With Shuruaat, the Berklee Indian Ensemble Begin a New Chapter Berklees in-house Indo-jazz superstars celebrate their first decade and step into the future with their debut album.
By
John Mirisola
July 21, 2022
The Berklee Indian Ensemble
Image by Mike Ritter
Depending on how you look at it, the road to the Berklee Indian Ensembles first album, Shuruaat (Hindi for beginning), was either impossible, or it was inevitable.
Shuruaat album cover
Design by Nikhil Kaul
On the one hand, there were countless hurdles. Take, for instance, the business challenges of a small academic institute working out an international music publishing deal with Sony Music India, or developing fair revenue-sharing contracts with some hundred collaborators. Then theres the sheer unprecedented trajectory of this homegrown college ensemble evolving organically over 10 years into a YouTube phenomenon, now ready to enter yet another new stage as a professional 11-piece collective.
But on the other hand, theres the music itself, with all its inevitable charisma. Watching any one of those performances that have attracted so many millions of viewers, seeing how skillfully the ensemble flows through styles, collaborators, languages, and moods, balancing immense talent with serious fun, its no great mystery how the group, led by Berklee India Exchange Artistic Director Annette Philip B.M. '09, found the conviction to persevere through those seemingly impossible challenges and arrive at this new beginning.
The main thing that has always pushed us are two questions: what if? and why not? Philip explains. We were constantly told by industry professionals, especially who work in India: This is going to be an uphill task. When we got to the 10-year anniversary [of the ensemble], however, I just felt like, you know what, just because it might be hard is not a good enough reason to not do this, or not even not try.
From a Blank Canvas to a YouTube Phenomenon Those two questions-what if? and why not?-have been with the group from the beginning, when Philip was given a blank canvas to create a new ensemble or academic offering at Berklee. She knew the answer immediately: There were these little pockets of Indian music that were being explored more on a theory side or a composition side, but no performing collective that was exploring Indian music in all of its varied forms. So she founded the Berklee Indian Ensemble as a vocal group in 2011, and over its first few years, the ensemble blossomed into a full band that students returned to term after term.
Part of the groups appeal has always been its inclusive spirit. Its a porous collective, Philip says, a space where no matter what your cultural or musical background is, you are able to bring your perspective and your voice into the music, and thats got to flavor the overall sound.... Right from the beginning, the goal was: yes, it is Indian music, but it is a global Indian sound that we are going to create together.
That was a sound that audiences around the globe-and across the internet-responded to. The groups second-ever YouTube video, 2014s interpretation of A. R. Rahmans Jiya Jale, went viral overnight, and within a week had racked up more than a million views. As of today, the song is approaching 53 million views, and is the most popular video on Berklees YouTube channel. And as the millions of views on subsequent videos have proven, that early success was far from a fluke.
Watch the Berklee Indian Ensembles viral hit Jiya Jale:
A New Beginning Ten years on, much has changed for the ensemble. In 2021, the group, which had organically developed a core lineup of 11 musicians-some of whom had been playing with the ensemble since its inception-transitioned from an academic offering to Berklees first professional touring outfit. The ensemble will now focus on raising the schools global profile through its own performances, workshops, and outreach. Meanwhile, students will have access to the ensembles spiritual successor, the South Asian Ensemble, which they can participate in without needing to square the demands of a full-time touring band with the rigors of a Berklee education.
Shuruaat, which collects 10 of the groups most memorable YouTube performances into a cohesive musical journey, is a monument to what the ensemble managed to accomplish through its first decade. Featuring four original compositions alongside covers and collaborations with legends including tabla master Zakir Hussain '19H, singers Shankar Mahadevan and Vijay Prakash, and Bollywood icon Shreya Ghoshal, it really is a full spectrum of what the ensemble has created as a team, as a family, over the last 10, 11 years, says Philip. It includes 98 musicians from 39 countries. And this 98 is only a glimpse-a small glimpse-into the almost 500 people whove been part of the ensemble over the years.
