What do you think about the pop music scene in the South?
It’s just in the beginning stages. If you consider the pop market in India, it is only 20 per cent of the total music scene, and in South, it narrows down further. A lot of music directors use pop music and Western harmony for film songs, which clicks well with the listeners. Tamil pop will also pick up in due course of time, but it has to be different from film music. Here, the major problem is low financial viability. That’s why the hesitation to go in for pop albums.

What is the difference when you sing for Hindi and Tamil films?
The music culture is totally different in both places. In Hindi films, they stick to a certain format of singing. In the South, you have more scope for variation. The film industry is very disciplined here and time is valued.

You have sung for Illayaraja, AR Rahman, Deva and almost all the music directors. How is your rapport with them?
I vibe very well with AR Rahman. In fact, I started my career in South with him, with Roja and Bombay. He understands me very well and we have a good tuning. He gives me a free hand and singing for him is always a pleasant experience. While recording, there are minimum people, only four of us — director, lyricist, Rahman and me, and the peaceful atmosphere makes my work easy. And Rahman is the guy who showcased my voice commercially.

For Illayaraja I had sung the song Thalattu in the film Kadalukku Mariyadai. I usually improvise while singing, but with Illayaraja there is not much flexibility. But the song I sung for him was quite melodious.

Deva is open to ideas. I have sung just a few songs for him. I have recorded a very interesting song in Telugu for the film Yamaha Nagri for music director Mani.

Who are your favourite singers?
Pakistani singer Mehdi Hassan is my all-time favourite. In India, I like Yesudas and SP Balasubramaniam (SPB). They are so different from others. Yesudas’ songs have a ghazal base, and inspire me a lot.

I would like to share an incident with SPB. In 1970 I had done a programme of ghazals for Mumbai Doordarshan. SPB happened to see it. After six months, when we met at Mehboob Studios, he came up to me and said, ‘Hariharan you have done a great job. Keep it up’. It was a great moment for budding singer like me.

There is a general feeling among the
Tamil producers that you charge quite high. Comment.
It’s the producers and music directors from the South who have put me on a pedestal, and I thank them for it. I will definitley give my best to the South. To date, I have sung more than 150 songs in the last three years. I stay in Mumbai and have to come down to Chennai for recording a song, so I want to be choosy with my songs. I want to sing only good songs. I think music is a very important part of the Indian film market, and if we are contributing to it, then why not charge for it. I feel I charge reasonable rates. In these days, with crores being spent in the production of a film, the money I am paid is only peanuts.

What are your future plans in the South?
I have finished work on an album titled Kaadal Vedam for Magnasound. Vairamuthu has written the lyrics and there are three duets with Sujatha. As the name suggests, it’s a romantic album. I am thinking of doing a folk fusion album. It will be a fusion of South Indian folk songs with Western music. Music with a rustic South flavour usually clicks, since people identify with it. As far as films are concerned, I have sung for Jeans and Engineer, both for AR Rahman.