Our alumni have gone on to earn MBAs, MDs, and Ph.D.s; they’ve become CEOs, CSOs, and a whole host of other CXOs. Yet there was one acronym that managed to elude our alumni community: an EGOT (a recipient of an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony).
While no one person was poised for an EGOT leading up to the 67th annual Grammys in February, collectively our alumni community—filled with awarded art directors, producers, and writers—were but one letter away from the esteemed achievement. All that was missing was the “G”. (See below for the Emmy, Oscar, and Tony winners.)
We now have the “G,” thanks to musician and former Partner Chandrika Tandon—a brand-new Grammy Winner in the category of “Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant” for her album “Triveni.”
This is the sixth album and second Grammy nomination for Chandrika, who was based in our New York office from 1979 to 1990. And it’s an accomplishment in keeping with her trailblazing tradition at our Firm, where she was the first South Asian woman elected Partner.
As she shared with the McKinsey Alumni Network in 2011 after her initial nomination, “I wish for everyone to have the opportunity to explore the multiple dimensions of themselves even as they are pursuing stellar business careers.” She continued, “The themes of excellence and impact that drove us every day at McKinsey can be carried over into all other parts of our lives.”
From Excel sheets to sheets of music
Chandrika has always found ways to prioritize music. Even as a child, her happiest memories are tied to song. “I was singing before I was speaking,” she laughs.
During her time in business school in India, she would stay up until 4:00 in the morning, listening to Roberta Flack’s “Quiet Fire,” Neil Young’s “Harvest,” or Sergio Mendes’ “Brasil 66” on repeat. Her yearbook quote consequently read, “She killed us softly with her song.”
Her passion for music did not wane as she entered the professional world. After receiving her offer to join the Firm, new to New York with an unfurnished apartment and only a suitcase in hand, she knew exactly what to get with her sign-on bonus: a stereo system and a Martin guitar.
Music inspired her, but so did business. Chandrika recalls an experience coaching a banking CEO, with whom she worked closely over an eight-month Firm engagement. She remembers it as one of the most exciting professional experiences of her life, ultimately inspiring her to invest in these institutions by pursuing her own venture as founder and chair of Tandon Capital Associates.
There, she was making billions of dollars in market value and gaining celebrity in the investment world, but something was missing. Chandrika says she experienced a “crisis of spirit.” She explains, “I had to really rethink my life. I was deeply in the business space and was very unidimensional. That wasn’t enough for me—I needed something to give me happiness.”
Though she continued to pursue her business ventures, she stepped back a bit, allowing her time to focus on music—specifically, Indian music—which led in turn to a focus on meditation and quieting her mind. From this came her dedication to humanitarianism.
“As I quieted my mind more and more, I started to see we are all one. We can’t take anything with us; we are here to serve. My happiest moments now are through serving people and through music. My entire life is congruent; all the pieces of the work I do are in harmony with each other. I’ve gone from accidental living to intentional living.”
She has since performed for sold-out audiences at Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Nassau Coliseum, Times Square, premier European venues, and Washington D.C.’s National Mall for the World Culture Festival. She also founded the Krishnamurthy Tandon Foundation, whose mission is to elevate human happiness through economic and emotional empowerment.
She reflects, “It’s been a complex journey, but a very, very joyful one.”
Three things...
Just as Chandrika sought to bring together diverse expertise in team room harmony while at our Firm, she views her music as a collaborative venture.
The name of her new album, “Triveni,” is a nod to this; in Sanskrit, the word means the confluence of three (in true Firm fashion) rivers. It’s a name Chandrika chose to reflect the album’s additional contributing musicians—Japanese cellist Eru Matsumoto and South African flutist Wouter Kellerman.
Chandrika explains, “We’re three flowing streams, with our own independent musical journeys. It’s a coming together of three musical ideas and musical collaborators.”
She adds, “We took very simple tunes and simple ideas, and then I superimposed on that Sanskrit words that are important healing mantras.”
On the ROI of happiness
For Chandrika, the healing aspect is an integral part of her music. “This whole album came about because we care a lot about using music for healing,” she says.
This mission has been informed by research that Chandrika and Eru (the album’s cellist) have supported on how sounds and resonance can affect cell regeneration in the body, enabling physical healing.
Chandrika also contends that music can positively affect mental health. She says, “Very often, we operate at a lower capacity because our minds are full of worries and anxieties. Music, to me, is a way of quelling those, and getting into a beautiful space deep within yourself. That’s what I’ve been trying to do for many years.”
Her audience agrees. Listeners from all over the world write in to tell her how her music has been a positive force in their lives. Chandrika recalls, “One woman wrote to me saying that her sister had a brain tumor, and for the last six months of her life, the only thing she would listen to and that gave her any peace, was my album ‘Soul Chants.’”
“There are so many fields which we haven’t begun to understand yet,” Chandrika continues. “There’s an incredible breadth of knowledge to be gained. Of course, music is joyful. But it has a bigger, higher purpose. It probably won’t happen entirely in my lifetime, but it’s something that needs to be explored.”
Listen to “Triveni” at no cost on your choice of streaming platform
Multidimensional music
When asked what kinds of music she listens to in her spare time, Chandrika lights up. Her taste in music is wide and eclectic.
“I’m truly globally inclined. I grew up on Sérgio Mendes & Brasil ’66. Funnily enough, when I was nominated for my first Grammy, Sérgio Mendes was one of the other four nominees. My great idol!
I also love some jazz artists, like Charlie Byrd and Stan Getz. Then of course I’ve got great Indian artists that I’m crazy about, such as the singing teacher that I had, Pandit Jasraj, who basically brought the concept of divinity into music and made me understand what that was all about.”
Her love extends to popular music as well. “I also grew up with a whole tradition of Western music—everybody from Cliff Richard to Dean Martin to the Beatles to The Rolling Stones, Peter, Paul and Mary, you name it.”
In keeping with her multidimensional life, Chandrika also speaks French and often performs French songs. In addition, she was just appointed the Artist in Residence for the Young People’s Chorus of New York.
Chandrika harkens back to the idea of ‘Triveni’—a confluence. “I don’t see all these different types of music as pigeonholes and pockets. I see them as beautiful flowing rivers that all combine.”
* * *
The alumni winners of the Emmy, Oscar, and Tony Awards are:
Emmy winner (television): Gaurav Misra (London, ’97-99, ’02-04) for Executive Producing “Hit Record On TV”
Oscar winner (film): Josh Singer (New York, ’95-02), Best Screenplay, “Spotlight”
Tony winner (stage): Will Trice (Dallas, ’01-03), 3-time winner: Best Revival of a Musical (“Porgy and Bess”), Best Revival of a Play (“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolff”), and Best Play (“All the Way”)
