BENGALURU: A blend of rap, Tamil folk, Marathi percussion and electronica — the result is an eclectic musical product, Kaadu (which means forest), that aims to advocate the need of conserving forests. Conceptualised by Grammy winner Ricky Kej, the new music video stars Kannada singer and composer Charan Raj, popular Tamil rapper Arivu from the Enjoy Enjami fame, flautist Rasika Shekar, percussionist Darshan Doshi among others.
The project was a part of music composers Salim and Sulaiman Merchant’s Bhoomi 21, with ‘21’ denoting the year 2021. Kej, who is active in musical projects centred around environmentalism, felt Kaadu was a one-of-its-kind project that saw a combination of different music formats to highlight the need to conserve forests. “This is my first Tamil project and something that was out of my comfort zone as well. When Salim-Sulaiman came up with Bhoomi 21, Salim gave me a blank slate and asked me to work on a song. That is when I collated the ensemble of musicians who could bring in a mix of Tamil folk, electronica, rap, and also the folk Marathi percussion onto the music scene,” says Kej, who conceptualised the music video in April 2021.
According to Kej, this Tamil song also underlines that people are not thinking of long-term sustainable goals to preserve the forests. “Many still feel that we can destroy and exploit the resources of the forests. The song also talks about the hypocrisy of mankind where one knows that forests need to be protected but yet we are doing nothing about it. The anthem does not add any negative connotation to it. It’s a celebration of nature and our forests,” says Kej.
Interestingly, Kej is also in the race for yet another Grammy award for his music album series, Divine Tides, which was in collaboration with American drummer Stewart Copeland. The second nomination for the Grammy’s comes seven years after his first Grammy award which he won in 2014 for his musical album, Winds of Samsara. About the nomination, Kej says, “Divine Tides is an album very special to me because I got to collaborate with my childhood idol Stewart Copeland. The music also has been very close to my heart because it was created during the lockdown when I was just confined to my home. I would consider this music to be my best work to date.”