Grammy nomination for South Africa’s very own

Award-winning South African flutist and composer Wouter Kellerman and composer and producer Ricky Kej have been nominated for the 57th Grammy Awards.

The nomination is for their debut collaborative album, Winds Of Samsara (in the Best New Age Album of the Year category).

The announcement was made on 5 December by The Recording Academy.

Kellerman and Kej will grace the red carpet at the Staples Center in Los Angeles in 2015.

Winds of Samsara’debuted at Number One on the Billboard New Age Chart and continued to be in the Top 10 for 12 weeks, it also climbed to Number One on the ZMR World Radio Charts.

The boundary-breaking New Age album, Winds of Samsara, speaks through themes of world peace and positivity, spinning together forward-moving harmony,

progressive composition, and technical prowess with a verve and passion never before attempted in this genre.

Two years in the making by the star-matched duo Wouter and Ricky, the album spotlights the musical, cultural and political connections between India and South Africa from Mahatma Gandhi to Nelson Mandela.

On being nominated, Kellerman said, “I am simply overwhelmed by this nomination! It is extremely heartening to know that all our hard work is being recognised.This album has truly transcended borders and cultural barriers and we hope the positive energy created will help effect positive change in the world. I feel very privileged to be in such good company and wish all my fellow nominees all the very best.”

Kej added, “It is especially a proud moment for me to be nominated for a Grammy and to go down in history with the likes of Peter Gabriel, Enya and Enigma. It is exhilarating! This album is a dream come true for me, as it has challenged us as artists to push borders and to have the one common thread truly be the universal language of music. Being recognised in this way humbles me and motivates me to continue spreading the message of peace and harmony through my music.”