Who Is Ricky Kej, The Music Composer From Bengaluru Who Won His Third Grammy?

Photo Credit: Twitter @rickykej Ricky Kej, a music composer from Bengaluru won his third Grammy. Read on for more details. Atreyee Bhattacharjee Updated On 09:18 PM IST, 06 Feb 2023

Who Is Ricky Kej?

Ricky Kej, a Bengaluru-based music composer, has received his third Grammy Award for the album Divine Tides. The American-born musician, who worked on the album alongside Stewart Copeland, the drummer of the iconic British rock band The Police, received the honour jointly. Photo Credit: Twitter @rickykej [{ "selector": ".story-desp_p", "duration": "1.2s", "easing": "ease-in-out", "keyframes": [{ "opacity": 0 }, { "opacity": 1 }, { "opacity": 1 } ] }, { "selector": ".substory_h1", "duration": "0.75s", "easing": "linear", "keyframes": [{ "transform": "translateY(40px)", "opacity": 0 }, { "transform": "translateY(0px)", "opacity": 1 }, { "transform": "translateX(0)", "opacity": 1 } ] } ]

Award Category

Ricky Kej won the gramophone award for Best Immersive Audio Album at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards. Photo Credit: Twitter @RecordingAcad [{ "selector": ".story-desp_p", "duration": "1.2s", "easing": "ease-in-out", "keyframes": [{ "opacity": 0 }, { "opacity": 1 }, { "opacity": 1 } ] }, { "selector": ".substory_h1", "duration": "0.75s", "easing": "linear", "keyframes": [{ "transform": "translateY(40px)", "opacity": 0 }, { "transform": "translateY(0px)", "opacity": 1 }, { "transform": "translateX(0)", "opacity": 1 } ] } ]

Ricky Kej’s Education

Ricky attended the Bishop Cotton School before graduating from Bengaluru’s Oxford Dental College with a degree. Photo Credit: Element Digital on Unsplash [{ "selector": ".story-desp_p", "duration": "1.2s", "easing": "ease-in-out", "keyframes": [{ "opacity": 0 }, { "opacity": 1 }, { "opacity": 1 } ] }, { "selector": ".substory_h1", "duration": "0.75s", "easing": "linear", "keyframes": [{ "transform": "translateY(40px)", "opacity": 0 }, { "transform": "translateY(0px)", "opacity": 1 }, { "transform": "translateX(0)", "opacity": 1 } ] } ]

Ricky Kej’s First Band

Prior to becoming a full-time composer, he started off by playing keyboards for the progressive rock band Angel Dust. Photo Credit: Jackson David on Unsplash [{ "selector": ".story-desp_p", "duration": "1.2s", "easing": "ease-in-out", "keyframes": [{ "opacity": 0 }, { "opacity": 1 }, { "opacity": 1 } ] }, { "selector": ".substory_h1", "duration": "0.75s", "easing": "linear", "keyframes": [{ "transform": "translateY(40px)", "opacity": 0 }, { "transform": "translateY(0px)", "opacity": 1 }, { "transform": "translateX(0)", "opacity": 1 } ] } ]

Music Inspirations

His primary musical influences are Peter Gabriel, Pandit Ravi Shankar, and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Photo Credit: Twitter @itspetergabriel [{ "selector": ".story-desp_p", "duration": "1.2s", "easing": "ease-in-out", "keyframes": [{ "opacity": 0 }, { "opacity": 1 }, { "opacity": 1 } ] }, { "selector": ".substory_h1", "duration": "0.75s", "easing": "linear", "keyframes": [{ "transform": "translateY(40px)", "opacity": 0 }, { "transform": "translateY(0px)", "opacity": 1 }, { "transform": "translateX(0)", "opacity": 1 } ] } ]

Cannes Nomination

He received a nomination in Cannes in 2010 for his Nike jingle. He has also composed music for over 3000 jingles as well as Kannada films. Photo Credit: Twitter @FestivalCannes [{ "selector": ".story-desp_p", "duration": "1.2s", "easing": "ease-in-out", "keyframes": [{ "opacity": 0 }, { "opacity": 1 }, { "opacity": 1 } ] }, { "selector": ".substory_h1", "duration": "0.75s", "easing": "linear", "keyframes": [{ "transform": "translateY(40px)", "opacity": 0 }, { "transform": "translateY(0px)", "opacity": 1 }, { "transform": "translateX(0)", "opacity": 1 } ] } ]

