Nipun Nair has made ample use of his compositional abilities in the world of cinema. Most recently, director AJ Smith and producer Alan Sardana heard Nair’s work on Anthony Cruz’s music and they felt that the gifted guitarist/writer might be a good fit for scoring their latest film Dreaming is a Private Thing (based on the Isaac Asimov short story). Though the filmmakers had no concerns about Nipun’s abilities, they did have trepidation about the timetable. Their film had already been accepted to a few festivals (Dreaming is a Private Thing was recognized at both the Ryerson University Film Festival in Canada [winning Best Production Design] and the Toronto Youth Festival) and the score required full completion in 2-3 days to be ready for the premier. The film’s director [Smith] relates, “I must admit that this limitation produced trepidation on my part as I did not see how someone could write and record an entire film score in such a short period of time. I’m relieved to announce that I didn’t need to be nervous at all.” The score produced is one of ethereal electronic sounds, orchestral influences, and even modern rock guitar at times. The music created mirrors the film’s message of humanity and technology’s symbiotic relationship.
Luis Guerra (Terremoto Productions founder) has been recognized with many awards including the Silver Addy in 2011 and Producer of the Year in 2009 at the New Mexico Music Awards. At the center of his company’s success are the gifted and prolific musicians whom are able to customize their compositions to a diverse set of situations. As a composer and performing musician, Nair would be one of the key individuals who will take part in the company’s advertising, television, and feature film contributions like their previous work in Tina Fey’s Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Netflix documentary Art of Conflict, and commercials for clients such as Mentos, Honda, Samsung, and others. Nipun is understandably excited about some of the projects which Terremoto hopes to make use of him on including; Mountain Dew, a documentary entitled The Art of Gambling, and Disney Junior’s Doc McStuffins. Someone with a wide palette is required; it’s something that Nipun’s time with Rubecon Creative Solutions prepared him to do. One of India’s largest and most respected Ad agencies, recognized with awards from the Times of India and the 2015 Goafest, Rubecon reaches a large group of diverse consumers with their international TV campaigns and major presence in cinema advertising. Working with this wide reaching advertising agency required Nair to compose and perform music with a universal appeal. As lead composer and instrumentalist, Nipun has composed the music in highly successful campaigns for Arun Ice Cream, Prince Jewelry, Tanishq, and many others. His proficiency as a multi-instrumentalist lent itself to many campaigns with a World Music approach.
Willard Simms, director of “Theater of Will”, became aware of Nair through his work with The Little Theater in India and brought the guitarist/composer in to be a musician and in-house composer for his theater. Simms is an award winning author, playwright, actor, and director (including a 2014 New York Theater Solo Fest, Juneteenth National Playwright Competition, and Maltese Falcon Award) states, “Nipun worked on such productions as Thirsty City and the Water Wizard. He was undoubtedly a lead contributor to our productions, generating original music that adhered to the themes and content of the plays and then performing them expertly night after night in a live setting.”
(R.E.D. Bean Can Troupe)
Nipun has been composing music for live theater for some time and, although he has been doing so here in LA…his roots go back many years to theater in India. The Little Theater is one of India’s leading not for profit theaters and is internationally recognized for the creative work it does with children. It was founded by award-winning playwright and director Aysha Rau. The Little Theater productions are broadcast on NDTV in India and have been recognized by many publications as well as Broadway World as the #10 Best Theater in India. Nair was the main composer for The Little Theater for more than five years. During his tenure as lead composer, he created the music for plays and ten consecutive musicals. The productions received extensive media coverage on newspapers and television. The emphasis on exploring creativity led to a wide variety of themes for which Mr. Nair was challenged to compose. Ranging from Post apocalyptical to Christmas pantomime and everything in between; the music at the little theater was required to be new and engaging. One of The Little Theater’s most recent productions The R.E.D. Bean Can was so successful that the production (with Nipun’s compositions) travelled internationally going as far as East Asia, Germany, South Korea, and Iran, where it was selected out of 60 productions from around the world to be showcased. Nipun is enthusiastic about the success that this most recent production has received but admits that it came with some added difficulty for him. He reveals, “The R.E.D. Bean Can was incredibly crazy to deliver. I was working from Los Angeles, producing the play in India, reading the script and brainstorming over the phone.”
A required part of any great guitarist’s pedigree is being part of a legitimate music idol’s band (or more commonly back-up band). For Nair, this happened through his association with Latin pop singer Anthony Cruz. Almost immediately upon landing in Los Angeles, Nipun was introduced to Anthony Cruz. The guitarist played in the singer’s band at that time (Destino), performing at legendary Sunset Strip venues like the Whiskey A Go Go, House of Blues, and others. When Cruz caught the attention of music industry star makers Deborah Corday and Randy Phillips (known for working with Michael Jackson, Justin Bieber, etc.), Nair was brought along to add his stylistic playing to the recordings and performances. The first single off of Cruz’s release, entitled “Me Vuelas La Cabeza” is on heavy rotation at many radio stations in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, and Puerto Rico. The guitar work on this song is a perfect display of Nair’s ability to blend his Rock, Funk, and Pop influences with a Latin infused sensibility. As someone who has worked with Usher, Lionel Richie, and Toni Braxton, Deborah Corday recognizes individuals who possess charisma in the music industry. She describes Nipun contributions to Cruz’s music stating, “It is thanks in large measure to Nipun’s musical virtuosity that the Anthony Cruz singles and their corresponding music videos achieved significant success. His work as a prodigiously skilled guitarist was undeniably crucial to these recordings.” Songwriter/producer Rafael Esparza-Ruiz has earned gold and platinum awards as well as Latin Grammy nominations; he fully understands the direction and impact of modern Latin music. Rafa noticed right away that Nair’s playing greatly contributed to Cruz’s music. Ruiz worked with Nipun on Anthony Cruz’s material as well as world renowned artist Anahi. He notes, “Both are anticipated to be released on major distribution labels to a mass market audience. The recordings could never have attained the level of quality without the leading contribution of Nipun Nair, one of the top performing artists working in the industry today.” Performing and creating music with artists like Anthony Cruz and being involved with music industry titans like Rafael and Randy Phillips on Cruz’s “Cosas Del Destino” release is the reason that Nair moved to Los Angeles. To continue that process with these artists and others is somewhat overwhelming for Nipun who states, “Randy has worked with Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Kanye West, Jennifer Lopez, Enrique Iglesias, Rod Stewart, Bon Jovi…some of the most influential and famous artists on the planet. Being involved with him on Anthony [Cruz]’s first major release is a confidence boost and intimidating at the same time. When you have dreamed of always working with the best and then it happens…well, you understand that you always have to bring your best. I can say the same about Rafa, Anthony, and all of the creative and gifted artists I have met here in the U.S. I’m so excited about the possibilities the future holds and pursuing them.”