“It was my birthday that day,” recalls Leon James, “I had gone to Rahman sir’s house to give him sweets.”
Leon’s father, Noell James, was Rahman’s manager and the young boy had gone to meet him, as he usually did on his birthday. “He said he had a gift for me, and called me inside the studio. He wanted me to sing a portion for a song (‘Dhinam Dhinam Deepavali’ from Ajith’s Varalaaru), while everyone was waiting at home with the birthday cake,” laughs Leon. It was a small musical segment, but it was proof that Leon was ready to take on life inside the music studio.
He had always grown up with music in the background. His father kept discussing Rahman’s work, but was also a big fan of the 80s music, playing both Western and Ilaiyaraaja songs for his young son. “I was born in the Nineties but grew up listening to music made before that,” he says. The Carpenters, Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley were among his early influences, at a time when he just started taking keyboard classes. “When I was three, I picked up a keyboard and was fascinated with it, and started playing it,” he recalls.
Leon always knew that he’d end up in the music industry. In school, he joined a band, which had the likes of Anirudh, Vivek, Kishore, Ananth Krishnan and MT Aditya. “We all decided back then that we wanted to do something with music. It’s heartening that all of us are still doing something in that same space.” They’re popular names in the current music circuit, but when they catch up, it’s about recalling old tales. “We meet mostly in studios, which is a work environment. But we keep talking about the past. People who have judged us during school culturals are now working with us...so it’s very special.”
Leon burst into the music scene with Kanchana 2’s ‘Vaaya En Veera’, a track that he had originally composed as an independent track, and has dished popular numbers in his subsequent outings such as Ko 2, Kavalai Vendam and Veera. Now, he’s back to the independent space with ‘Kanne Kanne’, a track that’s releasing tomorrow.
“When I sat down to compose it, my mind was completely open. I had this first heavy EDM drop and wanted to contrast it with an emotional melody. And then I wanted a trap. All these might not be possible in a film where a director asks specific songs. Musically, ‘Kanne Kanne’ will bring out a new side of me, because I really wanted to crack the independent space. I gave my heart out...,” he trails off, “Erangi senjen.” He got help from his lyricist friend Ko Sesha and co-singer Jonita Gandhi. “We kept the lyrics quirky and colloquial. Jonita adds a lot of value to it, especially with respect to lyrical pronunciation.”
‘Kanne Kanne’ took about three months to complete, with Leon taking care of the production and mastering. “With films, you’re hearing a song repeatedly for a year, and you get tired of it. With this track, it was just three months, and as a composer, the excitement was there throughout the process.”
He’s betting big on the four-minute track to appeal to audiences. While his sound is international, he prefers his tunes to be melodious in nature. “I firmly believe that you need great melody to connect with audiences here,” signs off the composer, who’s currently busy composing the songs of RJ Balaji’s LKG.
7UP Madras Gig, presented by Sony Music and Knack Studios, promotes independent music. The upcoming line-up of releases includes songs from Sajith Satya and Oorka.