Three-time Grammy winner Ricky Kej: Indian musicians make the best music

With three Grammy wins behind him, composer Ricky Kej eyes his fourth title for which he will compete against three Indian musicians

Reflecting on his nomination in the Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album category at the upcoming Grammy Awards, Ricky Kej admits the situation is unique. He will, after all, compete with three other Indian artistes, including Radhika Vekaria, Anoushka Shankar, and Chandrika Tandon for the same title. “In the past years, there haven’t been that many Indians who have been nominated in this category. This is the year for Indian musicians and I’m thrilled about it. It’s an absolute honour to be nominated amongst them. But I would not say that they are unique to this genre. I believe Indian musicians make the best music,” says the three-time Grammy winner, who will compete this year with his album, Break of Dawn.

Kej has made it his mission to further the message of environmental causes, and has often employed music to help in the endeavour. “There’s an ancient Buddhist-Hindu philosophy that suggests that the impurities of the environment are a reflection of the impurities of the mind. So, to cleanse the environment, we have to first cleanse the mind,” says the musician, reflecting on the decision to create the new-age album that addresses mental well-being. “I realised that we treat all problems symptomatically, and need to get to the root cause of mental [health problems]. That’s how this album was born. It has Indian-rooted wellness music; nine songs, each based on a different Indian classical raga. We also got scientific backing because music can have a therapeutic effect on the mind. We collaborated with the Stanford Global Health and Stanford School of Bio Design, and they congratulated us on creating music that addresses the global burden of mental health.”

With three Grammy titles in his kitty, we ask Kej the significance of yet another addition to his list of trophies. “Every Grammy nomination is hugely exciting. Every year, I believe that I grow better as a musician because I’m exposed to more knowledge. This album is a culmination of all of that knowledge on music, the world, and humanity.”

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