I use criticism as a process to get better, says AR Rahman

Music composer AR Rahman is quite optimistic about the surge of independent music in India. “The past three years have been a great process, and a lot of artists have come up, and are getting the attention that they deserve. I have also promoted a few artists, on social media, and with me during live shows,” Rahman told us, while he was promoting his film, One Heart, in Delhi, recently. But the 50-year-old composer has a piece of advice for upcoming musicians. He wants them to compose music in their “native” language. “I have done two albums independently. Both of them have been in English. But if my second album, Infinite Love, has a million hits on Youtube, an album in a native language will have 10 million hits in two days,” he says. “There’s nothing wrong if you make it in English. But making songs in one’s native language will help one get attention,” adds Rahman. The Oscar-winning composer warns musicians against getting affected by harsh criticism. “Things have become worse now, and more dangerous, with people on Twitter and Facebook. But then, I use it as a process, and don’t get affected by it anymore. So, for example, [if] I make a song that people don’t like, I arrange it differently and make sure that people like it,” he says.

Things have become worse now, and more dangerous, with people on Twitter and Facebook AR RAHMAN, SINGER AND MUSIC COMPOSER