Singer-Songwriter Priya Darshini Up For Grammy Award For Debut Album Recorded Inside Brooklyn Church
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- When local singer-songwriter Priya Darshini made an album inside a Brooklyn church, little did she know it would be nominated for a Grammy.
It's a rare accomplishment for a debut record.
"How excited are you to be nominated for a Grammy?" CBS2's Dave Carlin asked.
"It's a dream. I was not expecting it at all," Darshini said.
Her album Periphery is nominated for Best New Age Album at the 63rd Grammy Awards.
"It is a very personal message at the heart of it all, correct? And what is that?" Carlin asked.
"I'm not Indian enough for India, not enough American enough for America. Who am I?" Darshini said. "I realized that home is, is inside of me. It's about finding peace and stillness inside of me."
Her album was recorded at a church in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, with a single microphone. The session lasted 12 hours.
"Because we're recording live, you don't have any do-overs," Darshini said.
Raised in Mumbai, she started singing at age 3. She mastered Hindustani classical music, then branched out to jazz and pop.
"Always wanting to come to New York because this is where are some of the best musicians from around the world are," Darshini said. "So eventually 2013 is when I finally made the move."
Never far from her heart are her family members in India and a charity there that she helped set up.
"The Nonprofit is called Jana Rakshita. It's a Sanskrit word, and we work in pediatric cancer and we build educational facilities for indigenous folks in India, especially for the girls," Darshini said.
She has some advice for young musicians.
"Remain a student forever. Study every single day," she said.
Darshini also says be authentic, and remember honors and rewards are nice...
"It's like a big high five to me. It's like keep doing what you're doing," she said.
But it's the music that matters.
You can watch the Grammys live Sunday at 8 p.m. on CBS2 or on the new streaming app Paramount+.