Aditya Veera Venkatesh
| Picture Credit score: Particular Association
Life appears to have come full circle for Aditya Veera Venkatesh. Rising up, the younger boy was launched to the soulful melodies of Harry Belafonte by his grandfather, who walked the hallowed halls of Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Expertise. Little did Aditya know then that this musical seed, sown by his grandfather, would in the future blossom into a job the place he might affect the very pinnacle of music recognition.
Quick-forward to the current: Aditya finds himself a newly inducted member of the Recording Academy, which awards the Grammys. This place carries immense status and duty and is especially poignant for him. The physique lately instituted the Greatest Music for Social Change award as a tribute to the legendary Harry Belafonte. Aditya, who grew up on Belafonte’s music, now has a front-row seat in shaping the way forward for this prestigious award named after him.
Aditya is likely one of the 3,900 various music professionals invited to hitch the Recording Academy, the house of the Grammy Awards. The brand new members are predominantly girls, individuals of color, and beneath 40, reflecting the organisation’s dedication to range.
His changing into a Grammy member was unconventional in comparison with different music business professionals. Usually, Grammy members are full-time artists, recording engineers, or producers. He is likely one of the few music podcasters from India who has managed to safe a Grammy membership. “I spoke with a variety of artists, together with Grammy winners, nominees, and people aspiring to win in my podcast, Stalwarts Of Music with Aditya Veera, launched in 2021,” says Aditya from Bengaluru. “Each Academy member can suggest two deserving candidates every year. Two members who’ve been friends on my podcast, noticing my work, really helpful me final yr.”
As a member, he enjoys unique perks like attending digital showcases that includes artists like Jacob Collier and Inexperienced Day. Nevertheless, his main function entails championing Indian artists by guiding them by way of the Grammy submission course of.
One of many challenges Aditya has recognized is the hole between Indian music and the Grammy classes. “Musicians usually launch music that doesn’t match neatly into these classes,” he explains, “I consider that is primarily resulting from a lack of expertise in India, the place we now have only a few Recording Academy members.”
Aditya Veera Venkatesh
| Picture Credit score:
Particular Association
He underscores the significance of understanding the Grammy tips to bridge this hole. “For example, a musician from Bangalore reached out to me, saying he had one thing within the synth-wave class however was not sure the best way to match it into the Grammy framework. This highlights the necessity for Indian musicians to adapt their work to suit current Grammy classes or doubtlessly discover creating new ones. So, since my induction, I’ve centered on guiding deserving candidates within the music business concerning the Grammy course of.”
Aditya is especially impressed by a number of Indian artists. Amongst them are Shitalchandra Kulkarni, a guitar virtuoso he compares to Joe Satriani, and Sai Abhyankar, whose catchy ‘Aasa Kuda’ has grow to be a chartbuster. He additionally highlights the social impression of artists like Arivu, TM Krishna, Sanjay Subhrahmayan, and Sushin Shyam, whose music drives constructive change.
Regardless of the abundance of expertise, Aditya feels there may be resistance amongst Indian artists to offer themselves a shot on the grandest music stage. “They suppose, ‘Oh, wow, a Grammy? That’s inconceivable for me.’ However they don’t realise that their music is powerful sufficient to compete with world superstars,” he says.
Aditya’s journey from a podcaster to a Grammy member is a testomony to the facility of persistence. As soon as a younger man cold-emailing artists and publicists for his podcast, he now has some affect over the most important musical award. “Musicians ought to by no means hesitate to strive, whether or not it’s submitting Grammy entries or the rest,” he says. “If individuals put hours of effort into an concept however don’t have a imaginative and prescient for taking it additional, I consider they’re not doing sufficient.”
