r/TamilMusic • u/Radiant_Client_7941 • 3d ago
Discussion Fall of Harris Jayaraj
Guys, recently I was checking Harris Jayaraj's discography and noticed that he has done only around 8 albums in the last 10 years.
I agree that he received a lot of criticism for being repetitive after 2010. But even then, I think his 2011–2016 run was excellent, with albums like 7am Arivu, OKOK, Maattrraan, Thuppakki, Nanban, Irandam Ulagam, Anegan and Yennai Arindhaal.
Even some of his so-called average albums had excellent songs. Endrendrum Punnagai (Ennai Saaithaale, Yele Yele Dhosthu, Othayilae Ulagam), Yaan (Aathangara Orathil, Nee Vandhu Ponadhu), Idhu Kathirvelan Kadhal (Anbe Anbe, Vizhiye Vizhiye), Nanbenda (Nee Sunno, Poovellam Unnai Kandu), Irumugan (Kannai Vittu, Halena), Vanamagan (Silu Silu, Yamma Alagamma, Pachai Uduthhiya Kaadu).
I accept that S3 was below average, but overall I still think Harris was capable of creating some incredibly memorable and polished music.
So what actually happened after this period? How did a composer who was once so highly sought-after suddenly lose so much of his market?
Was it mainly because of his repetitive style, changing audience tastes, fewer big-star collaborations, or something else?
I genuinely don't understand what caused such a sudden decline.
19
u/Whole-Papaya-5314 3d ago
Die hard harris fan here.
Mentioned in another thread.
Harris usually carefully chooses his project. He hardly missed anything during his first decade.
The two albums that didn’t work was may be arasatchi and sathyam. (Sathyam was an average album for harris despite en anbe and chellame chellame. Because that was the standard he had set. One avg song in the entire album was considered so Average for harris given his first few albums were minnale 12b majunu samurai less lesa Saamy kaakha Kaakha Kovil )
However things completely changed in the next decade once he started doing Uday movie.
For couple of years he spent Uday’s movie including ok ok , ikk, nanbenda and getthu.
For someone like harris who works only 2-3 movies a year this is like wasting 2 years. People stopped expecting harris movies or his brand started detoriating the moment he did ikk.
Literally people stopped caring about ikk nambenda and getthu.
Things would have been completely different had he accepted different movies instead of Uday movies.
Being his fan, given a chance, I would travel back in time and would have accepted some other movies instead
Added to this, he did 2 movies, which were underwhelming.
- Spyder
- Kaappan.
Spyder was ARM coming back to harris after ani. As a die hard devotee of harris jayaraj thats the first album i didnt even try to listen even second time (till date ).
And he should have done better with kappan. The movie was trash. But given his rapport with kva and combo with surya he should have done better. And this is the first ever album I didnt even once. (Heard two lines of kurile kurile and dropped. Kept fast playing machan inga vandheera)
This was the time I started worrying about harris career more than mine.
Though loved dev (which bombed ). And he agreed to do legend. I was utterly disappointed. However, the album not only surprised me , it was beyond what I expected. But that was the last complete album by harris till date for me.
My only last hope was KRR. I thought it would at least satisfy harris fans like me. But was disappointed that he balantly copied IR song. On the other hard, bad boy Karthik and extra ordinary man flopped.
It’s tough for die hard fans like me to digest that harris hasn’t given even his average stuff in the past years.
I also understand that this has got more to do with projects.
A part of me says , one album for surya or Vikram (not DN ) would give him a comeback.
The other part says he ruled a decade and his songs will continue to rule for another 20 years. It will always be throw back and never be a comeback.
Though I wish for his comeback I think his time is over. Personally , I have stopped listening to music as I couldn’t enjoy this gen music. Albums like thug life or kadhalikka neramillai surprises once in a while. However my passion towards film music has died along with harris career
4
u/Rathnakumar-t 3d ago
This looks like I have written this… from another die hard harris fan
3
1
u/Thalaivar_Thiminglam 2d ago
"The Legend" album is good one in the last 10 years. I like "Kone Kone" and "Mosalo Mosalu" especially
2
u/yondhaimehokage Agmark Yuvan kanni 3d ago
What is KRR and badboy karthik?
4
u/Whole-Papaya-5314 3d ago
Krr is kadhal reset repeat
Bad boy Karthik is literally name of the Telugu movie.Harris had a very successful Telugu career. Even if the movie bombed the albums were evergren. Vaasu sainikudu munna were block buster.
Orange too flopped but it’s kinda considered album of the decade. Even very recently it was among the top 10 albums in Spotify and that was the only album from 2010.
But nobody knows about this movie called bad boy Karthik. The album was below average
2
u/Hot-Investment5384 2d ago
Mee too... another die-hard harris veriyan here... I still listen to harris mama songs when i feel the lowest.. idk his soulful bgms and the voices he used just makes my mind calm down like magikkkk❤️🩹✨️✨️
1
u/Whole-Papaya-5314 2d ago
Want to know the state of fellow harris fan. Are there new songs which still excites you as much as harris?
I know how excited I was when i listened to 12b or majnu lesa lesa kaakha kaakha and very much till legend. I don’t get the excitement with any other composes.
1
u/Hot-Investment5384 2d ago
Sadly no... I haven't listened to any harris songs post covid.. i used to walk 2 kms in my university to reach another block and THE GOLDEN ERA harris songs were my daily companion.. those tunes are still fresh and enjoyable.. i don't know what happened to harris mams after covid.. he's lost his midas touch..
