Read more about Lonnie Park in a previous Life in the Finger Lakes article
Multi-GRAMMY Award-winner Lonnie Park has produced two projects that have received nominations for the upcoming 2025 GRAMMY Awards.
The first GRAMMY nomination is for his work with long-time collaborator Ricky Kej, a three-time GRAMMY Award winner and UN Ambassador from Bangalore, India, on his album Break Of Dawn. The album is nominated for Best New Age Album, a category that Kej and Park previously won with The Police founder Stewart Copeland in 2022.
Break Of Dawn breaks new ground by focusing on mental wellness, with music based on Ancient Indian Raags crafted to promote mental health. It was released by Vedam Records, a new wellness music label launched by Universal Music Group India in partnership with Kej, with Break of Dawn as its debut release.
Park’s collaborations with Kej consistently blend art with advocacy, addressing environmental and social causes through music. Together, they have performed for dignitaries, presidents, and global leaders at various United Nations Headquarters, including in New York, Italy, and Switzerland, as well as the WHO headquarters in Geneva. Their music for children’s education earned a United Nations Action Award nomination and is included in millions of textbooks and curriculums in developing countries.
“Lonnie and I have been working together closely for over a decade now, both on stage and in the studio. Every piece of music that I have released in the last 10 years bears Lonnie’s artistic and production skills. Break Of Dawn was no different. From conception to production and post-production, I am grateful for all that Lonnie did to make the album the best it could be. This album would never have achieved its success in streams, sales, and awards without Lonnie’s collaboration.” – Ricky Kej
Park’s second GRAMMY nomination is for his collaboration with Japanese artist Masa Takumi on the song “Kashira”, which is up for Best Global Performance. “Kashira”—a term meaning “mob boss” in Japanese—is the theme song for Himuro Renji, a Japanese Yakuza film released in April. It also appears in Nihon Touitsu, a popular Netflix series in Japan. Park previously won a GRAMMY® with Takumi in 2023 for his album Sakura.
Park also recently celebrated his first Billboard #1 with the album Romani: The Untold Story, produced for The Dallas String Quartet and the London Symphony Orchestra. Among the studios used for the album were the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London and Lonnie’s own Barncastle Studio. The album tells the story of the Romani (Gypsy) people from the perspective of composer Ion Zanca, founder of the Dallas String Quartet and of Romani descent.
Park lives and works in his small hometown of Freeville, NY, where he was raised. Growing up in a religious home and school, he was taught that rock and contemporary music were taboo. Combined with the limited music industry opportunities in small-town America, Park’s successful music career is an inspiring and unlikely story. Park and his wife, Jody, live in the countryside near Ithaca and Cornell University, where he operates his studio, Barncastle Studio.
“For a kid who grew up like me, I would have never dreamed that a life in the music business could be possible. I am just so grateful to do what I love every day, in a time when my friends and collaborators are spread around the world yet connected like neighbors. None of this would be possible without the constant encouragement from my wife, Jody, and, of course, artists like Ricky and Masa, who have become part of our family.” – Lonnie Park
