Who is Ricky Kej? Meet the Indian music composer who won third Grammy

Grammy Award 2023: Ricky Kej has won his third Grammy Award. He won a prestigious award for the album 'Divine Tides'. The music composer, based out of Bengaluru, shared the award with Stewart Copeland, the drummer of the iconic British rock band The Police.

Ricky Kej was born in North Carolina in 1981. He studied at Bishop Cotton School in Bengaluru before finishing a degree in dentistry from Oxford Dental College.

He won his third Grammy Award for the album 'Divine Tides' and dedicated the honour to his home country, India.

The US-born musician shared the award with Stewart Copeland, the drummer of the iconic British rock band The Police, who collaborated with Kej on the album.

At the 65th Annual Grammy Awards, the duo earned the gramophone trophy in the best immersive audio album winner category. They won a Grammy in the best new age album category for the same album last year.

In a statement shared with the media, the music composer said, "It feels absolutely surreal to win the biggest prize in music again for the third time. I am extremely grateful to have had another opportunity to make my country India proud by achieving this on the biggest platform in the world for music. I`d like to thank the Recording Academy for this honour, my collaborators Stewart Copeland, Herbert Waltl, Eric Schilling, and everyone else who made this album possible." 

What is 'Divine Tides'  

'Divine Tides' is a nine-song album that aims to deliver the message that "each individual life plays a crucial role in maintaining the balance that serves all equally".

Ricky Kej won his first Grammy in 2015, for his album 'Winds of Samsara' in the best new age album category. It was his collaboration with South African musician Wouter Kellerman. The two artists had bonded over their respective national icons -- Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, who were both committed to fighting colonial oppression.