Out of the box and into the heart, Sushin Shyam returns with 'Ray'

After a long hiatus, Sushin Shyam is back and this time, with a track that breaks free from convention. Titled 'Ray', it’s an introspective journey into the mind of an artist who dares to own a different identity. With evocative lyrics by Vinayak Sasikumar and arresting visuals by Vimal Chandran, the track compresses a vast emotional world into a small, poignant canvas, transforming it into an immersive experience.

Unburdened by narrative demands or cinematic structure, Ray flows like an untamed stream with no cuts, no high points or no dramatic resolution. It marks the beginning of a new creative chapter in Sushin's life. In an open conversation with Manorama Online, the composer speaks about the song, the story behind its birth under his independent label Sushin Shyam Originals, his long break from the film industry, and what lies ahead.

Born before movies

“I’ve slowly started easing back into work after a break,” Sushin says. “With independent tracks, I feel a kind of artistic freedom I don’t get in cinema. There’s no director to intervene, no fixed storyline to follow. I’m free to express myself, musically and visually, and the way I truly want to. That’s how Ray happened. It’s a space where I can be fully myself.”

“Ray actually originated before I even started composing for films, back when I was assisting Deepak Dev in Chennai. I used to compose music in my spare time without any intention of turning them into full-fledged songs. The initial idea of this track came at that time. It started in English, but just a month ago, I felt it would resonate better in Malayalam. That’s when I asked Vinayak to write the lyrics.”

Sound and visuals

“The visuals were given a personal touch by Vimal Chandran. I appear in the video, but it’s not really ‘me.’ Or maybe it is. The idea was that anyone could be in that frame, anyone who feels like a misfit under society’s gaze. The visual storyline was crafted with that abstraction in mind.”

“The track follows a subtle rhythm with no musical peaks or dramatic spikes. In an age where life runs fast and attention spans are shrinking, it’s tough to hold someone for even 45 seconds. But the first line of his song takes that much time. In films, the music has to grab attention in the first four seconds. But here, this track is six minutes and to get people's attention for that much time is the real challenge.”

Behind the break

“I felt the industry’s competitive urge to keep bettering oneself was overwhelming me. I didn’t enjoy working under that pressure. At the time when I was doing movies, I enjoyed that process. I’d taken breaks before, but never a long one. After working continuously through several films until Bougainvillea, I felt creatively drained. I felt that working without addressing this would not do any good. I needed time to ‘feed in’. That’s when I decided to pause.”

Embracing life in pauses

“During the break, I mostly keep travelling. Julia Cameron, in her book The Artist’s Way, talks about how creativity is fed by sensory experiences. It can be sights, sounds, or images. What is important is what you embrace from these experiences. I only know about reflecting those experiences through a medium called music. These experiences will also reflect on you as a human too.

Travel exposes you to new cultures, visuals, and sounds. The places you travel keep varying. I always savour returning with fresh perspectives after experiencing new sounds and sights by taking a break. In short, just stop what you are constantly doing and look around yourself. That’s all. A pause doesn’t have to be in Europe; it could be as simple as a trip to Vypeen. If you continue to live a scheduled lifestyle, you will eventually feel like you've fallen into an abandoned well.

My break also included getting married, which became a celebration and that opened the door to travel and reconnect. If you ask me if there is competition in the industry, it may be there, but it doesn’t affect me. I take up each project in my own time, and I have no qualms missing one.

What's next

My next project will be Mahesh Narayanan’s film, followed by Chidambaram’s 'Balan.' I’m also in talks for two or three others, including Tarun Moorthy’s 'Torpedo.' These are slated for next year. But I also plan to continue making a few independent tracks alongside films. Independent music allows me to speak directly from the heart. It’s not like a director explaining the situation and characters and demanding a romantic song. In fact, music has no such divisions. It’s only when the lyrics are written that a song becomes romantic, a mother’s song or a sad song. What independent music gives you is the space for unfiltered expression. My channel on YouTube isn’t large, but I’ve received organic, meaningful responses. But the response has been overwhelming.

I have songs already in my hand. Some of these are unused. For example there are a few songs from Kumbalangi Nights that have not been used. And who knows, if I dig into the library, more songs might emerge!”