Album Debut On US Billboard

Ricky Kej was the first person of Indian origin, whose 14 th studio album made its debut in August 2014 at No. 1 on the US Billboard New Age Albums Chart. Photo Credit: Twitter @rickykej [{ "selector": ".story-desp_p", "duration": "1.2s", "easing": "ease-in-out", "keyframes": [{ "opacity": 0 }, { "opacity": 1 }, { "opacity": 1 } ] }, { "selector": ".substory_h1", "duration": "0.75s", "easing": "linear", "keyframes": [{ "transform": "translateY(40px)", "opacity": 0 }, { "transform": "translateY(0px)", "opacity": 1 }, { "transform": "translateX(0)", "opacity": 1 } ] } ]

First Grammy

In 2015, Kej won his first Grammy for Winds of Samsara, which was nominated for best new age album. Photo Credit: Twitter @rickykej [{ "selector": ".story-desp_p", "duration": "1.2s", "easing": "ease-in-out", "keyframes": [{ "opacity": 0 }, { "opacity": 1 }, { "opacity": 1 } ] }, { "selector": ".substory_h1", "duration": "0.75s", "easing": "linear", "keyframes": [{ "transform": "translateY(40px)", "opacity": 0 }, { "transform": "translateY(0px)", "opacity": 1 }, { "transform": "translateX(0)", "opacity": 1 } ] } ]

Kej’s Music Accolades

He has won more than 100 music awards from more than 20 countries, and in 2016 he was named the UN Global Humanitarian Artist. Photo Credit: Uwe Conrad on Unsplash [{ "selector": ".story-desp_p", "duration": "1.2s", "easing": "ease-in-out", "keyframes": [{ "opacity": 0 }, { "opacity": 1 }, { "opacity": 1 } ] }, { "selector": ".substory_h1", "duration": "0.75s", "easing": "linear", "keyframes": [{ "transform": "translateY(40px)", "opacity": 0 }, { "transform": "translateY(0px)", "opacity": 1 }, { "transform": "translateX(0)", "opacity": 1 } ] } ]

Ricky Kej's Performance For Indian Army

To celebrate 20 years of Kargil Vijay Divas, Kej also performed at Leh, Ladakh's Sonam Wangchuck Stadium for over 10,000 Indian Army personnel with his ensemble of prominent musicians from all over India. Photo Credit: Twitter @rickykej [{ "selector": ".story-desp_p", "duration": "1.2s", "easing": "ease-in-out", "keyframes": [{ "opacity": 0 }, { "opacity": 1 }, { "opacity": 1 } ] }, { "selector": ".substory_h1", "duration": "0.75s", "easing": "linear", "keyframes": [{ "transform": "translateY(40px)", "opacity": 0 }, { "transform": "translateY(0px)", "opacity": 1 }, { "transform": "translateX(0)", "opacity": 1 } ] } ]

Ricky’s Collaborations

To release the song Shine Your Light in 2020, Ricky worked with the UNHCR and the UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP). The song was a joint effort by Indian and refugee artists who were persecuted for their extreme love of music. [{ "selector": ".story-desp_p", "duration": "1.2s", "easing": "ease-in-out", "keyframes": [{ "opacity": 0 }, { "opacity": 1 }, { "opacity": 1 } ] }, { "selector": ".substory_h1", "duration": "0.75s", "easing": "linear", "keyframes": [{ "transform": "translateY(40px)", "opacity": 0 }, { "transform": "translateY(0px)", "opacity": 1 }, { "transform": "translateX(0)", "opacity": 1 } ] } ]

Did You Know?

Ricky is the youngest recipient of a Grammy Award from India and only the fourth Indian. Photo Credit: Twitter @rickykej [{ "selector": ".story-desp_p", "duration": "1.2s", "easing": "ease-in-out", "keyframes": [{ "opacity": 0 }, { "opacity": 1 }, { "opacity": 1 } ] }, { "selector": ".substory_h1", "duration": "0.75s", "easing": "linear", "keyframes": [{ "transform": "translateY(40px)", "opacity": 0 }, { "transform": "translateY(0px)", "opacity": 1 }, { "transform": "translateX(0)", "opacity": 1 } ] } ]

UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador

On December 6, 2022, Ricky Kej received the designation of UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador. Photo Credit: Twitter @@rickykej [{ "selector": ".story-desp_p", "duration": "1.2s", "easing": "ease-in-out", "keyframes": [{ "opacity": 0 }, { "opacity": 1 }, { "opacity": 1 } ] }, { "selector": ".substory_h1", "duration": "0.75s", "easing": "linear", "keyframes": [{ "transform": "translateY(40px)", "opacity": 0 }, { "transform": "translateY(0px)", "opacity": 1 }, { "transform": "translateX(0)", "opacity": 1 } ] } ]