A listener spots a mantra album among Grammy winners and wonders why it sits under New Age. Quick answer: the white sun grammy best new age album win came in February 2017 for White Sun II, a set of yogic mantras.
The win is one of the more visible moments for chanted music in recent years, and it sits within the wider kirtan music news picture. This explainer clears up the usual confusions about the album, the band and the category.
The February 2017 win
White Sun won the Grammy for Best New Age Album for White Sun II, according to Rolling Stone India. The album had been named among the Best New Age Album nominees at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards. A public library’s list of winners from 2002 to 2022 also carries a 2017 Best New Age Album entry, so the year and category are easy to confirm in award archives.
Most confusion comes from assuming the Grammys treat mantra or kirtan as a genre of its own. The table sets the common assumptions against what the record shows.
| Common assumption | What is supported | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Mantra music has its own Grammy category | White Sun II won Best New Age Album | Search award lists under New Age, not under a mantra or kirtan heading. |
| White Sun is a solo chanter | A trio: vocalist Gurujas, instrumentalist Harijiwan and composer Adam Berry | Credits and reviews refer to three people with distinct roles. |
| A devotional record cannot do well on the charts | White Sun II topped the New Age and World Music charts | Chanted music can reach listeners who do not seek out devotional releases. |
The lineup, category and chart details above come from Rolling Stone India’s report on the band and its win.
Why a mantra album fits New Age
A mantra record landed in the New Age category because of what it sounds like and who it was measured against, not because the category is a devotional label. Three features of the album explain the fit.
- The category’s scope. Rolling Stone India describes the field as pioneers of the ambient, world music and New Age genres. A chanted album with an ambient sound belongs naturally in that company.
- A blended sound. The same report says the album draws on influences from gospel blues and folk to ambient. That range makes it less a strict chant recording and more a crossover work, which suits a broad category.
- Sacred source texts. The mantras are sung as chants of verses from the Guru Granth Sahib and verses by Guru Gobind Singh. The material is devotional, but the presentation is a produced album rather than a live call-and-response session.
That last point is the practical distinction for newcomers. Kirtan, the sung devotional tradition that many readers know, is typically heard in communal settings, while White Sun II reads as a studio record built for listening. Readers who want other artists from this world recognised by the Grammys can browse kirtan grammy winners for the wider picture.
A New Age label therefore describes where the record was judged, not how seriously the band treats the texts. Anyone choosing between this album and a live kirtan recording should decide whether they want a polished listening experience or a participatory one.
The White Sun lineup
White Sun is a Los Angeles band made up of a vocalist, an instrumentalist and a composer, as Rolling Stone India lists them. Those answering “who is White Sun band” or searching for the band members can use the roles below.
- Gurujas, vocalist. Carries the sung mantras that define the record.
- Harijiwan, instrumentalist. Provides the instrumental side of the sound.
- Adam Berry, composer. Shapes the compositions and arrangements around the chants.
Having a composer as a full member helps explain the album’s produced feel. The band does not present itself as a lone chanter with a harmonium but as a trio in which composition has its own role.
Adam Berry’s screen-music background
Berry comes from television and film composing. Rolling Stone India reports that he has won two Emmys and been nominated nine times, and that he is the man behind the quirky intro music to the animated comedy South Park. That pedigree is a useful clue for new listeners: the arrangements come from someone used to building atmosphere, which is part of why the record works outside a devotional setting.
What White Sun II contains
White Sun II is an 11-track second album, the follow-up to the band’s 2015 eponymous debut, according to Rolling Stone India. The report describes it as renditions of yogic mantras, with the chanted verses drawn from Sikh scripture.
Two things follow for anyone approaching it as an album rather than a single track. The 11-track length suits a start-to-finish listen, and the stylistic range, from gospel blues and folk to ambient, means the mood shifts between tracks rather than staying in one groove. Listeners who expect uniform drone-like chanting may be surprised by that variety.
What the win means for new mantra listeners
For newcomers, the win offers a low-pressure entry point: a Grammy-recognised album that sits in a familiar listening category rather than a specialist devotional one. The band’s stated aim, per Rolling Stone India, is to create music that heals, which gives first-time listeners a clear frame for how to approach it.
A sensible way in is to treat the album as ambient-leaning music first and a devotional text second. Play it through once without reading the verses, then look into the Sikh scriptures it draws on if the sound appeals. Those who prefer communal or participatory chanting may find that the record points them toward kirtan gatherings, but it does not replace them.
Newcomers should also keep the category in mind when browsing. Record shops and streaming services file this kind of music under New Age or world music, so those are the places to look for similar releases. Readers following the wider scene can also catch up on how krishna das stops touring, another story shaping the genre’s current news cycle.
Frequently asked questions
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Who else was nominated alongside White Sun II? | The Best New Age Album nominees at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards included Enya’s Dark Sky Island and Vangelis’s Rosetta, alongside White Sun’s White Sun II. |
| Was White Sun II the band’s first album? | No. It is the second album and follows the band’s 2015 eponymous debut, as Rolling Stone India notes. |
| Had an Indian-rooted artist won this category before? | Yes. The same report notes that Bengaluru-based producer-composer Ricky Kej won Best New Age Album in 2015 for Winds of Samsara. |
