Oscar-winner MM Keeravani rues sorry state of music industry in India: ‘Songs do not shine on their own here; they need…’

At the same time, Chandramukhi 2 marks Keeravani’s return to the Tamil film industry after a two-decade hiatus. He has composed a total of 10 songs for the film, in addition to crafting its background score.

The composer, however, expressed sadness over the state of the music industry in the country, which, according to him, is still very much about movies. “Music artistes are dependent on filmmakers for their work to reach a wider audience,” he observed in a chat with Hindustan Times. “At the end of the day, it all depends on a film’s success. If the film is a hit, the songs will do well. They do not shine on their own, which is disappointing. We need more and more independent musicians,” he added.

Keeravani also noted that, unlike India, in other countries, one person often handles all aspects of music production, from writing and composing the tracks to even becoming the face of the music video. This, he observed, is why artists globally amass significant fan followings and enjoy widespread recognition. “However, in India, we don’t have music stars, but playback singers. That’s the major difference and this situation is not encouraging,” he noted.