It was nothing short of an iconic moment for Berklee College of Music when the Berklee Indian Ensemble earned a nomination for its debut album Shuruaat in the category of Best Global Music Album at the 2023 Grammy Awards. Singer-actor Sanjeeta Bhattacharya—formerly from Delhi, she now lives in Bengaluru who is also part of the album, mentions that the excitement of the news has not dimmed a bit since it broke.
Bhattacharya received the news in an email from Annette Philips, a musician and the brain behind the Ensemble. “Annette sent the mail to everybody saying this has happened,” says Bhattacharya. Out of the 10 songs in the album, she was part of two—Jago Piya and Pinha. “The members of the Ensemble keep changing as students graduate. The part I did was recorded in 2014,” the singer mentions.
The Ensemble gained popularity among people after a tribute concert to AR Rahman. “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 Grammys. Everybody is elated. Let us see what happens, my fingers are crossed. If we actually win, it will be something extraordinary,” she says.
Bhattacharya recently released her original, Out Of Tune. “I wrote it about two years ago and waited that long for it to come out. 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, is also nominated in the ‘Best Immersive Audio Music’ category at the 65th Grammy. Now a regular name at the Grammys, 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 Grammy taking place in February.