My friend and colleague Cheryl B. Engelhardt is nominated for a Grammy this year for Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album! According to the Moon is beautiful from top to bottom, especially if you love music that makes space for reflection and breath.
We talk about the path that brought Cheryl here, including her first Grammy nomination when she became the first person ever to record an entire album on a transcontinental train using only a laptop and a small MIDI keyboard. Cheryl shares what she learned from that experience and why this new nomination feels different, softer, and more communal.
One of the highlights is our shared admiration for my student Robin Tucker, who is a featured vocalist on one of the tracks. Cheryl introduced me to Robin (a longtime collaborator of hers) at her Amplify retreat for career musicians, and it is a joy to see the work recognized in this way.
We also dig into what draws Cheryl to this genre, how the new age landscape is shifting, the creative decisions behind According to the Moon, and what it means to her to share this moment with her collaborators.
As always, it is deeply grounding to walk beside Cheryl in this journey. I love all of our conversations and I'm grateful we get to share this one with you!
If you’re a music maker, a collaborator, or someone who just loves hearing artists talk about the real process behind their work, this one is a good hang :)
