Why do Music Directors think they are Great Singers?

Music Directors are NOT Great Singers!

I am not saying that music directors are bad singers – their voice is OK. But, imagine, if the songs they sang were instead sung by professional singers, how much better the songs could have been!

I find this issue mostly in the Kollywood (Tamil) movie industry. I understand that music directors have a great passion for singing and they are in charge of selecting the voice talents for their songs, but that doesn’t mean that they should sing it themselves. I am sure professional singers can sing much better than them.

Imagine what quality of songs we would get if the movie directors decided to compose the music themselves. A few directors have done even that and here is one example where the song turned out to be great! But the director cannot and should not do everything, and I feel, the same applies to the music director as well.

In Kollywood, many music directors routinely sing their own songs. I am not giving any examples because there are many many songs with excellent music, but with average voices. I am sure you can recollect a few, or just browse the latest releases and you’re bound to find a few.

I don’t know how the movie directors even approve of this, but I think it’s time this silly trend stops. It’s unfair to professional singers who have trained for years to sing well. What do you think?

Destination Infinity

PS: Here is a title animation I did for Vijay’s upcoming movie – LEO.

6 thoughts on “Why do Music Directors think they are Great Singers?

  1. SG

    Not only music directors. Actors also. Ego. They sing because they are legend in their own mind. Money grab. Want to get the money otherwise paid to a singer. Actors/Music Directors who sang very well, in my opinion, were Bhanumathi and A.M.Raja.

    1. Rajesh K

      Money could be one of the reasons, but ego should be a bigger reason. After a certain level of success, stars seem to develop extreme egos and start believing there is nothing they can’t do!

      Destination Infinity

  2. Kirtivasan Ganesan

    I do not know whether music directors think they are great singers.
    But many times music directors may have intense feeling for a song they have composed. Due to the intensity they feel it is best they sing the song themselves. Two examples that come to my mind are “Ponni Nadhi Pakkanume” and “Kaatumalli”. These two songs have the intensity and full feeling of ARRahman and Ilayaraja respectively and they decided to sing themselves. I feel these songs are better this way.

    1. Rajesh K

      We don’t know if these songs could have been better had they been sung by the right professional singer.

      Destination Infinity

  3. Viyoma R

    Interesting. ..you put me thinking mode. Honestly never did such a thought occur, to me, so far.
    Muic director /singer all feel like same family.
    But as you rightly pointed, there is a lot of detailing in their respective profiles & stepping into the others shoe needs to be done with care.

    1. Rajesh K

      Stepping into others’ shoes could be avoided.

      Destination Infinity

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