He juggles accolades with panache. That’s what separates AR Rahman from his contemporaries. After a grand concert strewn with Bollywood dance acts and acoustic charm at the Parramatta Grounds in Sydney, Australia, Rahman is now gearing up for a Grammy run. Actually, he isn’t. “I may not even go for the Grammys,†said Rahman in an exclusive chat with HT City.
The reticent composer, who picked international honours in bulk for the anthem Jai Ho from the Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire, isn’t excited about the Grammys, scheduled to take place in Los Angeles this Sunday. “I have a few work commitments, so (I am) not even thinking about the Grammy Awards,†he said.
However, Rahman is honoured to have Hollywood heavyweight Steven Spielberg (maker of hit films such as E.T. Extra Terrestrial, Jaws and Jurassic Park) voicing his willingness to work with him. “That’s really sweet of him [Spielberg]. I’d love to work with him, too,†Rahman said.
The mega composer, who’s now armed with a swanky new-look website and also fairly active on the micro-blogging site Twitter, is currently working on Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na director Abbas Tyrewala’s 1-800-Love, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur’s Passage and producer Ashok Amritraj’s Street Dancing. For the soundtrack of Amritraj’s film, Rahman is reportedly collaborating with English songwriter-music producer Dave Stewart of Eurythmics fame.
Crowd favourites for grammy awards ’10
Record of the Year
You Belong With Me – Taylor Swift
Album of the Year
Fearless – Taylor Swift
Song of the Year
Single Ladies РBeyonc̩
Best Pop Vocal Album
The E.N.D. – The Black Eyed Peas
Best Electronic/Dance Album
One Love – David Guetta
Best Rock Song
Use Somebody – Kings of Leon
Best Rock Album
Whiskey And The Groogrux King – Dave Matthews Band
Best R&B Album
Blacksummers’ Night – Maxwell
Best Contemporary R&B Album
I Am… Sasha Fierce – Beyoncé
Best Country Album
Defying Gravity – Keith Urban