For Your Consideration
GRAMMY®
KALYANI NAIR
MERI DHUN
ALTERNATIVE MUSIC PERFORMANCE
ARRANGEMENT, INSTRUMENT & VOCALS
SONG OF THE YEAR
Listen to Meri Dhun
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About Meri Dhun
“Meri Dhun” is a lyrical and musical tribute to the timeless art of music—an ever-present companion that colours the blank canvas of our lives with its invisible brush. This song is my heartfelt ode, a gesture of gratitude to music for being the vibrant hue in my journey and in the lives of so many others.
The composition mirrors this intent through its powerful, evocative lyrics carried by driving guitars, seamlessly interwoven with the lilting elegance of a Budapest string orchestra that deepens the emotional resonance. Supporting textures—bass, piano, and drums—are used sparingly yet purposefully, balancing strength with subtlety, and silence with space. Together, they shape a performance that embodies music’s boundless power to transcend borders and unite us in shared emotion.
Credits
Composed, written, arranged and sung by
Guitars and Electric bass
Drums
Piano
Kalyani Nair
Keba Jeremiah
Vasanth David
Bhuvanesh Narayanan
Strings - Orchestral
Strings Performed by Budapest Scoring
Orchestra
Recording Studio
Conductor
Orchestra Indian Representative
Session producer
Recording Engineer
Librarian
Rottenbiller Studios
Peter Illenyi
Balasubramanian G
Bálint Sapszon
Viktor Sazbo
Agnes Sapszon, Kati Reti
Recording Engineers
Vocals Recorded by
Guitars and Electric Bass Recorded by
Mixed and Mastered by
Vishnu Raj MR at 2bq Studios, Chennai
Hariharan at 20DB Sound Studios, Chennai
Sujith Sreedhar, 2bq Studios, Chennai
Artwork
Susha
Lyrics
HINDI LYRICS
Verse 1:
तू अमन, सुरों का चमन
तू ज़मीं-गगन, मन की लगन
तू नदी-पवन, सब की अगन
तू ही वचन, मेरा जतन
तुम्ही से - मेरी धुन,
तू सुन, मेरी धुन
Chorus:
तुझ में बसा मेरा जहाँ
तुझ से मिला है आसरा
है तुम्ही से - मेरी धुन
तू सुन, मेरी धुन
Verse 2:
मीत बना, संगीत मेरा
पर ना कोई, चेहरा तेरा
मेरी डोर है तू, मेरा छोर भी तू
तू दवा, तू ग़म, तू हया, तू दम
तुम्ही से - मेरी धुन
तू सुन, मेरी धुन
Chorus:
तुझ में बसा मेरा जहाँ
तुझ से मिला है आसरा
है तुम्ही से - मेरी धुन
तू सुन, मेरी धुन
LYRICS IN ENGLISH
Verse 1:
Tu Aman, suron ka chaman
Tu zameen-gagan, man ki lagan
Tu nadi-pavan, sab ki agan
Tu hi vachan, mera jatan
Tumhi se - meri dhun
Tu sun, meri dhun
Chorus:
Tujh mein basaa mera jahaan
Tujh se mila hai aasaraa
Hai tumhi se - meri dhun
Tu sun, meri dhun
Verse 2:
Meet bana sangeet mera
Par na koi chehera tera
Meri dor hai tu, mera chor bhi tu
Tu dava, tu gam, tu haya, tu dam
Tumhi se - meri dhun
Tu sun, meri dhun
Chorus:
Tujh mein basaa mera jahaan
Tujh se mila hai aasaraa
Hai tumhi se - meri dhun
Tu sun, meri dhun
ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF THE LYRICS
Verse 1:
You are peace, a beautiful garden of notes
You are the earth, the sky, the dedication of the mind
You are the river, the wind, the burning fire within us
You are in speech, you are my striving
You are the very source of my melody
Listen to my song
Chorus:
In you, resides my entire world
From you, my strength is drawn
You are the very source of my melody
Listen to my song
Verse 2:
Music became my closest companion
Yet you have no face
You are my guiding force, you are my destination
You are the medicine, you are the pain
You are modesty, you are strength
You are the very source of my melody
Listen to my song
About Myself
I am a singer, composer, arranger, and conductor whose journey began at fifteen as a playback singer in the South Indian film industry, working with stalwarts like A.R. Rahman, Vidyasagar, Ramesh Vinayakam, Joshua Sridhar, Deva and many others.
Trained in Western Classical Music under Augustine Paul, I grew passionate about choral arranging and orchestral writing, leading to collaborations with composers such as Santhosh Narayanan, Sean Roldan, and Pradeep Kumar, and recordings with world-class ensembles including Budapest Scoring, the Macedonian Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Orchestra, Studio Orchestra of Sydney, Chennai Strings and A.R. Rahman’s Sunshine Orchestra.
Beyond films, I have pursued independent music, from scoring for the critically acclaimed documentary Arunagiri Perumale to contributing to Coke Studio Seasons 1 & 2. In 2021, I co-founded The Indian Choral Ensemble, a 40-voice Chennai-based group, whose debut album Ula (2024) features my original compositions and arrangements.
Today, I continue to explore new ways of blending tradition with contemporary sound through both my independent projects and commissioned works for film and non-film media.