(Image source from: The Better India)

The Recording Academy, the organization that celebrates artistic excellence through the Grammy Awards, has announced the appointment of Indian origin musician Falguni Shah as the governor of their New York chapter.

The role of governors in the Recording Academy can range from management to political to law. But Falguni Shah aka Falu is interested in social justice and how music plays a significant role.

“My vision is to do with social justice impact. At Carnegie Hall, I have been running a social justice program for 15 years. We do ‘Lullaby Projects’, take music to maximum security prisons, senior centers, and women’s shelters. I plan to advocate the role of music not just in entertainment but also in healing for under-served communities in America,” says 39-year-old Falu, who has plans to do similar work in India as well. “Since I speak many South Asian languages, I think I can represent India at the Academy and internationally,” says Falu.

Earlier this year, the musician had walked the red carpet at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles as India’s only Grammy nominee for 2018, in the Best Children’s Music category for her album Falu’s Bazaar. A 12-song album in Hindi, English, and Gujarati, it was born out of her son Nishad’s curiosity about her culture.

Falu moved to the United States in 2000. Her struggles as an immigrant and as a musician of color in the U.S. were one of the reasons behind Falu’s Bazaar. “I felt I was struggling in both countries. I faced rejection and acceptance in both countries. Making it in music is hard in any continent because music is so subjective,” she says.

Currently, Falu is working on a new album, “this time for adults”. The album, which will be in Hindi and English, will draw from Indian music and American pop and rock. “Just being nominated for the Grammys has opened so many doors for me. I don’t know what would have happened if I had won it. So many things have come my way. The community I have now started to know is so very welcoming and that’s beautiful,” says Falu.

By Sowmya Sangam