White Sun, the Santa Monica, California-based band known for their pioneering musical interpretations of yogic mantras, has won 2017 GRAMMY Award in the “New Age” category for their album White Sun II. They were nominated alongside a stellar field of artists including Enya and Vangelis.
White Sun’s lead singer and songwriter Gurujas accepted the trophy, saying: “We just want our music to make something better for somebody somewhere. And it’s our dream to see this world become a more beautiful place. For anyone who shares in that dream with us, thank you, we love you and let’s do better.”
Showcasing the musical agility of the band, the songs of White Sun II emphasize the healing vibrations of mantra through the clear, profound vocals of White Sun’s lead singer and songwriter, Gurujas. Band members Harijiwan and two-time Emmy-winner Adam Berry create the richly layered, rhythmic foundation that takes listeners beyond the everyday realm to a place of inspired, energized experience.
The ancient mantras that are the lyrics of White Sun’s songs are capable of removing negative thoughts and emotions simply by listening to them. The music is so effective at making people feel better that the White Sun II album was recently added to the official 2016 curriculum of University of Southern California (USC), as part of a new health and wellness program to help students deal with increasing levels of stress on campus.
Guest players on White Sun II include GRAMMY-winning kora player Mamadou Diabate, 7-time GRAMMY-nominated Fiddle player Gabe Witcher of the Punch Brothers, renowned singers Julia Waters, Maxine Waters and Oren Waters, and master tabla player Abhiman Kaushal.
In September 2016, the White Sun II album hit No. 1 on Billboard’s New Age chart and No. 2 on Billboard’s World Music chart.