Deva reveals that the two songs sung by Shankar Mahadevan, for which he received praise from the singer himself, were composed in 30 minutes each. “In fact, I’ve never taken more than thirty minutes for any song,” he says. The legendary composer, who is known for his staggering speed, believes the secret ingredient is love. Deva explains, “Every job has its own complexities and requires hard work, but the secret ingredient to doing a good job is love. Whatever you do, do it with love. Ishta pattu kashta irrigation. Even if Suresh Krissna calls me again for a new film, and even if it is 2 AM, I would sit down to compose. I’ll start getting sleepy by 3 AM, but when it comes to love, who cares about time?” he beams a smile. But he is also acutely aware that, no matter how hard you work, you cannot control how you are perceived by the audience. “Not that I’m complaining, but people identify me with my Gaana songs because I introduced Gaana to cinema, but I personally love making melody songs,” says Deva. But the veteran makes sure not to shut his ears to the outside world. He is acutely aware of emerging trends and talents. In the past decade or so, Deva has sung for composers like AR Rahman, Anirudh, GV Prakash Kumar, Sean Roldan, Santhosh Narayanan, and Sam CS. “They are all amazing people to work with. Whenever I work with them, I try to observe and learn. Working with the young composers help me understand new trends and the ever-evolving taste of the audiences. That is how I keep myself relevant throughout the years,” says Deva.
On the rise of independent music and whether he would like to try his hand at it, Deva playfully replies, “I made more than 300 album songs, and only after that did I enter cinema. Since that’s where I came from, I don’t feel the urge to go back to independent music. Let the new kids handle it.” He also adds, “Indie songs are more popular than film songs these days. I wish film music would catch up.” Deva is quick to clarify that this doesn’t mean he doesn’t like the current state of film songs. “Every composer is doing a phenomenal job, and I work with a lot of them. I will never comment on what the current generation should or shouldn’t do. My dad used to say, ‘Who sings like Thyagaraja Bhagavathar anymore?’ and I would say, ‘Nobody sings like SPB anymore,’ but that’s life. I understand the generation gap.” However, regarding the one piece of advice he would like to leave to the current generation of composers, Deva offers an interesting answer. “All I’d tell them, from personal experience, is to urge them to save up their money, get their finances in order. Life has ups and downs, never expect it to stay the same forever, but that’s what makes it interesting.”
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