In a remarkable achievement for Indian classical fusion on the global stage, US-based pianist and composer Charu Suri has secured her debut Grammy nomination. Her serene sleep album, 'Shayan', is in the running for the Best Contemporary Instrumental Album at the upcoming awards ceremony. The album uniquely weaves together the meditative strains of Indian evening ragas with the gentle cadences of jazz, creating a soundscape designed for healing and rest.
An Album Born from Personal Need and Global Anxiety
The genesis of 'Shayan', which translates to 'to sleep' in Sanskrit, is deeply personal. The 49-year-old Suri, born Charu Surinarayan in Madurai, created it as a balm for her mother, who struggled with insomnia after the loss of Suri's father, and for herself. As a musician constantly touring across time zones, her own sleep was fractured. The pervasive anxiety from the surrounding geopolitical climate and global violence further fueled her desire to create therapeutic music.
"The geopolitical climate has been nothing short of exhausting. I saw so many people suffering, not being able to sleep," Suri explained during an early morning interview. "It made me realise that I had to slow down, look at music differently, approach it with a perspective of healing and therapy. I wrote this album as a balm to heal everybody, starting with myself."
A Musical Journey from Chennai to Carnegie Hall
Suri's musical foundation is a rich tapestry of influences. Initiated into music by her grandmother, a veena player and Carnatic vocalist, her childhood in Chennai was filled with the sounds of Mandolin U Srinivas and L Subramaniam. Her father's eclectic taste, spanning Beethoven to Michael Jackson, broadened her horizons. Pivotal piano training under Gita Menon in Chennai equipped her with an exceptional ability to read, transcribe, and compose orchestral scores from a young age.
A scholarship to Princeton University at 17 expanded her world, leading to formative collaborations with legends like cellist Yo-Yo Ma and bassist Edgar Meyer. Their mentorship and genuine belief in her compositional talent gave her the confidence to forge her unique path. While Western classical music forms her base, her style now heavily draws from jazz, which she began seriously studying about five years ago after a trip to New Orleans, and her Indian roots.
Honouring Two Traditions and Eyeing the Future
Suri, who now lives in New Jersey and runs a music school, is meticulous about honouring both the jazz and Indian classical traditions in her 'raga jazz' fusion. She continues to take classical vocal lessons from Jaipur gharana vocalist Rachana Deshpande to deepen her understanding. "I have put in years of work doing that to make the music sound seamless," she states.
The seven-track 'Shayan', which debuted at Carnegie Hall last year, finds itself in prestigious company at the Grammys, nominated alongside works by Béla Fleck, Antonio Sánchez, and others. Suri is also featured on two other nominated albums: Siddhant Bhatia’s 'Sounds of Kumbha' and Flor Bromley’s 'Herstory'.
Looking ahead, Suri is evaluating collaboration offers and working on a new album titled 'Bossa Raga', aiming to blend Brazilian rhythms with Indian ragas. She also harbours a dream of composing for Bollywood and hopes to collaborate with AR Rahman one day. As she prepares to walk the red carpet at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on February 1, Suri is already celebrating the recognition of her quiet, healing whisper of an album on music's biggest stage.
