Yuvan Shankar Raja was born on June 25, 1979, in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. He is the son of renowned film composer Ilaiyaraaja and his wife, Jayanthi. Yuvan Shankar Raja began his music career at a young age, assisting his father in composing music for films. He made his debut as a music composer in 2000 with the Tamil film "Pethan," but it was his work in the 2003 film "Pookalai Parachathu" that gained him recognition.