Grammy winner Ricky Kej: Growing up, I’d dissect songs and try figure out the instruments used

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US-born music composer Ricky Kej released his 21st studio album ‘Divine Tides’ on July 21, 2021. Created in collaboration with five-time Grammy Award winner Stewart Copeland, drummer of the iconic British rock band 'The Police', the album has since brought him two Grammys: the 2022 Grammy in the best new age album category, and the Grammy for best immersive audio album this year.

In an exclusive interview in 2021, Kej had talked about his work, recording during the pandemic, how he turned musician after studying to be a dental surgeon, his passion for the environment and how in the post-pandemic era, musicians need to find the right way to disseminate music. Excerpts:

After ‘Winds of Samsara’, ‘Divine Tides’ is your most ambitious project, and even as we speak, new videos for this album are being released. This is your 21st studio album. Tell us about it...

I had been working on a follow-up to my Grammy® winning album ‘Winds of Samsara’ and had catalogued some of my favourite ideas. Recordings were delayed because of my relentless touring schedule, and when the pandemic hit, it presented an opportunity for me to spend time in my studio and kick-start this project again.

I reached out to rock legend Stewart Copeland (The Police) and was thrilled when he said yes to make this album with me. I have always relied on technology for all of my recordings, and Stewart too is high on technology, and has one of the most amazing home studios. That helped us record seamlessly during the pandemic. Stewart and I recorded our portions individually and it all came together superbly. Despite the pandemic, we are thrilled to have created an album that celebrates life and will create a wave of much-needed positivity in our audiences.

Working with rock legend Stewart Copeland must have been an experience…

Stewart Copeland has always been my musical hero, and I have been a life-long fan. Working with him was like attending the best masterclass imaginable. Stewart is not just the founder and drummer of one of the biggest selling bands in history The Police, he also regularly composes for operas, orchestras, and for over 50 Hollywood movies including the Oscar award-winning Wall Street. Despite reaching the pinnacle of success, he is constantly evolving and learning by exploring new sounds, traditional music instruments, and rhythms. We constantly threw ideas at each other, adapted sounds, and crafted this album together piece by piece. All of the songs have strong Indian roots with a fusion of the west and the entire album celebrates the magnificence of our natural world and the resilience of our species.

You studied to be a dental surgeon. Music was not the profession you chose initially did you?

In India, as you know, it is during our 12th grade that we need to make a strong decision as to what we would like to do with the rest of our lives professionally. I had made up my mind that I wanted to be a musician for the rest of my life... I went to my father, a third-generation doctor, and told him the same... and he thought I was absolutely crazy. “How can music be a profession?!”

My father and I reached a compromise - I would have to finish a degree in dental surgery, and once I finish off my degree, I could do whatever I wanted for the rest of my life. So I went to dental college for five years, and at the end of five years I got myself a dental surgeon degree.

The day I got my degree, I gave the certificate to my father, and I became a full-time musician. I did not practice dentistry even for a single day. As they say, there was no looking back after that. So I was never a dentist, but always a musician.

Your formal education in music did not begin at a young age, as is the convention. When did you realise that this is what you were meant to do?

I have always been in love with music. Even as a child, my ears have always been more important than my eyes. While most of my classmates in school were fascinated by television and cartoons, I was hooked to my music system. I would dissect songs I heard to try and figure out the instruments used, the musicians playing those instruments, and I would learn about different cultures and people through music.

I have no idea why, but we had a baby grand piano at home, and a guitar. So I started off by trying to make music on those instruments. Through my school and college years, I was travelling across India, performing with bands and solo concerts, recording my music and even selling it. Much later as an adult, after I already embarked on a thriving professional musical career, I took a formal education in music to avoid what I perceived could be a handicap in future. I absolutely believe that it was the right decision.

You are known to have dedicated most of your life to raising environmental consciousness...

I work closely with global organisations and serve as an ambassador and supporter for UNCCD, UNESCO - MGIEP, UNICEF India, Earth Day Network, etc.

You won the Grammy for Best New Age Album in 2015 for ‘Winds Of Samsara’.  

In order to make a tangible difference in the world through my music and address global issues like climate change, I cannot rest on my laurels. I consider every award to be a recognition and a platform. I am grateful, and never take awards for granted. If awards are used just for vanity, it’s pointless. Using awards for the greater good is what matters to me. My aim is and has always been to do all I can, in every way I can, to make this world a better place, for everyone and everything… and the Grammy has definitely enabled me to take this further.

With the pandemic restricting normal life and live shows a distant dream in many countries even now, what are you looking forward to in the near future?

The lockdown has hit the music industry and all the artistes hard. The music industry is extremely dynamic and different professionals in the industry rely on each other. Performing artistes, production companies, event management companies, sound engineers, recording studios and everyone else involved is stuck in limbo at the moment. We have to learn to adapt to the situation and wait until it eases.  It is all about adapting to the times and our surroundings, because no matter what pandemic hits us, music will never leave our lives. We just have to find the right way to disseminate the music.