'Happy Days' for Mickey J Meyer

In an industry that has no place for outsiders, 26-year-old music composer Mickey J. Meyer has carved a niche for himself. It’s been less than four years since his first film Pothe Poni, and Mickey is already being touted as the Rahman of Tollywood.


“I have a long way to go before I consider myself even half as talented as him. But yes, A.R. Rahman is my inspiration. I was in school when I watched the film Gentleman for which he composed music. I decided that day that I will become like him,” says the soft-spoken composer who dropped out of college to complete his training in western classical music from Trinity College.
Mickey admits there was a lot of pressure from his family when he decided to take up an off beat career, but they are proud of him now, especially after the Nandi Award he won for his youthful score in Happy Days. “my brother was the one who spotted my name on TV. The feeling is yet to sink in,” says Mickey.


Busy composing music for the Tamil version of Happy days apart from a couple of Telugu movies, he says, “After every movie, i usually take a break and travel to refresh myself. And during that period I don’t listen to music as one needs tranquility to come up with something new.” That’s not all, Mickey is secretive about his compositions. “I don’t even allow family members to hear what I am working on next. They get to hear my music only after its official release.”


While he may be given the credit for changing Tollywood music for the better, there are critics who claim Mickey’s work is suited only for youthful stories based on campus romance. “it’s true that my music changes according to the story I have in hand. The projects given to me so far have been youthful love stories, which called for soft music. My work in upcoming films is different,” says the confident composer whose ultimate aim in life is to compose for a Hollywood film. “I want to compose music for an international audience and I am getting ready for that. I am eyeing Bollywood too, but I’m selective of the script.”