Freeville’s Lonnie Park receives fifth and sixth Grammy nominations

Village of Freeville native Lonnie Park has had a positive impact in the music industry over the years.

Park’s presence in the music world has led to him becoming a three-time Grammy Award winner.

Now, Park could add more to his collection. Park recently received two nominations for the 2025 Grammy Awards, giving him six total considerations in his career.

Park’s first nomination for the 2025 awards is for his work with long-time collaborator Ricky Kej, also a three-time Grammy Award winner and United Nations ambassador from Bangalore, India.

Kej’s album “Break of Dawn” is nominated for best new age album. It’s in the same category for which Park and Kej won a 2022 Grammy for their work with “Divine Tides,” an album that also involved Stewart Copeland, a founder of The Police.

In 2023, Park and Kej also received a second Grammy for “Divine Tides” in the best immersive audio album category.

“Break of Dawn” was released by Vedam Records, a new wellness music label that was launched by Universal Music Group India.

According to a release, the album “breaks new ground by focusing on mental wellness, with music based on Ancient Indian Raagas crafted to promote mental health.”

“Lonnie and I have been working together closely for over a decade now, both on stage and in the studio,” Kej said. “Every piece of music that I have released in the last 10 years bears Lonnie’s artistic and production skills. ‘Break Of Dawn’ was no different. From conception to production and post-production, I am grateful for all that Lonnie did to make the album the best it could be. This album would never have achieved its success in streams, sales and awards without Lonnie’s collaboration.”

Park’s second nomination is for his recent collaboration with Japanese artist Masa Takumi. The song “Kashira,” by Park and Takumi, is up for best global performance.

The release noted that kashira is a term that means “mob boss” in Japanese. The song is the theme for “Himuro Renji” — a Japanese yakuza film that was released in April. The song also appeared in “Nihon Touitsu,” a Netflix series in Japan.

Park won a Grammy award with Takumi in 2023 for his album “Sakura.” The work garnered the best global music album nod that year.

“Working with Lonnie Park has been amazing, and a winning combination proven with our win at the Grammy Awards [in 2023],” Takumi said. “He guided us to honor Japan’s rich musical and cultural history with each piece, so that listeners feel this early in each song. His influence and our teamwork are evident throughout the music, from the feel to the title. Together, we blended Japanese instruments with American beats and production styles. The result wouldn’t have been possible without his production.”

Park lives and works in Freeville. He lives in the countryside near Ithaca with his wife, Jody. Park also operates his studio, Barncastle Studio, in that area.

“For a kid who grew up like me, I would have never dreamed that a life in the music business could be possible,” Park said. “I am just so grateful to do what I love every day, in a time when my friends and collaborators are spread around the world yet connected like neighbors. None of this would be possible without the constant encouragement from my wife and, of course, artists like Ricky and Masa, who have become part of our family.”

Dryden Dispatch appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com.

In brief:

Tompkins County accepting feedback on culvert project in Dryden

The Tompkins County Highway Department is accepting comments on an upcoming culvert replacement project in the town of Dryden.

According to a release, the department is replacing a large culvert on Midline Road. Officials noted that the project would replace a “structurally deficient” culvert over a tributary of Six Mile Creek in Dryden.

The new culvert will provide 75 to 90 years of service life. Project construction is tentatively slated to occur between May and September 2025. 

The cost of the project is $880,000 and is covered by state funding.

Questions and comments can be emailed to James Morse, the project manager, at jmorse@tompkins-co.org. The submission deadline is Nov. 29 by 3 p.m.