Harris Jayaraj facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Harris Jayaraj
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Harris at the launch of his Studio H
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| Born | 8 January 1975 Madras, Tamil Nadu, India
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| Occupation | |
| Spouse(s) |
Suma Jayaraj
(m. 1999) |
| Children | 2 |
| Musical career | |
| Origin | Madras, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Genres | Film score, World Music, Soundtrack |
| Instruments | Guitar, Synthesizer, Piano, Percussion, Keyboard |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Labels |
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J. Harris Jayaraj (born on January 8, 1975) is a famous Indian music composer from Tamil Nadu. He is best known for creating amazing music for Tamil movies. He has also composed music for films in Telugu and a couple of films in Hindi.
Harris Jayaraj has received many special awards for his music. The Government of Tamil Nadu gave him the Kalaimamani Award. He also received a Life Time Achievement Award from the Governor of Tamil Nadu, Konijeti Rosaiah. Since 2001, he has won 6 Filmfare Awards South and many other awards like Mirchi Music Awards and Vijay Awards. In 2019, he received an honorary doctorate for his big contributions to Tamil cinema music.
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Early Life and Musical Journey
Harris Jayaraj grew up in Chennai, India. His father, S. M. Jayakumar, was a well-known film guitarist. Harris started learning carnatic music at just six years old. His father wanted him to become a guitarist, so Harris learned classical guitar.
At age 12, in 1987, Harris began his music career as a guitarist. He scored the highest mark in Asia for his 4th-grade exam from Trinity College of Music, London. He later became interested in keyboards and synthesizers. He worked as a music programmer for over 25 music directors. He contributed to more than 600 projects until the year 2000. During these early years, he worked on soundtracks for popular movies like Muthu and Indian. He also composed music for TV commercials, including one for Coca-Cola.
Film Music Career
Harris Jayaraj started his journey as a main music composer with the film Minnale in 2001. The songs from this movie were very popular, especially "Vaseegara." He won his first Filmfare Award for Best Music Director – Tamil for Minnale. He also composed for the Hindi version of Minnale, called Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein.
He continued to create hit music for many films. For Kaakha Kaakha, he won several awards, and the songs were a big success. He worked with famous director S. Shankar on the movie Anniyan. This was a special collaboration, and the soundtrack won many awards.
Another big hit was Ghajini, where his songs were incredibly popular. The song "Sutum Vizhi" was downloaded over 20 million times! Harris also worked with director Gautham Menon on films like Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu and Yennai Arindhaal. Their collaborations often resulted in memorable music. In 2014, his song "Danga Maari Oodhari" from Anegan became an instant hit.
Live Performances and Studio H
In 2011, Harris Jayaraj announced his first world music tour called "Harris on the Edge." He performed live around the world with many talented Tamil singers and musicians. The tour started in Chennai and continued in Coimbatore and Dubai.
On January 8, 2017, Harris opened his own music studio called Studio H. This studio has the latest technology for recording music. The first song created in this studio was "Halena" from the movie Iru Mugan. The entire soundtrack for the movie S3 was also composed there.
Music for Films: A List
Harris Jayaraj has composed music for many films. Here are some of his notable works:
| Year | Film Title (Tamil) | Other Languages | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Minnale | Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein (Hindi) | Won Filmfare Award for Best Music Director – Tamil |
| Majunu | Majnu (Telugu) | ||
| 12B | 12B (Telugu) | ||
| 2002 | Vetri | Vasu (Telugu) | |
