Today we’d like to introduce you to Prana Kishore.
Hi Prana, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Article Title : 119 Albums,5 Grammy Entries for PLUR D, Nirvana Dasakam -Who Are You?, One Global Mission: Meet Nashville’s Visionary Artist, Prana Kishore
My musical journey began early, at the age of seven, when I started learning music from a blind teacher who deeply shaped my ear and intuition for sound. Before I ever wrote or produced professionally, I learnt classical music, spent over 20 years in dedicated research of Vedic scripts, learnt Sanskrit till college, and studied Sounds of Nature as acoustics.I pursued my corporate career in parallel as General Manager, Marketing, after my master’s in engineering and marketing. I designed and built the Pop Mobile when Pope John Paul II visited Chennai( India) in Feb1986 while working at Rover car project.
A major turning point came in 1983 at AVM Studios Chennai ( India) when I recorded my first studio album,” Nazhayira Divya Prabandham” in Tamil, which marked my transition from a Tabla player and composer to a Vocalist.Over the years, that foundational work evolved into Prana Music—a unique genre that blends traditional Sanskrit mantras and sacred chants with the real, soothing sounds of nature combined with a rich symphony of Indian and Western instruments. Today, I am proud to operate as an independent Artist as a singer-songwriter, Composer, and producer who has released 119 albums across 10 languages. I independently manage and distribute all of my music globally through my own record label, Prana Kishore Records, which is proudly based in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
Getting to where I am today hasn’t just been about recording tracks; it has been a lifelong mission to protect, heal, and bring happiness to the “Next Gen”. This path has been marked by unforgettable milestones, such as winning the prestigious Josie Music World Artist Award at the Grand Ole Opry House in 2023, and achieving a Guinness World Record for the Longest Officially Released Song Worldwide with Secret Sounds of Sacred Sanskrit (108 hours, 54 minutes, and 29 seconds). It was about keeping the oldest language, Sanskrit, alive and using the sound of Sanskrit as a healing force.
Now, operating as an artist, producer, and Grammy-voting member, I am incredibly humbled by the momentum. Two of my latest, most distinct projects have been officially accepted into the Grammy Awards cycle this year across 5 distinct categories, showcasing a beautiful bridge between urgent modern advocacy and ancient philosophical heritage:
1 PLUR D (Peace, Love, Unity, Respect, Diversity):
Official Grammy Entry: Best Dance POP Recording
My Electronic Dance Music (EDM) project, which won a 2026 Global Music Award. It was built upon four years of behavioral research and psychologist consultations to act as a “sonic shield” against the global synthetic drug crisis, capturing a teenager’s critical ‘Five-Second Window’ of distraction at clubs to empower them to resist synthetic drugs.Prana Kishore witnessed the tragic death of 3 young adults who tried the synthetic drug just once.He wrote the song “Is there a place in the world, where I can be Free for One night” Sang,Composed,Produced,distributed by him.
The album’s recording engineer is Melvin Johnny, and It Was Mixed and Mastered by a 2-time Grammy Award-winning producer based in the USA.
2 Nirvana Daskam – Who Are You?:
4 Official Grammy Entries: Song of The Year, Best Global Music Performance, Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album, and Best Album Cover Design
A mega Sanskrit production tracing the real-life 8th-century journey of 8-year-old Sri Adhi Shankaracharya, who walked 2,000 kilometers on foot in search of his Guru in India and also saved him from drowning. The Guru When asked him “Who are you?”, he responded with powerful 10 verses negating bodily attachments to realize the infinite truth of pure consciousness. It sets this timeless message that Global oneness can be achieved by EkAtma, Unite with Self to Unite the World
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. While the milestones look seamless from the outside, the journey behind them has been a story of profound personal sacrifices, complete industry reinventions, and a steep learning curve.
Three major struggles defined my path:
• The 20-Year Silence: At the very height of my 60 member band’s success in India after 600 head liner shows, I had to make the difficult choice of stability over stardom. Our family migrated to America, and I had to put my musical dreams on hold to fulfill corporate and family responsibilities. Choosing to walk away from my passion resulted in a long, silent two-decade gap in my music career when I did not listen to any music.
• Reinventing from Scratch in a Digital Era: When the calling to create music returned after 20 years, I stepped back into a world that had completely changed. The entire landscape had shifted from physical cassettes and CDs to digital downloads and streaming algorithms. As an independent artist and to be a producer, I had to learn complex studio software like Logic Pro and Pro Tools from scratch and master digital distribution standards for platforms like Apple Music and Spotify. Instead of submitting demos to labels, I started my own record label and distributed all my music worldwide.This is the Best decision of my life
• Treating my music as a business, not as a Gig.: I made business plans,Cash flow statements,5 years plans based on research to record and release the album in line with the trends and fortunately was able to recover my investment in every album in 2-4 years.
Overcoming these hurdles proved that every challenge was necessary—they forced me to grow as a Singer, Writing Songs in 10 languages,Compose and be the Producer and CEO of Prana Kishore Records made me an Artist with a Purpose.I do everything including album cover designs, write my press releases except Recording, Mixing and Mastering which is done by Grammy Award winning professionals.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
What sets me apart from others in the field is Iam a one man show who always competes with self and never felt jealous of anyone’s success or felt threatened by any ones success.The advantage I have is I do everything my self and Iam qualified and experienced to do it because Iam always in learning mode be it trends,what nextgen listens,new technology in music,AI in music Dos and Donts to be in line with my personal values.I love that I can take decisions very fast and collaborate with any one because I do the major part of Song Writing,Singing,Composing,Producing and distribution.I invest my own money.I recently refused a Major label who wanted to invest in me because I did not want to take loans from them.
PLUR D is my New Attitude and lifestyle
“We must be in Peace with Self first to bring peace in the world”
“We must love ourselves first to love everyone without judgement”
“We must be in Unity with our inner soul first to unite the world”
“ We must respect ourselves first to respect everyone in the world”
We must accept that Diversity within our family helps us accept everyone in the world as our family member”
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
At this stage in my journey, my happiness is no longer tied to personal fame or financial success. Instead, it comes from a deep sense of purpose and the positive energy I can put out into the world.
True fulfillment for me comes from three specific things:
• Protecting and Inspiring the Next Gen: Knowing that my music can act as a shield is incredibly fulfilling. When I see that an Electronic Dance Music (EDM) project like PLUR D successfully engages young people, catches their attention, and subtly guides them away from the dangers of the synthetic drug crisis, it brings me immense joy. Saving even one life or altering one destructive decision makes years of grueling research completely worth it.
• Connecting Modern Minds to Ancient Peace: Seeing modern, fast-paced listeners find mental stillness through ancient philosophy brings me deep satisfaction. Whether someone is listening to the profound layers of Nirvana Dasakam or finding a moment of calm in my nature-infused Sanskrit tracks, knowing that my music alleviates stress and serves as a tool for mental health and self-realization is my greatest reward.
• The Freedom of Independent Creation: Operating my own label, Prana Kishore Records, from Nashville allows me to create entirely without compromise. Being in the studio, experimenting with sound engineering, and breathing new life into timeless texts is my happy place. Every time a new album is released into the world—knowing it was built independently with pure intention—I find complete peace.
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Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.pranakishore.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pranakishoreb/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kishore.prana/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pranakishore/
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/PednCS5hp4A?si=pKRW5GKOJQhN5Tlw
- Yelp: https://music.apple.com/us/album/plur-d-single/1893988139
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/prana-kishore-b
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/album/5Ocp4zwA6I0B38Df4PI4DY
