AR Rahman recalls he refused to meet Michael Jackson before ‘Oscar’

AR Rahman recalls he refused to meet Michael Jackson before ‘Oscar’

Renowned Music Composer
AR Rahman in the midst of a media interaction recalled that he once refused to meet Michael Jackson after the late singer failed to respond to his email for a week. Rahman added that after he was nominated for the Oscars, he received a reply that Michael wanted to meet him. However, Rahman refused the invitation and vowed to only meet him after his Oscar win.

In a video, AR Rahman shared that at the dawn of the year 2009, he was in LA with his agent. He introduced him to another person, his friend, who managed Michael Jackson. He
(Rahman) asked could he meet Michael Jackson?’ And he said, ‘Sure, he will send out an email. There was no response in the first week. The music composer remained quiet, and said, It’s fine.

Rahman continued, and then the nominations happened, and he got nominated for the Oscars. Then, the email came in, and it said, ‘Michael wants to meet him. But he said, he doesn’t want to meet him now adding that he will meet him after he bags the Oscar, otherwise, he won’t.’ Rahman was for sure he was going to win and eventually won, and the vert next day, he met Jackson. It was almost 6:30 pm, and the sun was going down. And then, somebody opened the door with gloves on.

AR Rahman recalled speaking to Michael Jackson on his iconic dance moves, music and world peace. He said that the late singer lauded his music for Slumdog Millionaire and asked questions about the technicalities of music. He even introduced Rahman to his kids, but Raman was jet-lagged because he had been working day and night waiting to return to India and said It was unforgettable.

Rahman further went in to say that when he returned to India, he started working on the music of Rajinikanth’s Enthiran, directed by Shankar who then prompted him about a collaboration with Michael Jackson. Rahman recalled, Wow, will he do a Tamil song?’ And he (Rahman) called him, and they spoke that week. He said, ‘Whatever Jackson says,they will do it together’.They were to meet again, but unfortunately, Michael passed away in 2009. He was sick at the time.

Meanwhile, Rahman’s documentary ‘Headhunting to Beatboxing’, directed by Rohit Gupta, will get a world premiere at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) 2024, Australia. The film explores the fascinating journey in Nagaland, of rhythm and sound, tracing the evolution of music across cultures, tribes and generations. From the ancient traditions of headhunting tribes to the musical renaissance in the state (Nagaland), taking audiences on an immersive and enlightening musical anthropological odyssey.

News Edit K.V.Raman