Comparisons with my dad helped me push myself: Samuel Nicholas

Samuel Nicholas, who started his musical journey by singing the chorus for his dad, popular music director Harris Jayaraj’s, Oh Ringa Ringa from 7aum Arivu, has now ventured into music composition with his independent song, Aiyaiyo. In a chat with us, Samuel shares, “I’m very camera-shy, but when you get to work, you must do it sincerely. I took the initiative to feature in Aiyaiyo’s music video and so, on set, I had to be focused, as people were depending on me to do my work.”
‘IT’S SURREAL WHEN I PERFORM WITH MY DAD IN CONCERTS’
I’m happy to have started my career by performing with my dad at a time when he was himself figuring out new-age methods of doing live shows. While he was learning, I was also learning by watching him. It was a lot to take in initially because I was performing with the best singers and musicians. But I willingly took it head-on. To be in the midst of that was really humbling, as it taught me how far I have got to go in terms of building my skills.
‘Dad tells me not to blindly imitate artistes I admire’
I took the comparisons with my dad as a challenge, and it helped me push myself. If I were starting from scratch without having Harris Jayaraj as my father, people would not have any expectations. But, because of my father’s legacy, they come expecting a certain standard. Dad tells me to figure out my own style and to not blindly imitate someone whose work I admire. He says that the reason I admire those artistes’ work is because they have their own style that they have crafted and perfected.
‘I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO COMPOSING FOR A LOVE STORY’
I haven’t finalised anything about my next single, but I would like to make it more rooted in Indian music. I have also been listening to scripts. I haven’t signed anything yet for a lot of different reasons. I was busy with my dad’s shows, and I’m looking forward to composing for a love story. But not many love stories are being bankrolled today. While I do enjoy watching action or gangster-based movies, I really enjoy making love songs. So, I’m waiting for a love story.
‘IT MAKES ME HAPPY TO SEE SO MANY NEW TALENTS COMING UP’
It makes me happy to see so many new talents coming up. It inspires me when I see each person bringing in a new signature sound. I have always wanted different kinds of music to come up at once. For the longest time, we have been reliant on movies to listen to a new set of songs, which I enjoyed looking forward to. As far as independent music is concerned, there’s a certain beauty to it, as artistes are taking inspiration from their lives and writing about it. So, there’s an originality there, and this leads to a lot more voices being heard.
‘AIYAIYO’S MUSIC VIDEO IS ABOUT THE BEAUTY IN EVERY GIRL’
Aiyaiyo is an ode to the girls who I admire. The whole point of the music video is that there’s beauty in every girl, irrespective of their body type, skin tone, or personality. For this song, I contacted the music label almost two years ago and said I had a song. We have been in talks ever since. We had initially discussed whether we should put out a full-fledged album as nobody has done an album straight away in a while.