Earlier this month, Arun Shenoy Music Publishing (ASMP), Singapore, announced a GRAMMY® Award nomination for Singaporean artist, producer and composer, Arun Shenoy, and his album titled Rumbadoodle in the Best Pop Intrumental Album field. Soon after, the artist was surprised with a second honor, as the local media confirmed he was the first Singaporean ever nominated for a GRAMMY® Award.
Shenoy released Rumbadoodle, a Flamenco-flavoured instrumental album and accompanying video, in August 2012. Throughout the large scale production process that was recorded across the globe, he shared the project’s progress from afar with industry contacts around the world, which garnered critical acclaim for his work, and eventually landed him in company with fellow Pop Instrumental nominees Chris Botti, Larry Carlton, Dave Koz and Gerald Albright & Norman Brown.
The album is a labor of love, Shenoy says, recorded over several years from Spain to Pakistan, from the UK to Canada, India to LA and New York, and of course in Singapore. Combining elements of the traditional Gypsy Rumba Flamenco with a myriad of popular music forms across the aesthetics of pop, rock and jazz, Shenoy describes the record as an exploratory journey, doodling across genre boundaries as we know it today, creating a unique and true masterpiece along the way.
"I am delighted that Rumbadoodle has been embraced by the music community and recognized at this pinnacle of excellence. I am humbled by this recognition for my work,” says Arun Shenoy soonafter the results were announced.
Shenoy is one of three Indian-born artists to be nominated this year, joining Anoushka Shankar and her recently-deceased father, Ravi Shankar, who were both nominated in the Best World Music Album category. Shenoy recently paid homage to the elder Shankar in several media outlets, stating, "To say Pandit Ravi Shankar is merely an ‘influence’ would be trivializing the importance of him. Thinking back, the sound of the Sitar was always around me growing up, and it was almost always him playing it. There are two things for which I admire him: First of all, that he was unique and original. He never tried to be someone else, he developed a style which was unique from his contemporaries, and -- whether it was influencing The Beatles or even playing at Woodstock -- he never lost his own aesthetic. And, secondly, the fact that he lived and breathed music ‘til the end is inspiring. He was 92, the oldest nominee on this year’s list, quite possibly. Seeing myself on the same nominee list as him put me into a sense of disbelief. He dedicated his life to music, and I hope I can do the same. It’s a great loss to music and to the world. May his soul rest in peace, and his music continue ringing in our ears."
While Singapore is his adopted home, Shenoy stays connected with his birthplace, dedicating 100% of album sales to Milaap.org, a micro-loan organization serving India. He notes, “The funds raised with this campaign will be put towards an education fund setup for under-privileged in India. Folks say the truth will set you free. We like to believe that education will. So please join us and make a difference.”
Shenoy says he will make the long journey from Singapore for a round of L.A.-based meetings and The Grammy Awards at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, the 10th of Feb 2013, broadcast on CBS at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
One can stream the full album and watch Rumbadoodle’s animated music video - produced in conjunction with NY-based Actuality Films - online at www.arunshenoy.com.
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vz0TU_d3Oc
Recent Media:
http://www.tnp.sg/content/singaporean-gets-grammy-nomination
http://indiawest.com/news/8084-ravi-and-anoushka-shankar-arun-shenoy-up-for-grammys.html
About Arun Shenoy
Arun Shenoy is a Singaporean songwriter and record producer originally from Bangalore, India. His production style weaves through the genres of rock n roll, worldbeat and new age music. Arun writes and produces music released as solo productions under his own name, as well as for other bands and solo artists. He broke into the limelight in 2010 with the debut EP of American rockers Tanadra that was co-written and produced by him and that yielded the hit single "Danny". This was followed in 2012 by Rumbadoodle, a solo production under his own name. He is currently busy with his follow up record slated for release in the summer of 2013. He is a showcase artist of SONY for their audio production suite and endorses PreSonus, the premier American manufacturer of live and studio sound equipment. Visit http://www.ArunShenoy.com
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