The 2023 Grammy Awards night brought a huge win for Indian music as composer Ricky Kej won this third Grammy at the prestigious award. The Bengaluru-based composer won in the Best Immersive Audio Album category for Divine Tides, his collaboration with rock legend Stewart Copeland.
Who is Ricky Kej?
Ricky Kej was born in 1981 in a Punjabi and Marwari household. He moved to Bengaluru at the age of eight and did his schooling at Bishop Cotton Boys' School in the city. He then studied dentistry at the Oxford Dental College but left the medical field soon after college. He started his music career in the early 2000s as a keyboardist for the band Angel Dust in Bengaluru. In 2003, he became a full-time musician and began his solo career as a composer. He has composed jingles for several ads as well as music for Kannada films, apart from releasing 17 studio albums over his 20-year-long career.
Ricky Kej’s previous Grammy wins
Kej has won the Grammy twice previously. The last time was in 2022 when he had collaborated with Stewart Copeland as well. The duo won the Grammy for Best New Age Album. Kej had also won a Grammy back in 2015 for his album, Winds of Samsara. Among Indians, only Zubin Mehta and Pandit Ravi Shankar have more Grammy wins with five apiece.
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When PM Narendra Modi praised Ricky Kej
After Ricky Kej’s second Grammy win in 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had congratulated the composer and praised him. "Congratulations for this remarkable feat and best wishes for your future endeavours," PM Modi had tweeted back then. The composer later met the PM when he joked that je doesn’t seem to age. 7 year challenge!! Pic 1: 2015 when I won my 1st Grammy. Pic 2: 2022 when I won 2nd Grammy. Hon'ble PM @narendramodi ji looks EXACTLY the same.. but I have aged a lot :-) hahahaha. What is your secret sir?? @PMOIndia,” Kej had tweeted.
