Harris debuted as a film composer with Gautham Vasudev Menon's Minnale. The album was well received, particularly the song Vaseegara was exceptionally popular.[12][13] He received the Filmfare Award for Best Music Director – Tamil for his work in Minnale, breaking the 9 years continuous record of A. R. Rahman. The following soundtrack albums 12B and Majunu met with high acclaim and praise.[14] He also composed for the Hindi remake of Minnale titled Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein, also directed by Gautham Menon.[15][16] Most of the tunes from the Tamil version were retained in the Hindi version too, and only two fresh tunes were composed. He then worked in Lesa Lesa directed by Priyadarshan.[17] The title track of Lesa Lesa was the first song in India to be released as a single prior to a film soundtrack album release (The first ever single to be released prior to an album was Anaida's "hotline").[18] Harris made his debut in Telugu cinema with Vasu. He received the Filmfare Award for Best Music Director – Tamil, Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Music Director and ITFA Best Music Director Award for Kaakha Kaakha, starring Suriya and Jyothika.[19] This film directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon was a huge commercial success and the songs met with great critical acclaim.[20] In its Telugu remake Gharshana two new songs apart from the Tamil version were added to suit the taste of Telugu audience.[21] The song Uyirin Uyire reused as Cheliya Cheliya in Telugu and Khwabon Khwabon in Hindi had effective use of gibberish words which later became a signature element in Harris songs.[22]
Harris once again paired up with director Jeeva on Ullam Ketkumae after 12B.[23][24] The music was appreciated for its excellency and synergy with the atmosphere in and out of the movie.[25] Director S. Shankar, noted leading director of Tamil cinema, paired up with Harris in his magnum opus Anniyan. It was the first time Shankar did not team up with A. R. Rahman. Shankar later mentioned that working with Harris was an experience.[26][27] The soundtrack album received several awards including Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Music Director and Filmfare Award for Best Music Director – Tamil.[28][29][30] The next film he scored was Ghajini directed by AR Murugadoss, for which he received Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Music Director. Critics noted that the album had "scintillating, party-hopping numbers", which resulted in a huge commercial success in audio sales; the track "Sutum Vizhi" crossed 20 million downloads and turned out to be phenomenally successful.[31][32] Harris crafted a necessary classiness into Gautham Menon's blockbuster crime thriller Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu starring Kamal Haasan.[33] Gautham revealed that he shares the entire script with Harris and provides input's from his side.
"Harris and I, when we work together, we put in a lot of effort. I give him the entire script. I give him inputs. When we sat down for Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu, I told him to do away with the traditional pallavi-charanam format in the Manjal veyyil song."[34]
Harris once again ventured into Telugu films with a successful album Sainikudu.[35] The music album of the film was released simultaneously in 10 chosen venues from five different countries.[36] Gautham Menon who considers the music and background score of Harris as a major asset of his films,[37] once again teamed up with Harris on a romantic-thriller Pachaikili Muthucharam. The soundtracks of Pachaikili Muthucharam are appraised as melancholic, lilting, mysterious, and alternatively catchy.[38] Harris' collaboration with Jeeva continued with Unnale Unnale.[39][40] The music album oozing with energy all through proved to be a cut above the rest.[41] His next Telugu venture Munna had a good commercial reception, and the song Manasa fetched a Filmfare Best Singer Female award to Sadhana Sargam. With the following album Bheema, Harris continued his mettle with all the six songs. The track Siru Parvaiyalae used Pashto words in interludes. The album was praised for bringing up visual recapitulation from audio.[42] Harris used a live orchestra of 84 members for the action cop film Sathyam.[43][44] In 2009, Harris Jayaraj was signed in for Vikram Kumar's 24, which was to star Vikram.[45] He was also signed in for the Malayalam film Yoddha 2, starring Mohanlal.[46] But both films were subsequently shelved.
In Anegan, Harris's "Danga Maari Oodhari", featuring lyrics in North Madras slang become an instant chart-buster.[47] After a hiatus of 6 years, Harris collaborated with Gautham Vasudev Menon for the action cop film Yennai Arindhaal.[48] The soundtrack received positive reviews from critics and according to Behindwoods, it was the most played album of 2015 in Chennai radio stations.[49]
Harris performing live
Main article: Harris: On The Edge
In 2011, Harris announced his first musical world tour titled "Harris on the Edge". The tour featured live performance of Harris all over the world accompanied by a troupe of Tamil playback singers, including Karthik, Haricharan, Chinmayi, Tippu, Harini, Naresh Iyer, Harish Raghavendra, Krish, Aalap Raju, KK, Benny Dayal, Andrea, Suvi Suresh, Sunitha Sarathy, Srilekha Parthasarathy and Shweta Mohan and international musicians and dancers. The event was coordinated by Techfront and was directed by A. L. Vijay. The whole tour was covered by Jaya TV.
