[UPDATED July 3, 2023 @ 6:25pm]
This shyness, however, disappears the moment he picks up his guitar.
As Dhieran strums, his fingers dancing up and down the instrument’s neck, a heavenly series of notes floats into the air. He nods as he plays, exuding a confidence and talent way beyond his years.
Most people find playing one music instrument to be challenging. Dhieran, however, is adept on the guitar, drums, keyboards, bass and the thavil, a traditional Tamil percussion instrument.
This talented young lad has recently been making a name for himself as one of the country’s youngest Tamil language music composers.
Dhieran may not be old enough to drive, but he has already composed six songs – two commercial and four devotional – and performed with many established names in the local Tamil music industry.
“I think music is really fun, and I get to express my feelings through it. I started guitar when I was seven, and composing when I was 12,” Dhieran shared with a smile.
This budding musician is a textbook case of the apple not falling far from the tree: his father, K Mogan, was the lead guitarist of popular local band Rpgio.
Young Dhieran honed his talent under his father from an early age, and soon reached a level where he could compose his own songs.
“The moment he was able to play on tempo and find the right key for his songs, I realised he had a talent in music,” said Mogan, 42.
“He is very gifted, as apart from being able to play instruments, he also learnt how to control the digital audio station and compose for other artistes. I hope he will find success in the music industry.”
He added that Dhieran was exposed to music from a young age, as their home hosted a rehearsal and recording studio, where many talented musicians would drop by to jam.
Dhieran is a huge fan of the metal and reggae genres, but also enjoys other types of music, such as love songs. His influences include Guns N Roses’ guitarist Slash, reggae icon Bob Marley, and pop superstar Michael Jackson.
“I like Bob Marley because he delivers positive messages in his songs. And Michael Jackson is so multitalented, how he sings and dances when he is performing,” Dhieran said enthusiastically.
One of his first music compositions, the energetic anthem “Yealah”, was picked up and performed by local singer Amirul, and was received positively.
Other songs soon followed, such as “Karupparin Sarithiram” and “Malaithorum Murugan”, both performed by the Sri Kottai Mathurai Veeran Urumi Melam group.
He has also performed on videos for other musicians, such as Nee Yen Kolanthe by MC Raaj and Poonjoleh by Shantra Brown X Santesh.
In 2021, Dhieran started playing guitar for homegrown singer-songwriter Santesh. One of their collaborations, “Shocked”, won a 2022 Astro Ulagam Award, an event which Dhieran described as one of his favourite music memories.
“Santesh is a very nice guy, I really enjoy collaborating with him. He has been a great mentor to me,” Dhieran said. He revealed his favourite Santesh hit to play was “Jiwang”, due to its pleasant sound and interesting chords.
The budding musician has been busy of late: on May 14, Dhieran performed at Samba Rock, a four-hour concert at Sentul’s HGH Convention Centre alongside other prominent artistes such as Darkkey, Hervin and MC Raaj.
This was followed by a show with Indian composer Devi Sri Prasad at the Bukit Jalil stadium here on May 27.
Fans can also catch him alongside many other popular Tamil music acts at the upcoming “Naamu Beats” concert on Aug 12 at the Management and Science University, Shah Alam.
[UPDATED] And most recently, Dhieran was listed in the Malaysia Book of Records as the country’s youngest Tamil music composer, at the age of 13 years, nine months and 23 days old. He was presented with the award at the Malaysia Book of Records headquarters in KL on June 30.
So, what plans does he have for the future?
A full-time music career is definitely on the cards – he dreams of someday working with Indian composers AR Rahman and Anirudh Ravichander – but for now, the young man is keen to take things a step at a time. Probably a wise choice, given he has many years ahead of him.
“I do want to continue with my music, but I want to keep it as an option. As I grow older, I also need to discover my future career,” Dhieran concluded with a smile.