India’s most popular voices never get the same fame and adulation as some of its most famous faces. However, Grammy Award and two-time Oscar winner AR Rahman wants to change that status quo. Last month, the music maestro announced his latest initiative, maajja – a technology-enabled label alternative focused on empowering the next generation of artists with complete creative control, resources and global reach. maajja is the brainchild of Canadian entrepreneurs Noel Kirthiraj, Sen Sachi, Prasana Balachandran and the acclaimed music director.
maajja’s mission is simple – to create the first-of-its-kind platform for the independent music scene that offers creative liberty as well as global reach. It will focus on amplifying the voice of South Asian talent globally and help them develop successful and sustainable careers in music, unhindered by the machinations of the film industry.
“There are an overwhelming number of artists and musicians around us that go unnoticed and under-appreciated,” says the music director who has won two Grammy Awards, one for the original score for Slumdog Millionaire and another for the global hit, ‘Jai Ho’. “Many of them begin their journey but 
unfortunately, not everyone is heard or gets a platform. With today’s digital age, there should no longer be these barriers. maajja will function with the singular focus of being artist-centric. There is a sense of empowerment now with technology, and this whole idea behind maajja is to nudge artists, so that they can shine on an international stage. maajja is about seeing the big picture, on a global scale,” Rahman adds.
A line-up of names, led by luminaries of the Tamil film industry alongside up-and-coming Indian and global talent – curated and chosen by Rahman himself – will power YAALL Fest, maajja’s premier showcase in Chennai.
In the lead-up to YAALL, maajja will present a series of digital events titled ‘Road to YAALL’ through 2021. This event will feature established names and up-and-coming talent from the music scene in Chennai and around the world, led by AR Rahman. The line-up for Road to YAALL will be announced shortly. ‘Road to YAALL’ will premiere on Vijay Music during the weekend of February 13 and 14, and will also be available to view on maajja’s social media channels, including YouTube.
The post maajja – AR Rahman’s musical venture appeared first on TMM.