Few musicians in the world command the same reverence as AR Rahman. For over three decades, his music has transcended borders, languages, and genres, reshaping the soundscape of Indian cinema and beyond. But what sets him apart isn’t just melody, it is his vision. Rahman has always been a step ahead: embracing technology, experimenting with form, and now building bridges into the future of music through collaborations, artificial intelligence, and even a virtual band.
In an exclusive chat with India Today, when asked about his barometers for collaboration, Rahman is candid. “For me, because I’m a composer, songwriter, producer also, I usually collaborate with artists like singers and instrumental players. I rarely collaborate with composers,” he explains. He recalls his rare but memorable partnerships, Hans Zimmer, Craig Armstrong on ‘Elizabeth: The Golden Age’, and Finnish group Varttina on ‘The Lord of the Rings’ musical. “Those were beautiful. All of them are great collaborators, and I love the experience. Still, it’s very memorable for me,” he says.
Collaboration on exotic
His most recent project, particularly Exotic, marks a new chapter. With songwriter Diane Warren and UK-based artist Rika, Rahman has been exploring more collaborations on English songs — an area he admits has been sparse in his discography. “It’s a nice bridge which I need now. My forte has been mostly Indian songs, right? And even though I want to write more English songs, this collaboration is a great way forward,” he says.
Rahman is equally philosophical about the concept of timeless music. “As you keep composing songs, you know that what stays with people’s lives becomes timeless. What is a trend fades out. And if there’s a true meaning in a word, in a line, which associates with love or life, that becomes stagnant. The package can change, the beats can change, but the melody, as always, stays.”
It is this belief that underpins his next big leap: a virtual musical universe called Secret Mountain. “We hopefully will be collaborating with my virtual band. Diane has great ideas, she’s already given us some ideas, and I’m so excited about it,” Rahman says with palpable enthusiasm. The project already has heavyweight backing, with Warren agreeing to be a part of it, and even Ed Sheeran signing on to contribute songs.
“These People Will Never Die, As They Are Virtual” — Rahman
The concept isn’t just technological novelty. For Rahman, it is about representation and unity. “It’s about entertainment, it’s about representing humanity in the world, it’s about whatever we can do to unite this whole divisive strategy which politicians use to divide the world. These people will never die because they’re virtual. All the energy goes into nurturing the entities in people’s minds and bringing wisdom from everywhere. Africa has got a million stories to tell, beautiful stories, wisdom. Same comes from Ireland, America, India, China,” he says.
Rahman has long been a pioneer in embracing technology without fear. Decades before AI became a global buzzword, he was experimenting with MIDI systems. “In 1984, December, when I bought my first music computer, people saw it as a threat, ‘Oh, musicians will be wiped out from this.’ But it gave me freedom. Because I was an introvert, within myself, I could try things, listen to it, and it made me better,” he recalls.
So, when AI entered the conversation around music, Rahman didn’t shy away. “If everybody says politics is dirty and don’t go, we have somebody whom we don’t like who comes in. We don’t invest our time in shaping up how the future should be. The future is not us, somebody’s going to dictate stuff to you. So, it’s very important to pick the best out of it and shape it up.”
That shaping, he insists, must keep the human spirit at the centre. “Whatever comes from your soul is God’s truth, because that’s one thing machines can’t do. What comes instinctually within your mind, that’s another realm we are tapping into. Does AI know that realm? No. That’s a human thing.”
On his virtual musical universe
For Rahman, this futuristic outlook extends to the way music groups are imagined today. Asked about the global rise of boy bands and girl groups, and India’s own attempts to build such collectives, Rahman connects it back to Secret Mountain. “It’s a very exciting time, and all that interest which I had in creating groups, I’m putting it into my virtual group. Right now, we’re in the fundraising mode. The last of our digital assets have come, and I’ve had to learn things which I didn’t even have a clue about 10 years back, but that’s so exciting too.”
When asked about another film that explores virtual musical groups, ‘KPop Demon Hunters’, if he had watched it, Rahman shared: “I haven’t watched it yet. I have saved it to watch later. The way it’s exploded. I’m glad that the idea that came to me three years back, when nobody even started, is now taking off. Early because we it’s not just one person, one culture, it’s like six different cultures.”
For Rahman, music has always been about more than sound, it’s about vision. From Tamil cinema to Hollywood, from ‘Roja’ to ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, his work has defined eras. And perhaps that is why Rahman continues to remain a true game changer.
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