We want our students and our alumni to know that they have rights, and they have to be treated correctly, no matter who their collaborator is.
- Annette Philip, Artistic Director, Berklee India Exchange
The album also marks a milestone in ethical music business practices. We have set up Berklees first-and probably one of the worlds first-equitable, just revenue sharing systems, Philip explains. Weve talked to many music supervisors, music rights activists, etc..., to find a really fair way for everyone who is part of the album-not just the performers, but also the producers, arrangers, and any engineers who are not already paid as a work-for-hire-to share in the albums continued success through a prorated revenue share. For life. Its a radical model that Philip says she hopes sets a precedent for the rest of the music industry. We want our students and our alumni to know that they have rights, and they have to be treated correctly, no matter who their collaborator is.
Ultimately, these thoughtfu
Most recent headlines
09/11/2025
Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...
22/10/2025
Prime Video Inks Deal To Present NFL Black Friday Game Worldwide By SVG Staff
Wednesday, October 22, 2025 - 10:06 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story ...
22/10/2025
NBA Tip-Off: ESPN Goes 1080p HDR End-to-End, Flipping HDR Switch on REMI and REM...
22/10/2025
FloSports Empowers Division II, III Athletic Departments With Turnkey Production...
22/10/2025
Wall Street Video Summit Debuts, Bringing Together 200 Financial Enterprise Vide...
22/10/2025
Dueling Pianos: International Chopin Piano Competition Is as Competitive as a Ba...
22/10/2025
In 1995, a young Colombian artist released an album that would change Latin pop ...
22/10/2025
Over the past few months, a photovoltaic system has been installed on a three-he...
22/10/2025
The Orion spacecraft for NASA's Artemis II mission is stacked on the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket in High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kenn...
22/10/2025
L3Harris' Hybrid SATCOM is resilient by design, offering path diversity that eliminates vulnerabilities by routing data across the best available networks i...
22/10/2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. Organizers of NAB Show New York said they are expecting more than 12,000 registered attendees from about 100 countries along with 260 exhibitor...
22/10/2025
WASHINGTON, D.C The organizers of The 2025 NAB Show New York have announced that they are expecting more than 12,000 registered attendees from about 100 countr...
22/10/2025
Masque Sound, a leading theatrical sound reinforcement, installation and design company, supplied an extensive gear package of professional-grade equipment for ...
22/10/2025
Lightware, a global leader in signal management and AV connectivity solutions, is seeing strong market momentum for the UCX-3x3-TPX-RX20, a compact transmitter-...
22/10/2025
MELVILLE, N.Y. Chyron has released PAINT 10.2, the latest update for its telestration platform, adding support for SMPTE ST 2110 IP workflows, expanding brandin...
22/10/2025
WASHINGTON Run3TV today said NBCUniversal is joining as an investor in the ATSC 3.0 Framework Authority, which develops the Run3TV NextGen TV application platfo...
22/10/2025
ATLANTA swXtch.io will feature two new networking solutions extending the company's reach across more cloud and on-prem workflows at NAB Show New York, set ...
22/10/2025
The Warner Bros. Discoverys HBO Max streaming services has increased prices for all its streaming tiers effectively immediately for new customers. Existing cust...
22/10/2025
LOS ANGELES OpenDrives has signed a new distribution partnership deal with Versatile Distribution Services (VDS) to strengthen its channel and streamline how it...
22/10/2025
WASHINGTON, D.C The organizers of The 2025 NAB Show New York have announced that they are expecting more than 12,000 registered attendees from about 100 countr...
22/10/2025
Samora Pinderhughes Brings Immersive Sound to Berklee's Signature Series The artist and composer, who's worked with Herbie Hancock, Robert Glasper, Co...
22/10/2025
BMI Day at Berklee Celebrates Composer Fil Eisler and Awards Scholarship to Stud...
