A pat on the back for independent artistes

Grammy nominees Ricky Kej and Varijashree Venugopal open up about the creative journeys behind their celebrated works - from Ricky's exploration of mental wellness in 'Break of Dawn' to Varijashree's featured performance alongside Jacob Collier and Anoushka Shankar - reflecting on the passion, purpose, and global recognition that fuel their music

- DESE GOWDA

OU'D think that with every nomination or win, the excitement might lessen, but that's not the case for me at all," says Ricky Kej, reflecting on the Grammy nomination for his latest album, Break of Dawn, his fourth in ten years. "Every piece of music I create isn't something that's commissioned, like for a film or specific project. I feel that with each album, I've grown not only as a musician but also as a person...this nomination feels like validation for something that I truly love."

Known for his espousal of environmental causes, the musician turns his musical efforts toward exploring how music can support mental wellness with Break of Dawn. The album is based on nine Indian classical ragas, each carefully chosen to promote calm, balance, and introspection. To bring this vision to life, he collaborated with scientists and wellness experts from institutions worldwide. "Stanford University's Global Health department gave me a beautiful citation," he shares, "We all know music has a calming influence and can transport us, but I wanted to quantify this effect. The vision is that doctors might one day prescribe this music to patients, just as they would prescribe medicine or physiotherapy."

This focus on creating wellness music is a departure from Ricky's previous collaborative works, including Divine Tides, his Grammy-winning project with American composer Stewart Copeland. For Break of Dawn, Ricky returns to his roots as a solo artiste, drawing from his early years of self-directed compositions. "My first few albums, from around 1999 to 2010, were solo efforts," he recalls. With Break of Dawn, Ricky aimed for a "personal and deeply connected" album, one that allowed him to explore wellness in a profoundly introspective way.