At the 67th Grammy Awards, Indian-American global business leader and musician Chandrika Tandon created history by winning a Grammy for her album Triveni, a mesmerizing blend of ancient Vedic chants and world music. The 71-year-old artist triumphed in the prestigious Best New Age, Ambient or Chant Album category, solidifying her place in the world of music with a project that sought to provide a meditative and healing experience.
Tandon’s Triveni is more than just an album, it is an artistic and spiritual confluence of cultures and traditions. True to its name, which signifies the meeting of three rivers, the album brings together three distinctive musical voices: Tandon’s evocative chanting, the soulful flute melodies of South African musician Wouter Kellerman, and the resonant cello harmonies of Japanese artist Eru Matsumoto. Through this cross-cultural collaboration, Triveni presents age-old Vedic chants with a fresh, contemporary resonance, aimed at inner healing and self-discovery.
“Music is love, music ignites the light within all of us, and even in our darkest days, music spreads joy and laughter,” an emotional Tandon expressed while receiving the Grammy in Los Angeles. Her words echoed the essence of her lifelong passion—music as a means of connection, transformation, and healing.
Born and raised in a traditional, orthodox middle-class home in Chennai, Tandon’s childhood was steeped in the rich heritage of Indian classical music. A graduate of Madras Christian College, she was deeply influenced by her family’s devotion to the Samaveda, one of the four Vedas that emphasize the power of music and chants. This upbringing, filled with Carnatic music and sacred verses, left an indelible mark on her creative pursuits, eventually guiding her toward an artistic journey that would blend ancient wisdom with contemporary soundscapes.
Tandon, who learned music from classical singer Shubhra Guha and vocalist Girish Wazalwar, received her first Grammy nomination in 2010 for her album Om Namo Narayana: Soul Call. This year, she shared the honor of nomination with fellow Indian musicians, including producer Ricky Kej, sitar virtuoso Anoushka Shankar, and Indian-origin British artist Radhika Vekaria, further highlighting the growing global recognition of Indian classical and spiritual music.
Beyond her musical achievements, Tandon is a powerhouse in the global business world, renowned for her leadership and philanthropic endeavors. While her sister Indra Nooyi led PepsiCo for 12 years as its CEO and became one of the 50 most powerful women in business, Tandon broke barriers as the first Indian-American woman partner at McKinsey. She later founded New York-based Tandon Capital Associates, a firm dedicated to the measurable restructuring of institutions. However, it is in music that she finds her true calling, a space where she can weave together tradition and innovation, the past and the future, into an immersive auditory experience.
With Triveni, Chandrika Tandon has not only honored the timeless beauty of Vedic chants but also introduced them to a global audience, reaffirming music’s boundless ability to unite, heal, and inspire.
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