In a remarkable achievement for Indian music on the global stage, renowned tabla player and music composer Abhirup Roy has been honoured with the prestigious Global Music Award in California, USA. Roy secured victories in both the “Best Original Score” and “Best Composer” categories for his evocative album, “The Other Half.” This album masterfully blends traditional Indian musical elements with contemporary styles, exploring a range of emotions and themes that have captivated audiences worldwide.

“The Other Half” is a testament to Roy’s unique talent and dedication to his craft. His skilful composition and profound understanding of music have earned the album widespread recognition and multiple awards, including nominations for the World Entertainment Award. The album’s success underscores Roy’s versatility and brilliance as a composer, solidifying his position in the global music industry.

The Global Music Awards are renowned for recognising and celebrating exceptional musical talent from around the world. Roy’s album has not only garnered critical acclaim but has also achieved significant success within the Hollywood music scene. Since its release, “The Other Half” has secured five prestigious music awards in the USA, highlighting Roy’s innovative contributions to music.

Abhirup Roy is celebrated globally for his exceptional skills and creativity. His expertise in playing the tabla, a traditional Indian percussion instrument, has earned him acclaim not only as a performer but also as a composer known for his originality. Roy’s compositions are distinguished by their intricate rhythms, emotive depth, and seamless fusion of diverse musical influences, pushing the boundaries of traditional and contemporary sounds.

Reflecting on his journey, Abhirup Roy shared his heartfelt gratitude for reaching this milestone: “This year is very special for me; it marks 10 years of international work. ‘The Other Half’ is my first cinematic compositional piece, which I dedicate to my wife. I’m grateful to my musician friends Tamojit, Manny, Maura, Klaus and Max, who helped make this dream possible.”

Tamojit Maitra remarked, “It’s amazing that musicians from different parts of the world collaborated, resulting in a fantastic outcome. It’s a team effort, and now that it’s competing in 12 categories, many people will listen to this work. I hope it will be appreciated. This recognition will definitely encourage the team to keep striving for excellence. The first 8 bars are probably the toughest part of writing music. With very carefully chosen notes—one note per bar—and slowly building up to the crescendo, it was more of a storytelling process. The initial idea conceived by Abhirup was very touching, and the entire project evolved based on that idea.”

Manny Pardeller from Italy shared his experience: “Abhirup already had an idea for the first part of the song and had roughly worked it out. I took this idea and developed it in detail, tweaking the sounds until I was satisfied. Abhirup then developed the second part based on the first.”

Klaus Buchner from Germany highlighted the universal nature of music, saying, “Music is an international language. World music contains cultural and local characteristics. This music is about feelings such as love, sadness, pain, joy—emotions that affect us all, regardless of where we live, our skin colour, or our wealth. We are all human beings, and for me, this message is clearest in world music.”

Max Castlunger from Tyrol added, “It is the music of people around the world. Each culture has its own musical expression, but at the same time, music connects all people globally in peace.”

Sound Engineer Goutam Basu expressed his joy: “It made me very happy. When I started mixing the recorded audio, it felt so sonically smooth. I tried to make it more dramatically enhanced. The sound of this album seems very dynamically musical, which made it very interesting for me. It felt really good in the end.”

Abhirup Roy’s dedication and passion for music continue to inspire and captivate audiences around the world, solidifying his place as a prominent figure in the global music scene.

The writer is an independent contributor