Remember Rob from Rock on? Yes, the long-haired guy who impressed his audiences! His role was played by an actor whose real life is actually quite similar to the character’s. Luke Kenny, the Irish-Italian, shot to fame with the movies Rock on and Rise of the Zombie. From being a DJ, theatre artist, director and music composer, Luke has managed to perform at his creative best.
Talking to City Express about the Chennai floods and his music composition for CNN-IBN’s ‘Rebuilding Chennai Telethon,’ he said, “What happened to Chennai, a city with charm and history, was unfortunate. Music is always a healer, whatever the calamity or struggle may be. This is an anthem for the people out there.”
Benny Dayal, Chinmayi Sripada, Vishal Dadlani and Vasuda Sharma were the other musicians who joined the league to reach out to the Chennai flood victims. “When CNN-IBN asked me to compose music for a cause, I agreed wholeheartedly. The lyrics were written by Irshad Kamil and the song has been brilliantly produced by Arfaaz and Anurag. It’s one of those rare moments when everyone comes together with one thought,” he said.
With the entire project recorded within eight hours, Luke shared that he enjoyed working with the other musicians, though their schedules didn’t synchronize. “They had their own schedules, and that’s a part of living in Mumbai, but it was amazing to watch each one perform and record their part. Composing a melody to Irshad’s lyrics is the best Christmas present ever,” he shared.
What is the idea behind the song? “The aim is to sensitise people about what happened. People tend to forget quickly once the calamity is over. Relief and rehabilitation is the need of the hour and the public should do whatever they can,” said the music composer. Emphasising the need for an impactful and concise anthem, Luke stated that he wanted the melody to be simple and the message clear. “The message lies in the lyrics and the variation had to be simple yet impactful. The song is multilingual and is an anthem about positivity and moving on,” he said.
With a mridhangam transition in the composition, Luke said it is a “global song, yet 100% Indian. There are anthems out there like Heal the World and Man in the Mirror. This will be a song that’s out in the global space. Let this be the song of the holiday season for Chennai. It’s for them.”
Talking about his other interests, he said that he loves to travel and unwind at musical programmes. “I make it a point to take off to concerts and travel a lot with family and friends,” he said. A lover of Indian tradition and South Indian food, he said he loves the Chettinadu Cusine. “I can’t wait to eat authentic Chettinadu food and idly for breakfast when I visit Chennai,” he added.
(The song was aired on CNN-IBN on December 24.)