Western and Tamil fusions in music. Combining traditional orchestral and strings with Tamil folk music which usually consisted of hand-made, authentic instruments with deep, woody sounds. Fuse both of them together and bam, you have an intricate masterpiece in your hands.
Here is a bit of an article from NewWorldEncyclopedia.Org(THIS IS NOT MINE, RIGHTS GO TO THE PROPER OWNERS)
“The use of an orchestration technique that is a synthesis of Western and Indian instruments and musical modes characterized Ilaiyaraaja’s music. He pioneered the use of electronic music technology that integrated synthesisers, electric guitars and keyboards, rhythm boxes and MIDI with large orchestras that also featured the veena,venu,nadaswaram,mridangam, and tabla.[28][29] His flair for catchy melodies, and to his employment of subtle nuances in chord progressions, beats and timbres accounts for the popularity of Ilaiyaraaja’s music.[30][31][32] Ilaiyaraaja’s songs typically have a musical form where orchestral preludes and interludes layer vocal stanzas and choruses. They often contain polyphonic melodies; the lead vocals interweave with supporting melody lines sung by another voice or played by instruments. Polyrhythms, particularly in songs with Indian folk or Carnatic influences, have prominence. The melodic structure of his songs demand considerable vocal virtuosity, and have found expressive platform among some of India’s respected vocalists and playback singers, such as K.J. Yesudas, S.P. Balasubramaniam, S. Janaki, P. Susheela, K.S. Chithra, Malaysia Vasudevan, Asha Bhosle and Lata Mangeshkar.[33] Ilaiyaraaja has sung his own compositions for films,[34] recognizable by his rustic and nasal voice. He has penned the lyrics for some of his songs in Tamil and other languages.[35][36] Ilaiyaraaja has become famous for his evocative film themes and background music,[37] and examples of those include his work for Pallavi Anupallavi (1984), Punnagai Mannan (1986), Mouna Raagam (1986) and Geethanjali (1989).”
And here is the link to the full article:
https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Ilaiyaraaja
Of course, all this Einstein-level musical awareness didn’t come with a snap of his conductor’s baton. Like everything in life, it took time and effort. And it would be an understatement to say that he worked hard.
At the age of 14, he joined a traveling musical group(led by his elder brother). Which honestly takes so much guts, I mean you would have to give me a really good reason to drop everything I’m doing in California, pick up my instruments, and start parading across the country while playing music with a group I don’t know well.
Yeah, no.
Anyway, our buddy Illayraaja spent most of his time performing throughout South India, spending the next decade traveling to perform. Eventually writing his own composition.
Personally, when I read that his first musical composition was a musical reworking of an elegy written by a famous Tamil poet who dedicated this specific piece to India’s first prime minister(sorry, I was very confused with how to write this entire sentence properly without sounding stupid, forgive me). I was pretty amazed that his first ever written work was based off poetry. An elegy at that.
An elegy is a form of poetry that is often a piece that is dedicated to a person who has passed away. Note: Not to be confused with a eulogy.
You see, the thing about poetry is that words are embodying the emotions that tie together the entire spiel, rather than using a slew of words to only describe things. Poetry is essentially the artistic way of writing and it’s common for the words and expressions used in poetry to be ornamented.
Not to mention that it’s already hard enough to use words and string them together to make something whole and beautiful. And there are plenty of people out there who struggle with writing poetry and get frustrated in the process, and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t one of those people.
I mean sometimes it’s hard to just talk like a normally functioning human being and sound sane.
Yes, yes, it’s very difficult.
But the interesting thing about poetry-that sets it off from other styles of writing-is that you can be describing the most desultory thing, like, I dunno, microwaving a bowl of pencils(which I don’t recommend doing by the way)and you can make it sound like a Shakespearean Sonnet.
Observe:
The metal gleams as the door opens,
Ceramic against glass a tinkling sound of conscience.
Ash coloured particles foreign against pristine white
Blush pink rubber like a crown of a person pleasing an audience.
Although this particular treat will not metabolite.
See! The magic of poetry can make the most horrid things sound beautiful!
And my poem wasn’t even good!
（；^ω^）
My point is that capturing poetry and putting it into another form is exceptionally difficult. Imagine putting that particular poem into melody form.
Well.
From my experience anyway.
Okay back to Illayraja.
As you could’ve guessed(from my unnecessary rant about poetry) Illayraja obviously showed from a rather infant like time that he had capability that a lot of people wished they had but didn’t. When you grow up as a musician, you have to be exposed to nearly every basic thing in music if you want to go onto big things. I know this because it’s drilled into our brains constantly by our band directors.
Illayraja went under Dhanraj Master(a famous music teacher from Tamil Nadu as well)to learn as a music student. Eventually attaining the name Raaja from his esteemed teacher. And from these lessons were where he became acquainted with Western music stylistics. Some time later becoming a very adept classical guitarist by taking a distance course in Trinity College of Music, in London.
As he grew older, there were more opportunities for him as a musician. Slowly getting more high-end. Playing as a guitarist for bands, composing for movies, etc. Many people have called him the “demigod” of music, holding him to a very high esteem that he certainly deserves and his accomplishments are certainly held to a very high stature.
He was recruited as an assistant for musical directory, and had worked on 200 film projects. And as a musical assistant, he was set to writing the sheet music for of the melodies and musical outlines. Which again, is a very ambitious task. Especially under such pressure and watchful eyes of his seniors. And on top of all that, he started writing his very own scores and compositions as he worked under the legendary director G.K Venkatesh.
Eventually, in 1975, he was called after to compose a film score for Tamil film, proceeding to apply the variety of music he had become thoroughly aware of. And if you have forgotten, it was a mixture of folk melodies, Western, and Tamil poetry.
Illayraja has received a multitude of rewards and honours, including five Indian National Film Awards, and the National Film Award for Best Musical Direction.
I’m hoping that in the near future I can make longer individual posts about both BTS and Illayraja. But I thought I could combine the two into one mega-post about music. Obviously to make up for the fact that I haven’t posted anything since New Year’s Eve. Which technically speaking, was last year.
I’m a pathetic high school student. I know. ¯_(◕ヮ◕)_/¯