New Age Album Grammy Winners White Sun on ‘Mystic Mirror’

Going two for two at the Grammy Awards this year are American new age/electronic/folk and pop music group White Sun, who picked up Best New Age, Ambient or Chant album for their 2022 LP Mystic Mirror. The trio – comprising Adam Berry, Gurujas and Harijiwan, previously won the New Age Album Grammy award in 2017, for the album White Sun II.

The trio appeared on stage at the Grammy awards premiere ceremony where the announcement was made, decked in their signature white outfits. Gurujas said on stage, “Thank you so much to the Academy; I’m going to cry. Thank you to everyone who helped create this album, thank you to our producers. Standing with you guys is such a privilege and honor […] with that comes more responsibility to bring love and kindness on to the planet earth.”

In an interview prior to their Grammy win, Gurujas spoke to Rolling Stone India about the making of Mystic Mirror and how different their sound is compared to White Sun II. Excerpts:

We’re less than a week away from the Grammys. Is there a familiar kind of excitement with this being your second nomination? 

A Grammy award is the highest possible honors in music, so being nominated feels remarkable and surreal. It is all the more meaningful because our music doesn’t really fit into any established mold, so to be recognized on the biggest night in music is beyond gratifying. We are so humbled, and so incredibly grateful 

Mystic Mirror even went on to chart in countries like Hong Kong. What can you tell me about this kind of global, far-reaching allure of the kind of music you make? 

To see our music on charts around the world is monumental for us. Our fans feel like a big global family, and I am just so grateful that people respond to what we are doing. When I write a song, I usually start with a keyboard, and sing it into my voice memos. To see those songs launched onto the world stage is a miraculous feeling. 

There seems to be a certain kind of evolution White Sun has undergone between these two Grammy nominated albums. How would you describe it?

It is my goal to continuously evolve and grow as a person, and naturally this is reflected in the music as well. When we won the Grammy in 2017, it was for White Sun II, an album sung in ancient languages. Mystic Mirror, our current nominated album, is more of an amalgamation. It opens with “Garden,” an experimental journey, followed by ballads and pop songs, and closes with a female-only choir. 

While our musical style has changed through the years, our intention has not. We always have and always will make music that is designed to leave the listener in a better, more uplifted space. 

What else is coming up for White Sun in 2023? 

We hope to record and release as much music as possible. We are currently working on an album in Spanish, in part to express our appreciation for our incredible fans who speak the language. We also plan on doing many more live shows.

Watch the video for “Garden” from ‘Mystic Mirror’ below.