Shankar Tucker in K-town!

American clarinist and music composer Shankar Tucker, who rose to fame due to his compositions on social media platforms, is busy working on a Tamil film! Four songs from the movie, directed by debutant Vignarajan, are already complete and the musician is working hard to get the rest of the numbers done.
���It���s been a good experience,��� starts off Shankar, ���Though I���m based in Mumbai, my work on this film brings me often to Chennai these days.The film is a romantic drama and we���ve worked out four compositions that���ll be montage songs in the film. We���re currently in the process of finalizing the tune ideas for the rest of the songs.���
Considering his Amercian background, will his musical work in the film have Western influences or will it incorporate Indian elements of sound as well? ���It���ll have a lot of Western influence in it as the director wants it that way,��� he smiles, ���I���ve used the piano extensively in the compositions, something that doesn���t usually figure prominently in film music. However, in terms of song structure, it���ll follow the same format that Tamil songs follow.���
To get the format and sounds right, Shankar has been listening to a lot of Tamil songs of late. ���I���ve always been a big fan of A R Rahman and his compositions,��� he says, ���Once I landed this project, I did hear quite a few albums done by Harris Jayaraj and Yuvan Shankar Raja.���
Will his lack of knowledge of the local knowledge prove to be a hindrance while composing for a Tamil song? ���I don���t think so,��� he says, ���Even when I listen to music, whichever language it is in, the lyric isn���t much of a barrier. I���ve got a lot of flak for not paying attention to lyrics. Perhaps I should,��� he chuckles.
So, how did he bag this Tamil project in the first place? ���I got a query through the Shruti Box, the online platform in my
website, and the minute I saw that it was from a filmmaker in Chennai, the land of A R Rahman, I got excited. I heard the subject and it sounded interesting and well, here I am!���
Shankar���s favourites Album: Rockstar Song: Ghanan Ghanan��� (Lagaan) Indian instrument: Tabla Raga: Charukesi