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Updated May 19th, 2022 at 17:14 IST

Cannes 2022: Ricky Kej grateful to govt for choosing him despite non-'mainstream' image

Grammy Award-winning music composer Ricky Kej stated that his presence at the 75th Cannes Film Festival shunned misconceptions regarding mainstream music.

Reported by: Swati Singh
cannes 2022
Image: Twitter/@ani_digital | Image:self
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Grammy Award-winning music composer Ricky Kej has been one of the celebrities making waves at the ongoing Cannes Film festival. He was a part of the Indian delegation led by the Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting, Anurag Thakur. The musician opened up about his experience at the prestigious event, highlighting the changing definition of 'mainstream'.

 The 40-year-old has opened up about his performance at the 75th Cannes Film Festival and how he felt being a part of the Indian delegation alongside the Union Minister.

Ricky Kej opens about his performance at Cannes, 2022

In a conversation with Hindustan Times, Ricky Kej said that his performance came packed with a spectacular audiovisual experience, with notes about the environment and nature. Kej went on to say, "The concert was basically a huge celebration of India. It was a mix of Sanskrit, Hindi, and Rajasthani dialects, with a little bit of Punjabi, English and Oriya. It was a multilingual thing, representing diverse facets of India".

'Grateful, I’m not considered a part of mainstream music, & yet the govt chose me': Kej

Ricky Kej even stated that his presence at the 75th Cannes Film Festival shunned a lot of misconceptions regarding the term 'mainstream.' He said:

"There is a huge misnomer, especially among musicians in India, that if you want to get to a global platform, like the Grammys or the Cannes, you have to go for Western form of music, or English music. That is absolutely the wrong direction, because the West appreciates us for who we are. And I am a living example of that.

"I have never been a part of Bollywood. I am very grateful to the government for picking me in spite of that. I’m not considered to be part of mainstream music in India, and yet the government chose me. I am grateful to the government that they’ve recognised."

Ricky Kej set an example by repeating outfits at global events for the environment. The musician repeated the outfit that he sported at Grammy Awards 2022 and sent out the message, "Fashion Can Be Trendy Twice." He took to his Instagram handle and penned a lengthy yet heartfelt note which read, "Fashion Can Be Trendy Twice. ReWear your outfits for different occasions and do your part in reducing damage dealt to the Earth."

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Ricky Kej (@rickykej)

He went on to state, "This year, I was on 2 of the biggest stages in the world - the Grammy Awards & Cannes Film Festival and chose to wear the same outfit." Kej further mentioned, "#ReWear4Earth your outfits, take a picture and use the hashtag.. and do your part for the planet. The Earth wouldn’t remember what you wore. It will remember how you treat it."

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Published May 19th, 2022 at 17:12 IST

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