How to Enter For The Grammys: A Primer By Pragnya Wakhlu

With Indian artists recently snagging nominations at the Grammys, the prestigious recognition for musical excellence are in the spotlight again.

Kashmiri vocalist and songwriter Pragnya Wakhlu has more than half a dozen awards to her name including the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award for Best Music for her track “Katyuchuk My Love,” (watch its stunning animated video), which she won in 2021. “Of course, the big dream always was to win a Grammy,” says the New Delhi-based artist. But instead of dismissing it as a preposterous idea that has crossed every musician’s mind at some point in their careers, Wakhlu decided to work towards realizing this ambition. “I found out that to get your music nominated, you have to be a voting member of the Recording Academy first,” says the artist, who applied to be a voting member in 2020 in the middle of the lockdown. “I wasn’t aware of any Indian indie artist who was a voting member, so this became my first step towards the big goal,” says Wakhlu. The voting membership is meant for performers, songwriters, producers, engineers, instrumentalists, and other creators currently working in the recording industry.

For other indie artists who want a guide on how to become a voting member, Wakhlu shares how she did it: “For anyone who cares to look, the information is all there on the Grammy website,” she says. But there is a method to hitting the milestone.

Choosing references

Voting members of the Grammy Recording Academy can either be nominated by existing members or have to find references who can vouch for them. References are key to getting the entire process started. “I reached out to [guitarist-composer] Ehsaan Noorani and Ritnika Nayan [owner of music company Music Gets Me High] for endorsements. Once the referrals are approved, you receive an application form from the Academy,” says Wakhlu. Every voting member can nominate two artists per year and Wakhlu has nominated Ahmedabad-based indie band Heat Sink’s founder and guitarist Chirag Todi and Sufi vocalist Sonam Kalra after she became a voting member in 2021.

Creating music metadata

While it is imperative that an artist’s music be available on leading streaming service platforms, it is not enough. “All your discography has to be available on a publicly accessible database such as Discogs,” says Wakhlu. It took a month for Wakhlu to upload all details pertaining to her music on discogs.com including artwork, credits and ISRC (International Standard Recording Code), a unique code that acts as an identifier for your track. “I wasn’t sure whether uploading to Discogs was enough and so I also uploaded details of all my music to Tivo. For Tivo, you have to submit everything in an Excel sheet. It is an exhaustive process,” she adds.

An important criterion is that all tracks must be commercially available in the United States, either through recognized online music retailers or in the physical format at retail stores. At least five tracks should have been released within the past five years of applying to be a voting member.

Getting repped

Once all data pertaining to your music is uploaded, the next step is to submit a letter from the artist management agency as proof of having performed gigs and tours. “Even if they don’t have a regular manager or agency managing them, artists can get letters from any artist management agency that they have worked with. This could be a non-exclusive arrangement,” says Wakhlu. She adds, “I had an agency manage some of my shows in Bengaluru and they submitted a letter to represent me.”

Hyping it up

Since social media has taught all of us the art of shameless self-promotion, the next step is effortless. “You have to upload all the media articles that focus on your music. I had also won six awards so I mentioned those as well,” says the singer. The articles can include any mention in credible media websites or press, interviews and reviews. Finally, the artist needs to make a convincing case for being accepted into the Grammy Recording Academy as a voting member – think of it as a statement of purpose of sorts. “The great thing is that the Academy has focused on increasing representation of women and minorities,” adds Wakhlu of the move that is definitely a push in the right direction for Indian artists.

Once an artist is accepted into the Grammy Recording Academy as a voting member, they can not only submit and vote for their own music, but also determine Grammy winners every year. 

Making a genuine connection

Once an artist becomes a voting member, there is the task of making your music known to other voting members. “Unless you’ve had the kind of success that Hanumankind has seen this year, there is so much music out there that it’s tough to be recognized,” says Wakhlu. However, voting members who have submitted their music cannot solicit for votes. “You will be debarred if you ask for votes openly and you also cannot spam members. You can, however, send a For Your Consideration (FYC) email,” adds the vocalist.

While alumni of well-known music schools based in the U.S. as well as American pop stars seem to immediately find a spot in the Grammy long list, indie artists need to work harder to be recognized. Some Indian artists are known to host listening sessions and parties for influential music industry professionals so that they stand a chance to be recognized. “Ultimately, if your music sounds good and you can build genuine connections, you will be heard like it’s happened with artists like Arooj Aftab,” adds Wakhlu.

If you listen to Pragnya Wakhlu’s track “Kal Nahin Aata,” released earlier this year, the familiar Nineties vibe, which sounds like a nod to bands like Euphoria, instantly reels you in (depending on whether you know what a cassette is or not). Wakhlu lives by the lines in the track, which talks about never looking back at life in regret. Wakhlu submitted “Kal Nahin Aata” to the Grammy Recording Academy to be considered for nominations in three categories including Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, Best Global Music Performance and Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals. This is the second time that Wakhlu has submitted her music to the Recording Academy – she sent in her album Lessons In Love in 2021.

Lalitha Suhasini is the former editor of Rolling Stone India and currently teaches journalism at FLAME University.