Abraham and Junelle Kunin

We’re super proud today to welcome Abraham Kunin and Junelle Kunin to the Gaga family, for their groundbreaking work on alongside The Dalai Lama, sharing sacred mantras, teachings and chants, set to music.

We’re also proud to share that the Recording Academy has been invited to consider ‘Freedom’ for Best Global Music Performance at the upcoming Grammy Awards.

In July 2015, Junelle Kunin had been sitting at her desk at the headquarters of a major bank in Auckland, Aotearoa (New Zealand), when she realized she was overwhelmed by the stress, pressure and expectations of the corporate world. She knew that she needed something to help her. She had been a practicing Buddhist for ten years, but at moments like this, she wanted the immediate blessing of mantras and prayers combined with music. Convinced that someone must have already produced an album of the Dalai Lama’s powerful voice chanting mantras and prayers set to music, she turned to her computer and began searching. But there was nothing. She was surprised and realized that if she wanted such an album, she would have to organise it herself.

A longtime student of His Holiness, she wrote to him, fervently explaining her feelings and requesting his participation. His Holiness received Junelle’s letter and was enthusiastic. His attendant told her that he waved the letter in the air and said, “This will benefit many people!” Two days later, there she was, with a list of mantras, ready to record. “Music can help people in a way that I can’t,” he told her. “Music has the potential to reach many more people with the message that the real source of happiness is warm-heartedness and a concern for others.”

It became clear to Junelle and her collaborator, Abraham Kunin, her husband and producer of the album, that they had to make the music accessible to as many people as possible. This guiding principle informed all their decisions. “We wanted to create a place of peace, stillness, and refuge for the listener, especially for people who might not have meditation tools or a spiritual practice.”. After almost five years of work, and countless challenges, the end result is a combination of many musicians around the world, using at least thirty different instruments in synergy with the programmed foundations. For the couple, the process of creating this work has been an auspicious journey.

At some point, Junelle asked His Holiness why he accepted her request to make the album. He answered simply, “The very purpose of my life is to serve as much as I can.” Her own heartfelt wish, she says, “is that this album creates, even for a moment, a sense of safety in times of anxiety and fear, giving people the courage to never give up hope.”