United News of Bangladesh

Renowned Indian singer and composer Shankar Mahadevan has embraced artificial intelligence in music creation by collaborating with Google to develop a new song using its generative music model, Lyria. The Grammy-winning artist showcased the capabilities of the AI tool during a virtual appearance at Google’s annual I/O developer conference held on May 20 in Mountain View, California. Google used the event to introduce its latest AI innovations, including tools designed for filmmaking and music generation. As part of the unveiling of Lyria 2, Google Research Scientist Jason Baldridge introduced a “music AI sandbox” created in collaboration with musicians. “It is a tool for professionals to explore the possibilities of our generative music model Lyria, in their work. Let's watch a clip starring legendary Grammy-winning singer and composer Shankar Mahadevan putting the music AI sandbox and Lyria to use,” said Baldridge, reports Hindustan Times. The featured video shows Shankar Mahadevan in his studio, where he shares his experience working with the AI tool. “I am a music composer, singer, producer and a happy man... Working with Sandbox is great. We inputted our requirements and it gave us a bed. We used that bed and we came up with this song,” he said. Javed Akhtar says he'd choose hell over Pakistan amid troll attacks Titled ‘Rubaro’, the song was created using Lyria and developed in collaboration with Shankar’s team. The video highlights their creative journey, including selecting beats and adjusting pitches, offering a glimpse into how AI can assist musicians in shaping their artistic vision. Reflecting on the experience, Shankar added, “For a musician, it is such an inspiring tool. You open a door and you see there’s another room... And then you open another room, and you have another door... That is what AI does.” Known for his versatility across Bollywood, classical, and devotional music, Shankar Mahadevan has lent his voice to hit tracks like Maa, Dil Chahta Hai, Kal Ho Naa Ho, Desi Girl, Kajra Re and Uff Teri Adaa.

In a landmark achievement for Indian music, the celebrated band Shakti, featuring the legendary tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain, vocalist Shankar Mahadevan, percussionist V Selvaganesh, and violinist Ganesh Rajagopalan, clinched the Best Global Music Album award for their latest work, “This Moment,” at the 2024 Grammy Awards. Shortly after the ceremony, musical icon AR Rahman, who was in attendance, shared a moment of pride on social media, posting a selfie with Shakti’s acclaimed members – Mahadevan, Hussain, and Selvaganesh.T op Grammy Award winners of 2024 Rahman’s post, filled with joy, praised their remarkable success: “It’s raining Grammys for India…Congrats Grammy winners #ustadzakirhussain (3 Grammys) @shankar.mahadevan (first Grammy) @selvaganesh,” capturing the celebratory spirit of the moment. In an additional feather in their cap, Zakir Hussain, along with flautist Rakesh Chaurasia, also received the Grammy Award for Best Global Music Performance for their collaborative piece, “Pashto.” This composition further earned accolades as Best Contemporary Instrumental Album, highlighting the diverse talents within the Indian music scene. Miley Cyrus wins record of the year at Grammys Ricky Kej, an Indian music composer and Grammy laureate himself, extended his congratulations via a heartfelt video of Shakti's acceptance speech, emphasizing the brilliance of these musicians and their contribution to India's global recognition in music. Kej’s enthusiastic post on X celebrated the band’s victory: “SHAKTI wins a Grammy!!! Through this album 4 brilliant Indian musicians won Grammys!! Just amazing. India is shining in every direction…” This year’s Grammy success for Shakti and its members adds to a growing list of international accolades for Indian artists, including AR Rahman’s dual Grammy wins in 2010 for his work on “Slumdog Millionaire”. Taylor Swift wins Grammy album of the year for the 4th time