‘Proud to sing for AR Rahman’

Express News Service

Yazin Nizar, who started off singing in school-level youth festivals and reality shows, has come a long way. He has already worked with the who’s who of Indian composers, including the likes of Ilaiyaraaja, Amit Trivedi, MM Keeravani, and Ouseppachan. AR Rahman was a prominent absentee in this list, and with Galatta Kalyanam, the Tamil version of Atrangi Re, Yazin’s long-standing dream of singing for the Mozart of Madras has now come true. The pining romantic number, ‘Kaadhalai Solla Mudiyaadha’, has come out to positive reception. “It has been a long wait, and I’m proud of singing a good melody for him,” says an excited Yazin.

Yazin, who sings across all four South languages, has a hard time picking a favourite, but he does think he has met with most success in the Telugu industry. “I have sung multiple songs for Mahesh Babu, Allu Arjun, and Jr NTR under the compositions of composers like Devi Sri Prasad, Ghibran, and Thaman. As star vehicles get noticed easily, Telugu cinema has given me more hits.”

Yazin is no novice to Tamil cinema though, having as many as three songs trending currently, which, interestingly, are in stark contrast to each other. ‘Yaathi Yaathi’ (a music video featuring Ashwin) is a party number that has become a viral hit. There’s also the melodious ‘Kaadhalai Solla Mudiyaadha’ from Galatta Kalyanam, and the third is RRR’s ‘Naattu Koothu’, which has become quite the rage on social media.

This experimentation across genres has helped Yazin avoid getting stereotyped. “You will see across my career that I have sung songs across genres. I didn’t plan for it to be this way, and it has largely been a result of good fortune. With the offers I get, I try to sound different based on the composition, the range, and the situation.”

Yazin had once said in an interview that sustainability is the biggest challenge for a singer, and he doesn’t think that the situation has changed. “The lifespan of a singer used to be longer earlier. Today, however, we see people becoming an overnight sensation, but they fizzle out soon after. It’s scary. To avoid this, I think you should try to diversify and constantly keep learning. I listen to different composers, and this subconsciously helps me adapt to many different styles.”

With an ever-growing pool of talented singers, Yazin understands that competition is inevitable. He picks Arijit Singh, Mohit Chauhan, Ranjith Govind, and Benny Dayal as some of his favourites. “I admire their work, but my eternal favorite will always be Mohammed Rafi saab. His voice is like a drug passed on to me by my father,” says Yazin, who credits his success to his father, who passed away a few months back. “In many ways, whenever I listen to Rafi saab’s songs, I feel connected with my vaapi. Isn’t that the power of good music?”