The GRAMMY Museum welcomed Saleka, Daughter of M. Night Shyamalan (Director of "Trap," "The Sixth Sense," and more) to the Museum’s intimate 200-seat Clive Davis Theater for an evening discussing her latest music, her rising career, being named The Hollywood Reporter's "next big thing," working with M. Night Shyamalan, and her creative process.
As if channeling music out of the shadows and into the moonlight, Saleka conjures an incomparable sound from a confluence of classical training since childhood, a lifelong passion for R&B, and her Indian heritage. At just four-years-old, the Pennsylvania-born singer, songwriter, producer, and pianist commenced piano lessons. Beyond spending three hours per day at the instrument, other styles surrounded her. She listened to the likes of JAY-Z, Lauryn Hill, Etta James, Amy Winehouse, and Jeff Buckley with her father, while she also absorbed her mother’s passion for Bollywood movies and Latin music. In between visiting conservatories to potentially continue her classical training at the college level, she recognized a deep desire to compose and write songs. Attending Brown University, she studied music production, engineering, and theory. Following her graduation, she crafted her independent full-length debut LP, Séance. It introduced her voice, songwriting, and production. Garnering praise from WWD, Rated R&B, and many more, Forbes hailed it as “stunning,” and NYLON christened her “a figure to watch in the R&B space.” Beyond supporting the likes of GIVĒON, Andra Day, Boyz II Men, Summer Walker, and K. Michelle on the road, her music surged through film and television. She contributed seven original tunes to the Apple TV+ favorite Servant and “Remain” to the big-screen blockbuster OLD. Accenting earthy production and live instrumentation with unexpected elements like tablas and flute, she envisions a new paradigm for popular music. This vision gets shocked to life via her star turn as “Lady Raven” in TRAP, and her accompanying Pop/R&B album (which she performed, wrote, and co-produced) and more to come.