Devi Sri Prasad

If there’s one composer who has defined the sound of 21st-century Telugu film music, Devi Sri Prasad makes a strong case. The National Award-winning musician made his soundtrack debut with songs for 1999 film Devi at the tender age of 19. Two years later, he had his first major hit with the soundtrack for Anandam, earning praise for its fusion of Telugu music with pop, rock and Western classical influences—and kicking off over two decades of dominance. Prasad is best known for racy, high-energy dance songs like 2004’s “Aa Ante Amalapuram” and 2018’s “Jigelu Rani”, but he also excels at slow-burn romance (Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana) and folk-fusion (“Bommani Geesthe”). A self-professed Michael Jackson fan, he came to be known as “Rockstar DSP” thanks to his flamboyant stage appearances, which offer a sharp contrast to the reserved, respectable image traditionally associated with film music composers. Apart from his Telugu work, Prasad has also composed hit scores for Tamil films as well as singing several popular songs in both languages. And with the success of his music for Pushpa: The Rise and Drishyam 2—released in 2021 and 2022 respectively—the Telugu music icon brings his brand of high-energy music to Bollywood, too.