Composer Christo Xavier on his latest track ‘Aspirin', Diés Iraé and more

The Hindu

04-06-2025

Whether it is 'Dhurooha mandahasame' from Sookshmadarshini, 'Age of Madness' from Bramayugam; or 'Kalyana raavaane' from Journey of Love 18+, composer Christo Xavier is known for the trippy temperament of his tracks. However, he often experiences a creative dry spell after producing such chartbusters. That is when he goes out into nature, spends time alone, records sounds from the surroundings, and realises the 'insignificance of existence in the larger scheme of things'. This idea has inspired Christo's latest single, 'Aspirin'.
'I composed this track in 2021 and have been thinking whether we should make a music video. Since I wanted to shoot this one, I waited and saved money. And we have finally put it out,' says Christo, over phone from Kochi.
The video is directed by filmmaker Ramith Kunhimangalam, an assistant director in Madanolsavam, Christo's maiden project as a music director. 'I have often seen him capture moments very beautifully. You could see that his visuals have life. When I mentioned this track to him, we wanted to make something original, without any references.'
The video, featuring Christo and Maithreyi, was shot over three days at Munnar. The video portrays the hill station reflecting Christo's vision on life.
'Aspirin' belongs to the line-up of tracks showcasing Christo's love for electronic elements in his music. 'Even in a romantic song, I try to bring in electronic elements without losing the soul of the song,' says Christo. 'I am inspired by artists like John Lennon and the way they deliver their lines, like a poem. My aim was to create a poem with electronic music as a medium.'
The composer uses a modular synth as opposed to a traditional synthesiser for the track, which offers the user the option to choose the components within it. 'We do not use modular synth much in Malayalam. I wanted to show that it's not only for foreign musicians; we can also make music with it.'
'The bird sounds in the song were pre-recorded and blended with sounds of nature. I also treated vocals as instruments; for instance, there is a high-pitched portion in the beginning, which was recorded as vocals and later processed to sound like an instrument,' explains Christo, who built a custom waterphone instrument for his soundscape in Bramayugam. The composer confesses he carries a recorder or a phone to capture any sound that interests him, even when he is on a break. 'The person you see in the video is who I am.'
The Kochi-based musician made his entry into films with the Fahadh Faasil-starrer Trance in 2020, assisting ace music director Sushin Shyam. The duo worked together on Bheeshma Parvam, Kurup, Minnal Murali, Malik, and Kappela. His last project as a composer was in the Tamil movie, Sorgavaasal(2024) and his latest work in Malayalam is the Mammootty-starrer Turbo. He also sang all the songs in Bramayugam.
'I have a background in Carnatic music and that has helped me. I started as a singer and then realised I liked composing more than singing. Even though I studied classical music, I was always listening to Coldplay, Linkin Park, Skrillex, Michael Jackson and so on.'
Christo is currently working on a Telugu movie and Rahul Sadasivan's much-awaited Pranav Mohanlal-movie, Diés Iraé. He says, 'I am not going to say anything about it right now. Just watch the movie, it's an interesting project.'