Harris opened a new studio on 8 January 2017, called "Studio H". The studio consists of the latest audio recording systems and technology. The first song to be composed in the studio was Halena from Iru Mugan. The S3 soundtrack was entirely composed in this studio and all his future projects will be completed in "Studio H" as well.[50][51]
| Year | Tamil | Other Languages | Dubbed Releases | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Minnale • | Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein ♦ (Hindi) | Cheli (Telugu) | Filmfare Award for Best Music Director – Tamil |
| Majunu • | Majnu (Telugu) | |||
| 12B • | 12B (Telugu) | |||
| 2002 | Vasu • (Telugu) | Vetri (Tamil) | ||
| Samurai • | Samurai (Telugu) | |||
| 2003 | Lesa Lesa • | Koddiga Koddiga (Telugu) | ||
| Saamy • | Swamy IPS (Telugu) | |||
| Kovil • | Rudhrudu (Telugu) | |||
| Kaakha Kaakha• | Gharshana (2004)♦ (Telugu) Force (2011)♦# (Hindi) |
Filmfare Award for Best Music Director – Tamil Tamil Nadu Award for Best Music Director ITFA Award for Best Music Director |
||
| 2004 | Chellamae • | Prema Chadarangam (Telugu) | ||
| Arasatchi • | Judgement (Telugu) | |||
| Arul • | Akhandudu (Telugu) | |||
| 2005 | Thotti Jaya •# | Jalakanta (Telugu) | ||
| Ullam Ketkumae • | Preminchi Chudu (Telugu) | |||
| Anniyan • | Aparichithudu (Telugu), Aparichit (2006) (Hindi) | Filmfare Award for Best Music Director – Tamil Tamil Nadu Award for Best Music Director |
||
| Ghajini • | Ghajini (Telugu) | Filmfare Special Award - South Tamil Nadu Award for Best Music Director ITFA Award for Best Music Director |
||
| 2006 | Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu • | Raghavan (Telugu) | ||
| Sainikudu • (Telugu) | Kumaran (Tamil) | |||
| 2007 | Pachaikili Muthucharam • | Dhrohi (Telugu) | ||
| Unnale Unnale • | Neevalle Neevalle (Telugu) | |||
| Munna • (Telugu) | Munna (Malayalam), Vetri Thirumagan (2008) (Tamil) | |||
| 2008 | Bheemaa • | Bheema (Telugu) | ||
| Sathyam • | Salute • (Telugu) | 25th Film | ||
| Dhaam Dhoom • | Rakshakudu (Telugu) | |||
| Vaaranam Aayiram • | Surya S/O Krishnan (Telugu) | Filmfare Award for Best Music Director – Tamil Vijay Award for Best Music Director ITFA Award for Best Music Director |
||
| 2009 | Ayan • | Veedokkade (Telugu) | Filmfare Award for Best Music Director – Tamil Mirchi Music Award for Best Album – Tamil Edison Award for Best Music Director |
|
| Aadhavan • | Ghatikudu (Telugu) | Vijay Award for Best Music Director | ||
| 2010 | Orange • (Telugu) | Hai Ramcharan (Malayalam), Ramcharan (Tamil) | Mirchi Music Award for Best Album – Telugu | |
| Engeyum Kadhal • | Ninnu Chooste Love Vastundi (Telugu) | Vijay Music Award for Best Music Director | ||
| 2011 | Ko • | Rangam (Telugu) | Tamil Nadu Award for Best Music Director Edison Award for Best Music Director |
|
| 7aum Arivu • | Seventh Sense (Telugu) | |||
| 2012 | Nanban • | Snehithudu (Telugu) | ||
| Oru Kal Oru Kannadi • | Ok Ok (Telugu) | |||
| Maattrraan • | Brothers (Telugu) | |||
| Thuppakki • | Thuppakki (Telugu) | SIIMA Award for Best Music Director – Tamil | ||
| 2013 | Irandaam Ulagam # | Varna (Telugu) | ||
| Endrendrum Punnagai • | Chirunavvula Chirujallu (Telugu) | |||
| 2014 | Idhu Kathirvelan Kadhal • | Seenu Gaadi Love Story (Telugu) | ||
| Yaan • | Nene (Telugu) | |||
| 2015 | Yennai Arindhaal • | Yentha Vaadu Gaanie (Telugu), Satyadev IPS (Kannada) | ||
| Anegan • | Anekudu (Telugu) | |||
| Nannbenda • | Good Evening (Telugu) | |||
| 2016 | Gethu • | |||
| Iru Mugan • | Inkokkadu (Telugu) | |||
| 2017 | S3 • | Yamudu 3 (Telugu) | ||
| Vanamagan • | 50th Film | |||
| Spyder • | Spyder • (Telugu) | Spyder (Malayalam) | ||
| 2019 | Dev • | Dev (Telugu) | ||
| Kaappaan • | Bandobast (Telugu) | |||
| 2022 | The Legend • | Post-production | ||
| TBA | Dhruva Natchathiram • | Post-production | ||
| JR 30 • | Announced | |||
| Nithiin32• (Telugu) | Announced | |||
| SK 21 • | Announced |
Notes:
He composed music for various television commercials including a Coca-Cola commercial featuring Vijay. In 2008, he composed for Herova? Zerova? ad campaign which Suriya initiated under the Agaram Foundation, working to help children who drop out of school early in Tamil Nadu. With the Ministry of Education in Tamil Nadu, he created a short commercial video outlining child poverty, labour and lack of education, titled Herova? Zerova?. The film was written and produced by Sivakumar and also starred Suriya, Vijay, R. Madhavan and Jyothika.
Special Honours
International Tamil Film Awards (ITFA)
South Indian International Movie Awards (SIIMA)
MGR Sivaji Cinema Awards
Isaiaruvi Tamil Music Awards
Big FM Awards
Big Tamil Melody Awards
Chennai Times Film Awards
South Scope Awards