Introducing Falguni Shah—The Only Indian Nominee At The 61st Annual Grammy Awards

Falu Shah

One of the most prestigious awards that we look forward to every year are the Grammy’s. Each year, there are so many well-deserved wins, heart-melting performances and speeches that we look forward to. This year, however, is doubly special for us Indians. Our homegirl Falguni Shah a.k.a Falu from Mumbai has been nominated for Best Children’s Album. We’re so stoked and guess what? We got a chance to have a chat with her and get to know all the deets of her album, the Grammy’s and a lot more. So, let’s get right to it!

1. How does it feel to be nominated?

It feels great and I must say it’s all still sinking in.

2. What brought on this album?

When my little son turned 4 years old and started preschool, he came home with questions like Ma – why is our food yellow? why do we speak a different language at home versus school? why do we count our numbers differently? I thought the best way to answer his questions was through music. So I decided to make this album to give him and all children who come from different and diverse backgrounds a sense of identity and reassure them – what they have inherited is deep-rooted culture and heritage and they have the advantage to draw from both, their cultures and also the American way of life.

3. Who will you be taking with you to the Grammy’s?

My husband and my little son Nishaad along with my team.

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Listening to my son is more meaningful to me than listening to anything in this world. Oh god I love him so much.

A post shared by Falumusic (@falumusic) on Jul 4, 2017 at 8:28pm PDT

4. What was your son’s reaction after he heard your album?

He got obsessed with the music to the point that we wanted to play something else besides “Falu’s Bazaar” in the house and he would not let us play any other music in the house or in the car.

5. At what age did you start singing and how does your family contribute to your career?

I started singing at the age of 3. Because my mom and my grandma both were musicians in our house music was a constant force. My brother Darshan also learned how to play the Tabla and my dad supported us wholeheartedly.

6. What’s your message to all the Indian musicians trying to make it big?

Dream big and never give up!

7. What was it like to perform in front of Michelle Obama alongside AR Rahman?

One of the most magical experiences of my life. I kept pinching myself frequently every time I spoke to the Obama’s and of course working with Rahman was a dream come true so those couple of days in the White House have become one of my most treasured memories.

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Pre-Grammy celebrations at #indiecollaborative party in LA – outfit, Hair, Make up by my spiritual sister @stylebysusmita. . . . #stylebysusmita #grammys #grammynominated #falu #falusbazaar #falumusic #grammycelebration #recordingacademy #herewego #bollywood #indianmusic #indianclassical #indian #worldmusic

A post shared by Falumusic (@falumusic) on Feb 8, 2019 at 7:23pm PST

8. How did your album reach the Grammy’s? Did you expect it to reach this level of popularity?

I was quite surprised and tickled to find out that Falu’s Bazaar reached the Grammy’s and since this album was written straight from a mother’s heart for her child to give him a sense of identity in the US as an Indian-American child, I did not expect this level of popularity.

9. Do you have your winning speech prepared?

I’m starting to think about it now.

10. Does your son have any interest in the music industry that you know of?

He is too little to have an interest in the music industry but being a 12th generation classical musician, he is learning Indian Classical music in its purest form quiet vigorously.

11. How do you think music can help in raising awareness of different concerns the world is going through and also to bring about change?

I remember what my Ustad Sultan Khan once said: “Music is such that a soul sings and a soul hears.” I feel music has the ultimate power to bring people together given how divided we feel these days. Right now I feel super blessed and thankful to be a musician and I hope I can help make the world a better place with this gift that I have.

She really is an inspiration to all the musicians of the world and sets a great example for them. We wish her all the best for the Grammy’s and hope she wins!

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