Bengaluru’s Ricky Kej secures fourth Grammy nomination

Bengaluru-based music composer Ricky Kej is eyeing his fourth Grammy Award, having won in all his previous three nominations. Kej, 43, has been nominated in the New Age Album category for Break of Dawn, a project deeply inspired by the intersection of environmental awareness and philosophy.

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Competing alongside Kej in the category are sitar virtuoso Anoushka Shankar (Chapter II: How Dark It Is Before Dawn), Radhika Vekaria (Warriors of Light), and Chandrika Tandon (Triveni), a collaboration featuring Wouter Kellerman and Eru Matsumoto. Shankar has also earned an additional nomination for her contribution to Jacob Collier's A Rock Somewhere, alongside vocalist Varijashree Venugopal, who is celebrating her first Grammy nod.

Kej expressed admiration for his fellow nominees, particularly Shankar, with whom he hopes to collaborate in the future. “We’ve been in touch, and I’m optimistic about working together someday,” he said. Kej also revealed his dream of collaborating with legendary composer Hans Zimmer, whom he has met twice at previous Grammy ceremonies.

Having won Grammys for Winds of Samsara (2015) and Divine Tides (2022, 2023), Kej now hopes to turn his fourth nomination into another victory. The 2025 Grammy Awards will take place on February 2 in Los Angeles.