Berny of Berny-Ignatius duo joins hands with son Tansen for a project

Berny of the Berny-Ignatius sibling duo, who composed memorable songs for several films, including Thenmavin Kombathu, is returning to music direction after years. And this time, he is collaborating with his son, Tansen Berny. Excerpts from an interview with the duo, whose composition, Eda Nenjile, was released recently.

Excerpts:

'Tansen and I have worked on albums together'
“When my brother (Ignatius) stopped composing, I, too, thought of taking a break. But my wife encouraged me not to give up. When I began getting other offers, Tansen started collaborating with me, even though he was hesitant at first. We worked on a few albums together. That’s when we got the opportunity to work as music directors for Oru Vadakkan Therottam,” says Berny.

'He gives his inputs without much hesitation'
On working with his son, Berny shares, “A son is always a son, so initially, he had some hesitation before making suggestions. When it was me and my brother, we worked more like friends — we could freely offer suggestions and opinions without worrying about hurting the other's ego. Now, Tansen has adapted and shares his ideas more openly. He adds his own touches to the compositions. My younger son, Keerthan, is also involved in the music making. Even though he’s based in Mumbai, we often sit together to discuss the music we’re working on online. It's a blessing that my children are supporting me at this age”

'Tansen had little interest in singing as a child'
As a child, Tansen, didn’t show much interest in singing, shares Berny . “While in his final year at school, he participated in a competition and won first prize, with Keerthan winning second. That win gave him the confidence to believe he could sing! After that, he started getting more opportunities,” Berny recalls.

'The director wanted songs everyone can hum along to'
Berny says he was approached by director Binun Raj two years ago for this project. “I had told him that I’m now collaborating with my son. In the past, when we received similar offers, many insisted on the Berny-Ignatius brand, and those projects didn’t work out. But Binun said he just wanted good songs. This film had scope for strong melodies. We’ve composed two songs for it. The director’s only brief was that they should be the kind of songs everyone can hum along to,” he says.

'Melodies will never perish'
The veteran composer feels melodies are back in demand. “There was a time when melodies dominated music. People naturally seek change, but now, the love for melodies is coming back. Many are eager to learn singing again. This form of music will never perish, no matter what.”

Dad listens to my inputs and includes them in the songs: Tansen

On the experience of working with his father, Tansen Berny, a teacher by profession, shares, “I’ve composed songs in my own comfort zone before. But working with a senior music director like my dad was intimidating at first. I wondered what input I could possibly give for a composition by him! Initially, I declined the idea, but my mother encouraged me to take it up, saying it would support him after the Berny-Ignatius phase. I make suggestions based on the songs I’m familiar with, and he’s very open to them. If I suggest tweaking a tune a bit, he listens. That openness makes the process collaborative."

Speaking about what he has gained from this partnership, Tansen adds, “When we compose based on ragas, the music stays evergreen. Then we can give it a modern treatment—that’s one benefit of working together.”
Was he really a hesitant student? “Yes,” Tansen admits. “As a child, I wasn’t very interested in learning Carnatic vocals. I couldn’t grasp the style of singing, and my teacher would scold me, which demotivated me. So, I focused on practising the keyboard instead.
“I’d love to do more films with Appachan. We are very happy with how the track in the film was received. I’ve always wanted to be a music director rather than a singer—hearing my compositions in the voice of a great singer is more rewarding. And with films, the songs reach more people.”
He adds, "It wouldn’t be right to say the Berny-Ignatius partnership didn’t faze me. But if I let that pressure weigh on me, it would only make things harder."

Unnikrishnan’s son Vasudev Krishna makes his debut

In Oru Vadakkan Therottam, one of the songs is sung by newcomer Vasudev Krishna, son of singer P Unnikrishnan. “Vasudev was in the UK but flew ,down and recorded the song over a weekend. Prior to that, we had practiced online,” Berny shares.