Kailas Menon - I Am Glad To Create Music That Satisfies The Artist In Me (Musician)

The beauty of nature is that it has rhythm everywhere, one just needs to observe it, to savour the melody of nature.

1. Tell us about your background and journey.

I started my music career in school at the age of 15, when I composed a full song. This inspired me to make a proper music album. Thankfully, my parents supported me, and I was able to record my self-composed song. The thrill I experienced while recording the song, motivated me to make a career in music. I loved the magic of creating music!

I went to Chennai to learn sound engineering and visual communication. After my classes, I joined composer Gopi Sunder, as a sound engineer. My ambition was to do music for movies. I did compose three songs for a movie back in 2007, which unfortunately weren’t used in the movie.

So, I began working for ad jingles, which gained huge popularity. I worked on almost 1000 jingles from 2007 to 2018. After a long journey full of many lessons and a bit of struggle, my song Jeevamshamaayi from the movie Theevandi became a huge hit and trendsetter. It did take some time to reach there, but it was all thanks to my continued passion for music and confidence in my work!

2. Does your taste in music coincide, as a listener and a musician?

Yes, definitely! This is because, I need to get the pulse of the audience. It is important to understand the taste of the audience, to be able to create music that they’ll enjoy.

3. What satisfies the artist in you?

Luckily what satisfies me, satisfies the audience! Right now the kind of music I create not only gives me joy and satisfaction, but also captures audiences’ attention. I’m glad that I don’t have to create music just because it is working in the market and will get good audience base, but won’t really satisfy me.

4. Do you believe nature has rhythm?

Certainly! You never know what element of nature will grasp your attention and help you in creation of music. It may be while travelling, having a conversation with friends, observing the nature or any other incident, that you can get an idea to compose music.

In fact, I’ve composed music while travelling in train. So the beauty of nature is that it has rhythm everywhere, one just needs to observe it, to savour the melody of nature!

5. What will your advice be to aspiring musicians?

Music industry is definitely a tough industry to get into. The primary quality one must possess, should be perseverance and patience. Never lose hope, and always give your best. You never realise how close you may be to finish line! Your passion is what will drive you forward.

A book that really helped me stay motivated was Wisdom for a Young Musician by Bruce Warren. Adding to this, I’ll recommend everyone to not only work hard but also work smart! The most important thing I learnt in my journey was to always look forward and work with confidence, your hard work always pays off; focus more on perfecting your craft without worrying about the end results!