GRAMMY-winning producer/engineer/mixer Shani Gandhi has traveled great distances in her career in more ways than one. Born in Perth, Austrialia, she relocated to Nashville, Tenn., where she's become a go-to studio pro in the Americana world and beyond.
But her most important transformation was a musical one. she began as a child playing music, started piano at age 3, violin at age 6 and cello at age 8 before moving on to choirs and bands and, ultimately, to a more supportive rold in the recording studio.
"I really hated performing, so I'd never thought of this being a career," Gandhi said. "it wasn't until I found out that there was this behind-the-board situation, that I was like, 'Oh my gosh. This is it. This is me.'"
In the latest episode of Behind The Board, Gandhi also discussed how she ended up in Nashville and began to work more n the Americana community, landing her first major project with Sarah Jarosz' 2016 release, Undercurrent, which earned Gandhi her first GRAMMY for Best Folk Album plus a nomination in the Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical category.
"One of my favorite things about this job is that it's always different," she said. "I could find a job that paid me $5 million a year, but if I had to do the same thing every day, I would go nuts."
While her passion for the finer details of engineering and production came later, her draw to playing a very specific crucial role in studio during the creative process.
"I support the art," Gandhi added. "I make people's art come to life. But I can't create something from nothing, like a songwriter or a novelist does. And I'm also sometimes grateful for that because it's not me and my personality on the table for everyone to see and judge. I'm just there supporting the real creators, which I just adore."
Hear more about Gandhi's life and work Behind the Board in the latest episode above, and stay tuned for more installments coming soon...
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