ofRo
Born19 July 1987
Parent
Musical career
Occupation(s)
Instrument(s)

Rohith Abraham (born 19 July 1987), known professionally as ofRo, is a record producer, singer and songwriter who has worked with Asal Kolaar, Madan Gowri, Sandy, Santhosh Narayanan, Pradeep Kumar, Arivu,[1] Durai, Tenma, ADK, Roshan Jamrock, Psychomantra, and Ben Human, among others. He is the co-founder of Atti Culture,[2] a record label and production company & Madras Medai,[3][4] a music festival and conference focusing on the growth of independent music in South India.

Early years

Rohith was born in Chennai, India, and grew up there. He started playing piano at the age of 7 and began learning on electronic instruments soon after. He began taking music seriously in 2005 with his band Nerverek.[5][6][7] After he graduated from Loyola College, he moved to Byron Bay, Australia, to further hone his music production skills. He graduated from SAE Institute in 2013.

Career

In 2014, he began his career working for Harris Jayaraj as an additional programmer for the movie Yennai Arindhaal.[3]

In 2017, he began his independent music career with his first music video, October Maadham, which featured Instagram model Sameea Bangera, Directed by Ken Royson.[3]

In 2019, he wrote and produced the critically acclaimed, Therukural, a Tamil hiphop album with Tamil rapper Arivu[8] featuring Tenma and Roshan Jamrock.[1][9][10][11][12] The album touched topics of caste and class divide in India.[13][1][9] The album was highly acclaimed, featured in Rolling Stone India as the top ten Indian albums in 2019[14] and 5 most politically conscious hiphop in India.[15] Arivu and ofRo performed their first song, Anti Indian at Madras Medai in 2018.[16] He founded Therukural with Arivu, as community for artists and creatives. They would gather with hundreds of young artists, songwriters, beatboxers and more, at public parks to share ideas, songs and more.[1][17] ofRo's slick production is apparent in songs like Kalla Mouni and Anti Indian.[17]

He met ADK, a Sri Lankan rapper in Harris Jayaraj's studio in 2015, but it wasn't until 4 years later when they would work together on a song called Lityananda - a satirical piece commenting on self proclaimed godmen.[18]

Along with co-founder and music director, Tenma, he curates Madras Medai, a premier South Indian independent music festival with the aim to build an ecosystem for future independent artists.[4] Madras Medai was first conducted at CSI Bains School on 19 May 2018. It featured performances by artists like Dopeadelicz, Dharavi United, Sunshine Orchestra, Siennor, Othasevuru, Jatayu, Arivu x ofRo, The Casteless Collective, Chinna Ponnu and Paul Jacob.[3][19][20][21]

In 2019, Atti Culture was founded as an independent record label. The label focuses on nurturing and promoting up-and-coming Tamil talent. Known for its innovative approach to artist development and emphasis on creative freedom, Atti Culture has quickly gained a reputation for being a leading force in the modern music landscape of South India.

ofRo quickly garnered attention for his songs with singer songwriter rapper Asal Kolaar. Jorthaale and Adi Odi became mainstream hits. Known for their electrifying chemistry, the duo has produced multiple hit songs, including the chart-topping singles "Jorthaale" and "Adi Odi." Their unique blend of genres and ability to create infectious melodies has earned them international acclaim and a dedicated fanbase. They performed live at Behindwoods.[22]

Jorthaale's hypnotic beats and unique vocals quickly gained traction, propelling the single to massive success in the Tamil music domain. Jorthaale received "Viral Song of the Year" awards at Black Sheep awards solidifying the duo's status as a powerhouse in the music industry.[23]

In 2022, ofRo and Asal Kolaar released their follow-up single, "Adi Odi." Building on the success of "Jorthaale," the track further explored their fusion of diverse genres, incorporating elements of Tamil folk, hip-hop, and electronic dance music. "Adi Odi" became an instant hit and a crowd favourite.

In 2023, ofRo and his long time collaborator, Ken Royson, released "Durai Sleeping"[24] as the debut song of artist, Durai. It was released on Think Music Originals.

Discography

Independent Singles (Producer/Songwriter)
Year Tracks Artists Language
2016 10 Million ofRo, Keya English
2018 October Maadham ofRO Tamil
2018 Anti Indian (live) ofRO, Arivu Tamil
2019 Snowlin ofRO, Arivu Tamil
2020 Let Chennai Breathe ofRO, Sofia Ashraf, Logan Tamil, English
2020 Lityananda ofRO, ADK Tamil
2021 Asal Mob ofRO, Asal Kolaar Tamil
2021 Vaanaambaa ofRO, Asal Kolaar Tamil
2021 Jorthaale ofRO, Asal Kolaar Tamil
2021 Bathroom Song Madan Gowri, ofRO, Asal Kolaar, Durai Tamil
2021 Ex Love Song Madan Gowri, ofRO, Atti Culture Tamil
2021 Semma Bodha ofRO, Hyde Karty, Sago Tamil
2022 Gowri Kalyanam ofRO, Madan Gowri, Sahi Siva, MC Sai, Swagatha Krishnan, M.S. Krsna Tamil
2022 Vaasam Veesum Padam ofRO, Chinna Ponnu Tamil
2022 Adi Odi ofRO, Asal Kolaar Tamil
2023 Durai Sleeping ofRo, Durai Tamil
Independent Album (Producer/Songwriter)
Year Album Tracks Artists Label Language
2012 Fossil Feelings[25] Before I think

