09 November,2024 09:29 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Ricky Kej (L); Anoushka Shankar (R)
The nominations for Grammy Awards 2025 were announced on Friday. The 67th edition of the prestigious music honour features a range of new and veteran nominees in the list.
Ricky Kej, an Indian musician and three-time Grammy winner, has been nominated yet again for his album "Break of the Dawn". Other Indian or Indian-origin artists among the nominees are Anoushka Shankar, Varijashree Venugopal, Chandrika Tandon, Radhika Vekaria and Noshir Mody.
Kej, a celebrated composer, has already won three Grammy awards.
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This year, his album "Break of Dawn" has been nominated in the Best New Age, Ambient or Chant Album category.
"I've already won three Grammy Awards in the past and this is my fourth nomination which I hope will lead to my fourth win. I have been a lifelong environmentalist and I've always believed our ancient Indian culture teaches us that the impurities of the environment are in direct relation to the impurities of the mind. So in order to solve any issue we face as a species, we first have to purify our minds," he told ANI.
"And Break of Dawn was created by me with this belief in mind as a catalyst to create a more kind, compassionate and environmentally conscious society through the power of music. So Break of Dawn is a new age album. It's based on ancient Indian rags. Each and every one of the nine songs of Break of Dawn has been based on an ancient Indian rag. It's been crafted very, very carefully by me to promote mental health and wellness and it's focused on India-rooted wellness music...I'm very grateful for this honour of receiving my fourth Grammy nomination," he added.
Accompanying Kej in this category is sitarist and composer Anoushka Shankar's album "Chapter II: How Dark It Is Before Dawn". Shankar also earned a nomination in the Best Global Music Performance category for her featured role on Jacob Collier's song "A Rock Somewhere", which also includes vocalist Varijashree Venugopal, who bagged her first nomination this year.
Other nominations in the Best New Age, Ambient or Chant Album category featuring Indian-origin artists are "Warriors of Light" by Radhika Vekaria and "Triveni" by entrepreneur and musician Chandrika Tandon, created in collaboration with flautist Wouter Kellerman and cellist Eru Matsumoto.
The Grammy Award 2025 ceremony is scheduled to take place on February 2, 2025 in Los Angeles.
(With Agency inputs)
