Yuvan Shankar Raja

Yuvan Shankar Raja, man, what a legend in the Tamil music scene. If you’ve ever vibed to a Tamil film soundtrack in the last couple decades, chances are you’ve grooved to something he’s cooked up. The dude started off ridiculously young—just 16—and already had people talking about him with his first film, Aravindhan. Honestly, people barely remember the movie, but that soundtrack? Stuck in folks’ heads. And then he really hit the big leagues with Dheena in 2000. Ajith Kumar starring, A.R. Murugadoss directing, and Yuvan’s beats? That combo just blew up. Suddenly, everyone wanted that Yuvan sound. He’s not just some one-trick pony either. The guy just bends genres like it’s nothing—one minute he’s throwing in some hardcore hip hop, next thing you know, it’s jazz or straight-up EDM. People even say he’s the reason remixes and hip hop started popping off big in Tamil Nadu. His work in movies like Thulluvatho Ilamai, Nandha, Mounam Pesiyathey, Kaadhal Kondaen, 7G Rainbow Colony, and Manmadhan? Each one just added to his legend status. The man even made history at the Cyprus International Film Festival, snagging the Best Music Director award for Raam—first Indian to ever do it. And Paiyaa? That soundtrack alone got him a fan following bigger than some actors. Folks don’t just listen to his songs, they obsess over them. People always compare him to A.R. Rahman, which, honestly, makes sense. Yuvan’s earned his title as the “Young Maestro”—and he’s still out there, dropping bangers.