22/10/2025
October 22nd, 2025 TRIBECA ANNOUNCES STAR-STUDDED LINEUP OF MEMBERSHIP EVENTS F...
22/10/2025
Rohde & Schwarz and TRUMPF cooperate in drone defense Rohde & Schwarz and TRUMPF partner to deliver a comprehensive drone defense solution combining Rohde & S...
22/10/2025
European Broadcaster Upgrades To Grass Valley's NativeIP LDX 135 Cameras And...
22/10/2025
Everyone Gets a Better Deal on Verizon with New FOX One Perk The $15 FOX One streaming service perk is yet another way Verizon continues to add savings for cu...
22/10/2025
First Look Hidden Assets Series 3
Premieres on 9th November 9:30pm on RT One & RT Player
WATCH HERE Promo Link: Hidden Assets Series 3 | RT
The Crimin...
21/10/2025
NAB New York 2025: Although AES Show Is on Its Own, Audio Will Be a Major Part o...
21/10/2025
NAB New York 2025: Business of Broadcast and Media,' Future of Content'...
21/10/2025
SVG All-Stars: Ethan Folz, Senior Director, Digital Operations and Quality of Ex...
21/10/2025
NBA on NBC/Peacock: Livestream Offers Graphic Overlays, Predictive Gaming, Ancil...
21/10/2025
NBA on NBC/Peacock: At the Front Bench With Producer Frank DiGraci and Director ...
21/10/2025
NBA on NBC/Peacock: NBC Sports, NEP Build Ultra-Flexible Production Plan That Se...
21/10/2025
Indigenous storytelling has been at the heart of the work of the Sundance Instit...
21/10/2025
Top L-R: Mysterious Skin, American Dream Second Row L-R: Little Miss Sunshine, D...
21/10/2025
Last week, Spotify and Columbia Records transformed Pier 4 at the Brooklyn Army ...
21/10/2025
SBS Learn's Dharug Ngurra resource empowers classrooms to meaningfully celeb...
21/10/2025
As global operators simplify and evolve their digital platforms, NPS improvement...
21/10/2025
Critical Design Review completion is a key milestone on the path toward Wideband Global Satellite Communications certification for the network in 2026, opening ...
21/10/2025
New Australian undersea training range to implement and improve warfighting tactics, proficiency and safety; enable joint/allied training that contributes to pr...
21/10/2025
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...
21/10/2025
September, the beginning of autumn, brought an expected revival to the TV market, largely due to the new fall TV schedules. The time spent in front of the TV sc...
21/10/2025
Broadcast Booms with 20% Uptick vs. August, Achieving Largest Monthly
Increase ...
21/10/2025
During September, streaming's share of TV viewing in Mexico settled at 24.5%, a marginal shift of -0.5 share points from the previous month.
Disclaimer: YU...
21/10/2025
RENNES, France BBright and GlobalM have conducted a technical trial validating Ultra HD interoperability across the entire contribution chain in the cloud, achi...
21/10/2025
Kokusai Denki Electric America will mark the U.S. debut of a new 4K camera at the 2025 NAB New York, Oct. 22-23. Now available, the Z-HD6500-S1 UHD/HD productio...
21/10/2025
Triveni Digital, a trusted leader in ATSC 1.0 and 3.0 service delivery, data broadcasting, and quality assurance solutions, will showcase its entire NEXTGEN TV ...
21/10/2025
Radio Azzurra FM, longest-running radio station in the province of Novara, northwest Italy, has invested in an DHD SX2 audio routing and mixing console for inte...
21/10/2025
Globecast, the leading provider of broadcast, media and entertainment managed services, has announced the appointment of G Morgan as Executive Vice President of...
With Shuruaat, the Berklee Indian Ensemble Begin a New Chapter Berklees in-house Indo-jazz superstars celebrate their first decade and step into the future with their debut album.
