I believe I make music from the heart: Ricky Kej

Bengaluru musician: Ricky Kej studied to be a dentist, but won the Grammy!  The sounds of his music bring harmony and renewed positivity. Musician Ricky Kej, 33, who won the 57th Grammy Award for his work Winds of Samsara in the `Best New Age Album' category this year, was born in North Carolina, but is based in Bengaluru. In Buddhism, `samsara' is described as `winds of karma' and relates to the repeating cycle of birth and death. Kej's day job is writing and producing music projects - from soundtracks and ad jingles to albums. For this album, he collaborated with South African flautist Wouter Kellerman, along with over 120 spirited musicians from five continents.Winds of Samsara was No. 1 on the US Billboard, and remained at the top 10 for 12 weeks straight.

MY MOMENT OF FAME 

Winning the Grammy was a dream come true. I never considered I would see this day. What made the moment special was that I could share it with my wife. Sharing a big moment with a loved one makes the celebration more meaningful. I didn't have the phone with me during the ceremony, the first call I made was to my parents. 

THE BIG DREAM 

Music was always my dream. I had studied to be a dentist, but my heart wanted to create music. My father and grandfather were doctors. My brother is an orthodontist. But I listened to my heart. I wanted to create music that's honest. I believe that's what made my album a success.

GOING GLOBAL 

It is an exhilarating feeling when the world acknowledges your music. You are over whelmed. I wanted to create an album with the philosophy of Nelson Mandela and Ma hatma Gandhi. Gandhi spent more than 20 years in South Africa and his path towards peaceful resistance began there; something Mandela was very inspired by. My music in Samsara speaks about peace, harmony and positivity. You can feel the music as it peaks and curves and changes in energy. I like to use sounds from all over the world. I don't like to restrict sounds. I don't even believe in restricting myself to any genre. I am not defined by instruments. I make music from the heart. 

YOUR ICONS OF SUCCESSROLE MODEL 

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Pandit Ravi Shankar, AR Rahaman and Hans Zimmer. SUCCESS QUOTIENT 

I tried to redefine the tradi tional definitions of music. I was not scared to experi ment. My success is a result of the fact I never stopped experimenting. Belief is what makes your art different. Like when Adele broke up, she created her entire album on break-up songs. People create great work based on their life experiences. British singer Sam Smith thanked his ex-boyfriend for his heartbreak in his acceptance speech at the Grammy. He said without a broken heart, he would not have been able to compose great music. There's timelessness in connecting with your audience. That makes music art. 

LIFE PHILOSOPHY 

I resonate calmness and positivity. It reflects in my work and being. I believe in hard work and being honest about my work. I usually like to break from the norm and experiment.