Nitin Sawhney, recipient of the Ivor Novello 2017 Lifetime Achievement award, is one the most distinctive and versatile musical voices around today. Sawhney has recorded multiple albums, film soundtracks and compilations,encompassing over 60 film and TV scores and is established as a world-classproducer, songwriter, touring artist, BBC Radio 2 and club DJ, multi-instrumentalist, theatrical, dance, video game and orchestral composer and cultural/ political commentator. He holds 6 honorary doctorates along with two fellowships and works as Ambassador for/sits on the board of multiple charities. He has received over 20 major national and international awards for his work and is a member of the academy of motion picture sciences (Oscars), BAFTA and the US recording academy (Grammys).
Sawhney is Chair of the PRS Foundation, the UK’s funding body for new music and talent development. His new album 'Immigrants' was released by Sony Masterworks in March 2021. Sawhney’s keen interest in science and maths has led to appearances with Brian Cox for the Infinite Monkey Cage, with Chris Packham for a natural history documentary, and various TEDx talks about music, physics and maths.
"I wanted to find a musical language that described ancient journeys using the stars for guidance. I have always felt that there are so many questions and answers hovering above us through the vastness of space. So I tried to find sounds and flavours that reflected our search for meaning from above. The Tuvan throat singing felt like the whistle of cosmic winds through the infinite void and I looked for sounds and chords to communicate the appearance and disappearance of stars from sunset to dawn. Like the travellers in the image, I have also attempted to infuse the composition with a strong sense of journey combined with a sense of personal pilgrimage to an unknown destination. Most of all I wanted to make music filled with a sense of wonder at our place in the universe."
