Grammys 2023: Annette Phillip Shares Gratitude for Berklee Indian Ensemble Nomination for Best Global Music Album
“Intentional, borderless, and Connecting. With the music I make, I aim to bring people around the world together.” Today’s woman dreamer, Annette Phillip, is a woman to know in the music industry. A versatile vocalist from Kerala, India, Annette is the Founder & Director of Berklee Indian Ensemble. In this inspiring interview, Annette brings exciting news: The Berklee India Ensemble debut album “Shuruaat” has been nominated for the Grammys in 2023 for Best Global Music Album. She reflects on her journey as a musician, the process of making this record, and shares her gratitude for this momentous achievement! Enjoy her story!
1. What inspired your interest in music?
From a young age, I always felt that music gave a good visceral joy that no other pursuit gave me as a child. If I didn’t do music in some form, I genuinely believed that I wouldn’t make it. For me, music is a sensory thing, and an emotional energy. That is how my passion started evolving and I eventually started training (i.e. taught myself piano, took vocal lessons etc) That was just the beginning. It was a long journey of exploring and experimenting with different styles. That feeling I get from making music - you can’t get that anywhere else.
2. How would you describe your music style in 3 words?
Intentional, borderless, and Connecting. With the music I make, I aim to bring people around the world together.
3. Who are some female musicians that inspire you?
That is a tough one! Firstly, I would say Karen Carpenter of the band, The Carpenters. Her vocal range was absolutely incredible, and I’d say she is the most influential on my own voice.
Secondly, there is a new artist that I’ve just gotten to know about named Raashi Kulkarni. She is a composer. She actually composed music for Wedding Season on Netflix. I’m excited to see more composers of Indian origin like Raashi.
Finally, Lenise Bent - she is a sound audio engineer. She is so cool. The stories she has are amazing. How she went about learning the craft of sound technology, as well as her unique openness to life is inspiring.
4. The Berklee India Ensemble was recently nominated for a Grammy award. That is amazing. You must be on top of the world. Tell us about the category you are up for and how you felt in the moment.
Thank you so much! We were nominated for Best Global Music Album, which is for albums containing greater than 50% of their playing time with new vocal or instrumental Global Music recordings.
This was actually our debut album for Berklee Indian Ensemble. This record has been years in the making. In fact, the past few years have been a logistical mountain, working all day with teams across the music industry (i.e. legal, marketing, branding etc) All these different things that go into making a record, but its rewarding and enlightening.
The moment they made the announcement was unreal. In fact, John Legend was on screen announcing several categories. We did not know who would announce what, and it was so amazing to hear the announcement on the big screen.
It was such a surreal moment (and his pronunciation of our album title “Shuruaat” was pretty good) Many of us were on zoom, but what a joyous moment of coming together virtually. We had people joining the call to partake in the excitement from around the world - Malaysia, Bangladesh, India, East Coast etc. We were all watching in our own homes on youtube. It was so funny cause there was a lag in the video. You can see it in our faces! We stayed online for 3 hours just talking and celebrating - it was the best we can do as we are all over the world.
I just want to say that getting a nomination in your first try is a huge deal and we are very grateful. We are truly appreciative to all the members of The Recording Academy who supported us. We are in a category where you have some hugely amazing artists. There are 98+ musicians (and over 200 people) involved behind the scenes in this, and we have 39 countries represented in this group of musicians. At this time, diversity in the music industry is needed now more than ever. There is so much divisiveness in the world right now. This is really a testament to how, despite having different beliefs and backgrounds, people in the world can come together to create beautiful.
5. As we approach Thanksgiving and in the midst of our Season of Giving, how do you think about Gratitude when you think about this project?
I love this question! I look at gratitude towards my work from multiple lenses.
Firstly, I have gratitude for ideas.
Secondly, I have gratitude for likeminded people, but also for “unlikeminded” people verging (i.e. coming together and co-creating.) We’ve been a part of this music family since 2011.
I also have gratitude toward questions like “what if” and why not which is what spurred this whole movement and what we made possible.
Finally I would like to note that I have gratitude for our music community. People came to this group looking for connection and family, a community. It is a nurturing vibe that can never be taken for granted. I have gratitude for all of this and our craft, our community, and our imagination.
6. And of course, what will you be wearing? Any plans for Grammy night?
Yup! I am excited to be in LA on Feb 5 2023 to attend the show. The voting will kick off in December and will be done by the Recording Academy. I’m not sure what I’m wearing yet, but I may be wearing a sari. :)
You can check out the album here: https://ffm.to/shuruaat
Thank you Annette for sharing your story with us! And congratulations to the Berklee India Ensemble on this nomination!
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