Music to the ears

BENGALURU:  It was nothing short of an iconic moment for Berklee College of Music when the Berklee Indian Ensemble was nominated for a 65th Grammy for its debut album, Shuruaat, in the category of Best Global Music Album. Singer-actor Sanjeeta Bhattacharya, who lives in the city and was also part of the album, says the excitement of the news has not dimmed a bit since it broke. 

Bhattacharya got the news in an email from Annette Philips, the brain behind the ensemble. “Annette sent the mail to everybody saying this has happened,” says an excited Bhattacharya. Out of the 10 songs in the album, she was in two songs – Jago Piya and Pinha. “The members of the ensemble keep changing as students graduate. The part I did was recorded in 2014,” says Bhattacharya. 

The ensemble gained popularity among people because of the tribute to the AR Rahman concert. “During that time we were also writing original music so this album has songs written and arranged by the members of the ensemble,” says Bhattacharya, adding, “I am glad to be a small part of something that is very big. And I hope it motivates me as an ensemble to create more original music.” 

Though part of a huge team, the feeling is nothing less than personal for her. “Being nominated is a big deal. I never thought that I would be part of something that would be considered for the Grammy’s. Everybody is elated. Let us see what happens, my fingers are crossed. If we actually win, it will be something extraordinary,” she says.

In recent times, Bhattacharya released her original, Out Of Tune. “I wrote it about two years ago and waited that long for it to come out. It didn’t take that much time to make the song, it’s just that there were other things happening in life. For me, this song is closest to my heart. It is very different sounding than anything else I have done recently,” she says.  

With an extremely busy year, she is currently shuttling between three cities. “Mumbai, because I have been acting lately and the movie is going to come out next year; Delhi, since I am originally from the city; and Bengaluru since I moved here recently,” she says with a smile. 

Hat-trick  for Ricky Kej
Ricky Kej’s Divine Tides, which was created with Rock legend Stewart Copeland, got nominated in the Best Immersive Audio Music category at the 65th Grammy’s. Now a regular name at the Grammy’s, this nomination makes it a hat-trick for the musician. Kej, who has been attending the awards function for the past eight years, has already started preparing for the 2023 Grammys taking place in February.