| Samurai | Samurai (Telugu) | ||
| 2003 | Lesa Lesa | Koddiga Koddiga (Telugu) | |
| Saamy | Swamy IPS (Telugu) | ||
| Kovil | Rudhrudu (Telugu) | ||
| Kaakha Kaakha | Gharshana (2004) (Telugu) | Won Filmfare Award for Best Music Director – Tamil | |
| 2004 | Chellamae | Prema Chadarangam (Telugu) | |
| Arasatchi | Judgement (Telugu) | ||
| Arul | Akhandudu (Telugu) | ||
| 2005 | Thotti Jaya | Jalakanta (Telugu) | |
| Ullam Ketkumae | Preminchi Choodu (Telugu) | ||
| Anniyan | Aparichithudu (Telugu) | Won Filmfare Award for Best Music Director – Tamil | |
| Ghajini | Ghajini (Telugu) | Won Filmfare Special Award - South | |
| 2006 | Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu | Raghavan (Telugu) | |
| Kumaran | Sainikudu (Telugu) | ||
| 2007 | Pachaikili Muthucharam | Dhrohi (Telugu) | |
| Unnale Unnale | Neevalle Neevalle (Telugu) | ||
| Vetri Thirumagan (2008) | Munna (Telugu) | ||
| 2008 | Bheemaa | Bheema (Telugu) | |
| Sathyam | Salute (Telugu) | 25th Film | |
| Dhaam Dhoom | Rakshakudu (Telugu) | ||
| Vaaranam Aayiram | Surya S/O Krishnan (Telugu) | Won Filmfare Award for Best Music Director – Tamil | |
| 2009 | Ayan | Veedokkade (Telugu) | Won Filmfare Award for Best Music Director – Tamil |
| Aadhavan | Ghatikudu (Telugu) | ||
| 2010 | Ramcharan | Orange (Telugu) | |
| Engeyum Kadhal | Ninnu Chooste Love Vastundi (Telugu) | ||
| 2011 | Ko | Rangam (Telugu) | Won Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Music Director |
| 7 Aum Arivu | Seventh Sense (Telugu) | ||
| Nanban | Snehithudu (Telugu) | ||
| 2012 | Oru Kal Oru Kannadi | Ok Ok (Telugu) | |
| Maattrraan | Brothers (Telugu) | ||
| Thuppakki | Thuppakki (Telugu) | Won SIIMA Award for Best Music Director – Tamil | |
| 2013 | Irandaam Ulagam | Varna (Telugu) | |
| Endrendrum Punnagai | Chirunavvula Chirujallu (Telugu) | ||
| 2014 | Idhu Kathirvelan Kadhal | Seenu Gaadi Love Story (Telugu) | |
| Yaan | Nene (Telugu) | ||
| Anegan | Anekudu (Telugu) | ||
| Nannbenda | Good Evening (Telugu) | ||
| 2015 | Yennai Arindhaal | Yentha Vaadu Gaanie (Telugu) | |
| Gethu | |||
| 2016 | Iru Mugan | Inkokkadu (Telugu) | |
| S3 | Yamudu 3 (Telugu) | ||
| 2017 | Vanamagan | 50th Film | |
| Spyder | Spyder (Telugu) | ||
| 2019 | Dev | Dev (Telugu) | |
| Kaappaan | Bandobast (Telugu) | ||
| 2022 | The Legend | The Legend (Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu) | |
| 2023 | Extra Ordinary Man | Extra Ordinary Man (Telugu) | |
| 2024 | Brother |
Personal Life
Harris Jayaraj is married to Suma Jayaraj. They have two children: a son named Samuel Nicholas Harris and a daughter named Karen Nikitha Harris. Nikitha, his daughter, is also a talented singer. She made her singing debut with the song "Vinnil Vinmeen" for the movie Kaappaan.
Awards and Recognitions
Harris Jayaraj has won many awards for his amazing music. Here are some of the main ones:
Special Honours
| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 2009 | Kalaimamani Award from the Government of Tamil Nadu |
| 2015 | Life Time Achievement Award from Konijeti Rosaiah, the Governor of Tamil Nadu |
| 2019 | Dr. M.G.R. Educational and Research Institute Honorary Doctorate of Letters |
Filmfare Awards South
He has won 6 Filmfare Awards South for Best Music Director.
| Year | Film | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Minnale | Best Music Director | Won |
| 2004 | Kaakha Kaakha | Best Music Director | Won |
| 2006 | Anniyan | Best Music Director | Won |
| 2006 | Ghajini | Filmfare Special Award | Won |
| 2009 | Vaaranam Aayiram | Best Music Director | Won |
| 2010 | Ayan | Best Music Director | Won |
Other Major Awards
- Tamil Nadu State Film Awards: Won Best Music Director in 2003, 2005, and 2011.
- South Indian International Movie Awards (SIIMA): Won Best Music Director for Thuppakki in 2013.
- Vijay Awards: Won Best Music Director multiple times, including for Vaaranam Aayiram and Aadhavan. Also won Favorite Song of the Year awards.
- International Tamil Film Awards (ITFA): Won Best Music Director in 2003, 2005, and 2008.
- Mirchi Music Awards South: Won Best Album of the Year and Listeners' Choice awards for Ayan and Orange.
- Edison Awards: Won Best Music Director in 2009 and 2011.