Fear not of Zen

Fossil Feelings

Workahontas

 ofRo Cuntroll Records Instrumental
2013 With You With Me[26] In Times Like These

Repeat & Delete

Space Between

Waiting and Fading

 ofRo, Elaine Dowling Echo Vortex Records English
2019 Therukural[27] Kallamouni

Anti Indian

Snowlin

Sterlite (skit)

Thamizhachi

OKSir

Middle Class

 ofRo, Arivu, Roshan Jamrock, Tenma Indie Tamil
Film Songs
Year Album Tracks Artists Credit Language
2022 Jagame Thanthiram "Naan Dhaan Da Mass" Santhosh Narayanan, ofRo, Arivu Singer Tamil
Jagame Tantram (D) "Naathoti Race-u" Santhosh Narayanan, ofRo Singer Telugu
2022 Parole "Neurobass Ninam" Rajkumar Amal, ofRo Dwarakh Raja Singer Tamil
2022 Mahaan "Rich Rich" Santhosh Narayanan, ofRo, Durai Singer Tamil
Films Composed
YearFilmNotes
2023 College Road
RudhranComposed one song "Jorthaale"
DD Returns
As Film Score Contributor
Year Album Tracks Artists Lyrics Language
2023 Leo Original Score OfRo Keyboard Programming Tamil
As Singer
Year Album Tracks Artists Lyrics Language
2023 Jigarthanda DoubleX "10000 Pax" OfRo Singer Tamil

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "The Therukural Story: How Arivu met OfRo and rapped about Periyar, Politics and Parai isai". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  2. ↑ Staff, T. N. M. (10 January 2022). "Asal Kolaar and OfRo's Tamil single Jorthaale clocks 10 million views on YouTube". The News Minute. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Abraham, Rohith (30 April 2020). "Linked in". Linked In.
  4. 1 2 Madras Medai | PA.Ranjith | Press Meet | Prime Cinema, retrieved 29 April 2020
  5. ↑ "The NerveRek Diaries - Indian Express". archive.indianexpress.com. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  6. ↑ "Nerverek(Chennai)". Indian Rock N Metal Music Rulzzz... 19 November 2007. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  7. ↑ Kamath, Sudhish (9 November 2009). "The Previous Band  ". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  8. ↑ "தமிழ் ஹிப்ஹாப் பாடல்களுக்கு அரசியல் முகம் கொடுத்திருக்கும் 'தெருக்குரல்'!".
  9. 1 2 Tagat, Anurag (2 August 2019). "Speaking truth to power with Arivu and ofRO". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  10. ↑ Shekar, Anjana (27 June 2019). "Therukural, a brilliant tamil hiphop album". www.thenewsminute.com. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  11. ↑ "From Anti-Indian to Asifa, how Therukural has changed the face of Tamil hip hop forever". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  12. ↑ "GQ spoke to the millennials who are determined to change the way we think about caste". GQ India. 6 September 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  13. ↑ "Wake-up songs: Across the south, bands are using folk to rock the boat". Hindustan Times. 9 November 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  14. ↑ "10 Best Indian Albums of 2019 -". 31 December 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  15. ↑ "5 New Politically Conscious Hip-Hop Songs Out This Election Season -". 24 April 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  16. ↑ Arivu x ofRO | Anti Indian | Madras Medai | Tamil Album Song Live | Therukural, retrieved 29 April 2020
  17. 1 2 "ofRo, Arivu and the genome for politically-conscious Tamil hip-hop". Red Bull. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  18. ↑ Kumar, Pradeep (1 April 2020). "Sri Lankan hip hop artiste ADK: 'Lityananda is not Nithyananda'". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  19. ↑ Sriram, Abhinaya (21 May 2018). "Madras Medai: on stage, everyone's equal". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  20. ↑ Subramanian, Anupama (5 May 2018). "Madras medai". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  21. ↑ Sriram, Jayant (16 March 2019). "A personal and political act: on Chennai's Casteless Collective". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  22. ↑ Jorthaale x Semma Bodha 1st Ever LIVE Performance by @AttiCulture 🤩Stage on Fire🔥Repeat Mode😍, retrieved 19 March 2023
  23. ↑ Atti Culture - The Rap Revolution | Spotlight ft. Asal Kolaar & Ofro | Spotlight | Blacksheep Go, retrieved 19 March 2023
  24. ↑ Durai & ofRo - Durai Sleeping (Music Video) | Think Originals | @AttiCulture, retrieved 19 March 2023
  25. ↑ Cuntroll, [CUNTROLL057] OFRO - Fossil Feelings, retrieved 29 April 2020
  26. ↑ "Ofro - With you With Me". SoundCloud. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  27. ↑ Therukural, 25 June 2019, retrieved 29 April 2020
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