Lecture by Prof. Jayson Beaster-Jones
Global Arts Studies Program
University of California, Merced
Abstract:
The soundtrack to the Bollywood film Dil Chahta Hai (2001) was arguably the first hit soundtrack in Bollywood created by a rock band. In this presentation, Prof. Jayson Beaster-Jones illustrates how the collaborative approach for this Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy soundtrack generated momentum for a new kind of Indian film song derived from the changing tastes of India's urban youth audiences in the twenty-first century. He shows how Dil Chahta Hai paved the way for the rock and EDM-oriented compositions of Hindi-language cinema that came to dominate the first decades of the 21st century, making DCH among the most influential soundtracks in Indian cinematic history. The presentation concludes with a discussion of the practical issues of conducting research with and about celebrities.
Biography:
Dr. Jayson Beaster-Jones is a Professor of Music in the Global Arts Studies Program at the University of California, Merced. Beaster-Jones is the author of three books, a co-edited volume, and numerous articles. His research focuses upon the popular music and media industries of India, with a particular emphasis on the Hindi film industry and linguistic/semiotic approaches to musical/social analysis. He is currently co-editing the Routledge Handbook of Cinemas of South Asia (with Ajay Gehlawat) and the Oxford Handbook of Music Industry Studies (w/ Kaleb Goldschmitt). His recent research centers upon the relationships between music, autobiographical memory, and aging.
Part of the Nazir Ali Jairazbhoy Colloquium Series, this event is sponsored by The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music Department of Ethnomusicology