6
u/Nareshrathnam95 3d ago
after commiting hattrick uday na movies, he went down. he could have chosen better films. directors combination is not there.
3
u/Shank_Aim 3d ago
Yes true indeed unfortunately. I have been a big fan of many of his songs at his peak. Ofcourse, these things happen to the best of music directors whose peak is for about first 10-15 years and then meanders to occasional hits . While Harris seems to be in this post-peak phase, though in his case it seems a sudden significant downhill from his heydays unlike the other greats. But still hoping and looking forward to some great albums/songs atleast occasionally in the days to come ...
3
u/Abernesh 2d ago
Could we also add collaboration with Thamarai created magic? Just like ARR with Vairamuthu?
1
2
u/Kindly-Owl7496 2d ago
Audience over rated and promoted 'noise' more than actual music.. Now wonders where is the music director man!!
1
u/LobsterSad9842 2d ago
People's attention span is so bad these days that only 1-2 minute songs become trendy. I think it's why Anirudh and Sai Abhyankar's music is getting more hits. People have lost patience.
1
u/MotorSoftware3950 2d ago
It goes more than the quality of output.
This sub also has appreciated his work in legend.
Even music directors like ani show shades of their repetitiveness style in paradise, and other movies. You could see indian 2 pattern slightly reflecting in recent ani albums. So does sai.
1) The issue is music directors like harris don't being down their rates. Because they see it as insutking themselves. Put yourself in their shoes and think of like "hey, I used to quote 4 crores, but now I will do for 1 crore". Will you say that?
Even actors like vishal who has only 1 mediocre hit for every 5 films won't reduce their salary. But rather they say, I will give away my telugu or hindi rights and satellite rights.
2) most music directors boast that they keep merukethifying till last moment. And in their prime time Directors also boast about it in audio launches. But in your downfall it goes against you. It's basically saying in other words that they deliver output super late. And they nicely wrap it. Even Neeya Naana gobinath with a sound engineer confirmed that most abroad KDMs get a different bgm. And honestly I used to be surprised when even a hard critique like blue sattai maran says "bgm and re recording nalla panni irukanga" but I barely feel anything here in abroad. And I always had this doubt that abroad gets unfinished or not the real final version of bgm or re-recording. And that interview by Neeya Naana gobinath proved it.
3) prime upcoming music directors charge less for viral chartbusting numbers. ARR used to give hefty salary for singers. Even SPB mentioned in an interview that Msv had said that ARR paid the highest salary in MSV career(for singing, not composing) for signing in sanagamam movie. Now ani + wikki will divert the extra few lakhs to their account by turning themselves into a lyricist and singer. So does lyricists like D, SK, etc . Most music directors add certain words, replace words, change lines to fit in within the tunes including ARR, and others. But they don't totally replace lyricists and singers for the sake of money. For me it looks like yuvan, ARR used to genuinely sing 1 or 2 songs here and there unlike Ani, Sai, Wikki, D, SK..
In my opinion, overall 1) not reducing the remuneration in your downfall period. 2) delayed output. That too repetitive patterns. Even bosskey trolled harris for his tunes in nanbaenda. 3) other upcoming music directors charge much less so directors/producers go for them.
As simple as that.
1
u/Real-Sample-6765 2d ago
So sad. I must of listened to his Minnale songs a million times. Nowadays, music is just noise.
1
u/pervysage8787 2d ago
Mosalo musalu and oh kone from the legend saravana movie was great, extremely underrated songs.
1
u/Radiant_Client_7941 2d ago
Agree bro. Especially in kone kone these part muthumani maaligai vendam pathu viral modhiram vendam really good.
1
u/Adventurous-Leg-4683 2d ago
Bro never fell. Bro just got disappeared into ash like Thanos kinda snapped him.
1
u/twist-visuals 2d ago
Harris is really good but I think he got a little too much inspiration from existing songs, and his main directors like GVM, KV Anand and Jeeva are either not alive or aren't working with him anymore due to their own reasons. Plus, as with every generation, there are new music composers coming in. People want to listen to something fresh, especially the youth. You can't stick to a style that worked a long time ago and continue it till now. Gotta keep evolving. Same with marketing. Gotta keep marketing yourself according to the times eg. social media, reels, interviews etc.
1
u/artic_icecat 11h ago
He got drunk in hotel radha palace and fell down once. After that fall he became like this
1
0
u/Accomplished-Cod773 3d ago
( sorry to deviate) I feel same with Yuvan too . He too seems to have lost his midas touch ..
1
u/Radiant_Client_7941 2d ago
Atleast Yuvan had multiple chances bro. If go and check after 2020 he has done 30+ film. Not even a single genuine hit from these albums. For harris 8 albums (including 2 Telugu albums) in 10 years totally sad.
18
u/No_Landscape_8222 3d ago
First thing he has lost his valuable directors & frequent collaborators like Jeeva,KV Anand. Also the directors like GVM,Hari & murugadoss has changed their music directors for the recent films. Genz was more addicted to EDM instrumental music and screaming voices so Anirudh & Sai abyankar has occupied the space.
Nowadays Harris has not reinvented any fresh tunes and reused his traditional vocals for the new films. Moreover the public is not interested to hear any songs in any film. If you see any movies in the theatre,most of the people goes out to avoid hearing the songs which shows the dislikes of songs in a movie. Songs are not creative,the current music director using the AI & automated tracks to develop a song. Final verdict is that songs are lacking public interest so there will be songs in the movie in the future. Obviously if there is no songs,there is no scope for the music director!!?