• Indian-American vocalist Chandrika Tandon won the Grammy award for the album ‘Triveni’ in the Best New Age, Ambient or Chant Album category.
• The 67th Annual GRAMMY Awards, organised by the Recording Academy, was held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on February 3.
• Tandon, also a global business leader and the older sister of former CEO of PepsiCo Indra Nooyi, won the award along with her collaborators South African flautist Wouter Kellerman and Japanese cellist Eru Matsumoto.
• Just like its name, which means the confluence of three holy Indian rivers Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati, ‘Triveni’ is a collaboration of three artists Tandon, Kellerman, and Matsumoto who represent diverse cultures.
• Released on August 30, 2024, each of the seven tracks on ‘Triveni’ tells its own story while contributing to its overarching theme of healing resonance.
• This was Tandon’s second Grammy nomination after ‘Soul Call’ in 2009 and first win.
• Beyonce won the top prize at Grammy Awards, taking Album of the Year for the first time in her career with her country record ‘Cowboy Carter’. She earned three trophies in total in the event, bringing her career haul to 35.
• Kendrick Lamar won the Grammys for Record and Song of the Year for his smash diss track ‘Not Like Us’. The Record of the Year prize honour the overall performance of a song, while Song of the Year recognises songwriting. He won in all five categories in which he was nominated, all for ‘Not Like Us’. The others were best rap song and performance, as well as best music video.
• The Grammy festivities were revamped to be part awards show and part fundraiser for people affected by the wildfires.
• Other notable moments included Sabrina Carpenter winning Best Pop Vocal Album for ‘Short n’ Sweet’, and Doechii becoming the third woman ever to win Best Rap Album for ‘Alligator Bites Never Heal’.
• Rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, and his partner, Bianca Censori, took the spotlight with her barely there transparent dress that left nothing to the imagination. Censori is known for causing a stir with her sheer street style.
Award Winners:
• Album of the Year: ‘Cowboy Carter’ - Beyonce
• Record of the Year: ‘Not Like Us’ - Kendrick Lamar
• Song of the Year: ‘Not Like Us’ - Kendrick Lamar, songwriter (Kendrick Lamar)
• Best New Artist: Chappell Roan
• Best Pop Solo Performance: ‘Espresso’ - Sabrina Carpenter
• Best Pop Duo/Group Performance: ‘Die with a Smile’ - Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga
• Best Pop Vocal Album: ‘Short n' Sweet’ - Sabrina Carpenter
• Best Rap Album: ‘Alligator Bites Never Heal’ - Doechii
• Best Rap Song: ‘Not Like Us’ - Kendrick Lamar
• Best Rap Performance: ‘Not Like Us’ - Kendrick Lamar
• Best Music Video: ‘Not Like Us’ - Kendrick Lamar
• Best Dance/Electronic Album: ‘Brat’ - Charli XCX
• Best Rock Album: ‘Hackney Diamonds’ - The Rolling Stones
• Best Rock Performance: ‘Now and Then’ - The Beatles
• Best Country Album: ‘Cowboy Carter’ - Beyonce
• Best Country Solo Performance: ‘It Takes a Woman’ - Chris Stapleton
• Best Country Duo/Group Performance: ‘II Most Wanted’ - Beyonce ft. Miley Cyrus
• Best African Music Performance: ‘Love Me JeJe’ - Tems
• Best Latin Pop Album: ‘Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran’ - Shakira
• Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling: ‘Last Sunday in Plains: A Centennial Celebration’ - Jimmy Carter.
(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants.)