Every song must move story forward: A.R. Rahman

The Oscar-winning Indian maestro spent almost two years making the music for The Lord Of The Rings - A Musical Tale

- Joanne Soh

A.R. Rahman loves to tell stories. Narrative is of great importance to the celebrated Indian musician, and it is a key part of his creative approach.

Music is an immersive experience, the 58-year-old music maestro tells The Straits Times via Zoom from Oakland, San Francisco, where his The Wonderment concert tour stopped by.

The prolific film composer and singer, known for his Oscar-winning score and song Jai Ho for the film Slumdog Millionaire (2008), is expanding his love for storytelling into the virtual-reality world with Secret Mountain, a virtual band he created using artificial intelligence.

Rahman's first teaser came in February 2024, when he shared a trailer about the six-member group on Instagram.

While the project is still in its early stages, storytelling is central to Secret Mountain. Describing the group - comprising three males (Ekam, David and Zentamizh) and three females (Cara, Blessing and Aafia) - as "very cinematic", Rahman has created a backstory for them and is preparing a movie.

It is this same storytelling approach that Rahman focused on when he composed the musical adaptation of The Lord Of The Rings in 2006, which makes its Asia premiere at Sands Theatre, Marina Bay Sands, on Aug 12.