Stephen Devassy is a gracious celebrity. He lets his fans take photos on their cell phones and poses for a long string of selfies with his smile intact. His hair is all gelled and spiked and his leather jacket has been pulled on quite casually.
A performer who can get his crowd into a tizzy with his keyboard, Stephen does not let his achievements get in the way of his humility. From a piano prodigy who topped the Trinity College of Music exams from Asia, Stephen made the world sit up and listen to him.
In between his television and film commitments (he has produced music for over 100 movies in Tamil), Stephen has been busy making his own music.
Where do you get your music from?
Hmm…I cannot tell where it comes from. I don’t think any musician can. I call it a gift. I believe good music cannot be created. It has to come from the heart. I am trying to expand my repertoire by learning Hindustani and Carnatic music. [Stephen had learnt under U. Srinivas and Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman].
On your new project
It is called Project 70. As the title implies, I finished a 20-minute piece in 70 days and that includes the composition, the arrangement, the mixing, the editing and the filming. I had a great team of about 40 musicians from various parts of India working with me.
The style is one that brings out the colour of Indian music. I play the grand piano in it. The first video ‘Aliens in the City’ was released on YouTube recently. Two songs will be shot in the Czech Republic, I am looking to collaborate with the famed Czech Symphony Orchestra and the Czech Radio Orchestra.
What keeps you inspired?
I come from a small town in Ottappalam. At 16, I joined the Chetana Music Academy in Thrissur, which was my training ground. I will not call myself a good student, but I guess I had the desire to learn.
I was constantly listening, reading and observing the talent around me in the four years I spent there. So, I would say my growth as a musician was step-by-step. I feel a major part of the inspiration comes from absorbing the energy around me. Of course, I spend my free time isolated in my studio. [Stephen has a studio in Chennai. He is settled in Mumbai with his family where he has another studio]
Your childhood.
I wanted to learn to play the drums as a child. But that would have warranted a two-and-a-half hour journey to Trichur from my home in Ottappalam and it was nearly impossible then. However, I was compensated with a small keyboard, which dad gifted me. ‘You can play this till you get a chance to learn the drums,’ he told me. That must be why I have a percussive style.
What is your dream work?
I want to work with different genres and musical cultures. India has a deep musical history, which I feel, the world is ready to appreciate.
How has technology impacted music?
Technology has changed things drastically. If you take a keyboard for instance, it can produce every kind of sound. From ethnic to electronic to acoustic to vintage, anything is possible today. And, this I feel is an inevitable thing. The way music is produced and appreciated has changed. Change is part of life. Ultimately, the only thing that matters is the quality of what you give your listeners. I have my conservative musician inside me, but one part of me goes with today’s trend.
