Yuvan Shankar Raja  share

Yuvan Shankar Raja was born in a family of musicians. His father Maestro Illayaraja is one of the top Music directors of South Indian film Industry. His mother Jeeva is a housewife.He is the younger brother of Music director Karthik Raja and the elder brother of Bhavatharini who is also a playback singer and Music director. His uncle Gangai Amaran is one of the top music directors and director. His cousins Venkat Prabhu and Premji are also film personalities. He got separated from his wife Sujaya Chandran. He had his collegiate education from Loyola College Chennai. The first film he composed for was the Tamil film Aravindhan. Hailing from a musical family, much of Yuvan’s inspiration is said to come from the several genres he grew up listening to such as Western classical music and jazz, in addition to urban Hip Hop and other styles and sounds. His father Ilaiyaraaja is a great inspiration for him. He learnt the nuances of music from him. Soundtracks for films such as Kadhal Kondein, 7G Rainbow Colony, Kanda Naal Mudhal and more fetched him acclaim and popularity. He is known for his ability to produce hit albums back to back in a very short period of time. But this ability forces him to borrow heavily from Spanish and Western music. He is renowned for his unique blend of melody and electronic orchestration. He is the only music director who has composed for more than 14 films in the year 2007 in TamilNadu.
His latest soundtracks for the films Pudhupettai, Vallavan and Pattiyal have become immensely popular and have established him as one of the leading composers in South India. Pudhupettai featured a traditional orchestral score played by Chapraya Symphony Orchestra in Bangkok with several themes and the soundtrack was released to acclaim . His collaborations with directors Selvaraghavan, Ameer,Simbu,Venkat Prabhu and Vishnuvardhan have resulted in very successful albums. Many of his soundtracks feature a variety of songs drawing influence from different traditions. His mind blowing renditions in Yaaradi Nee Mohini, Yogi, Chennai 600028, etc. keeps the audience asking for more. He is the only music director from south India to be recognized by Sony Bmg after Rahman to produce an English album. He is one of the few composers who can deliver a blockbuster back to back. The Youth Icon of Tamil film Industry captivates his fans with his remarkable renditions varying from a typical village folk song to a westernized Jazz, pop, Reggae Rock, etc. Awards:

He has won the following awards:
• Cyprus International Film Festival (Cyprus)
• 2006 - The Ciff Award - Best Musical Score - Raam.
• 2005 - Award for the Best Music Director - 7G Rainbow Colony.
• 2004- Best Music Director Award – Manmathan – Medimix Dinakaran Award.
• Tamilnadu State Award - Best Music director Award - 2007.
• Cinema Rasigargal Sangam Awards- Best Music Director Award - Billa for 2007.
• Tamil Nadu State Award - Paruthiveeran – 2007.