Meet Ganesh Murali Iyer, the Ghatam Artist Bringing Indian Rhythm to Ed Sheeran’s Global Album

If you’ve been scrolling through Instagram or catching reels online over the past few weeks, you would have come across a clip of Ed Sheeran’s recording session with a clay percussionist whose beats feel both ancient and fresh. That artist is Ganesh Murali Iyer—the Carnatic percussionist whose ghatam grooves on Sheeran’s Play album have taken social media by storm. 

What began as a brief collaboration has since gone viral, shining a spotlight on an instrument that has long remained in the shadows and a musician who’s rewriting the boundaries of classical tradition. We meet the artist online and have a chat with him about his ideas, inspiration and innovation.

A Classical Percussionist on the Global Stage

Ganesh Murali Iyer’s instrument, the ghatam—a clay percussion vessel used in South Indian classical music—has long remained within the confines of traditional performances. Today, it echoes in recording studios where some of the world’s biggest music stars create global hits. 

Speaking about his recent collaboration with Ed Sheeran on the album Play and how it signals a turning point for both him and his instrument, Murali says, “It started when Abhishek Patil, the then Head of A&R at Warner Music India, called me. Within a week, I was on a flight to Goa, sharing space with one of the world’s most famous musicians and songwriters, Ed Sheeran. It was truly special; I had never even dared dream of this, or put something like this on my bucket list,” says Murali. He describes the experience as “beyond enriching for me and also a deeply transformational, educational experience to learn from and work with one of the world’s best teams.”

Blending Traditions Without Compromise

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Despite the ghatam’s deeply traditional roots, Ganesh found that adapting its rhythms to contemporary music required little adjustment. “I see rhythm as the one thing that unites all of us in the world, no matter one’s ethnicity, religion or gender. It actually didn’t take me a lot of time to figure out the songs with Ed. I was asked to give the team a lot of samples of the Ghatam. I played to the basis and mood of the songs, incorporating many different grooves.”

Ganesh further reflects on the universal language of rhythm. “In the end, in my opinion, there is no difference between pop and Indian Classical music. Rhythm unites both genres beautifully and equally.”

He attributes his adaptability to early influences: “In the beginning, I was just a kid inspired by a video of my guru, the mridangam maestro Dr. Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman sir and the Ghatam maestro Vikku Vinayakram ji. They led me to discover the unique sound of the Ghatam.”

As his journey progressed, he experimented beyond Carnatic circles, blending with jazz legends such as Duke Ellington and Bill Evans, and even hip-hop icons like Eminem and Kendrick Lamar. “The Ghatam made me realise what a gift it was to play it, and how it has the boon of adapting and blending with any other musical sound, with specific musical traditions, generations or genres being no bar.”

Rooted in Tradition, Open to Change

Ganesh’s experiments do not distance him from his classical foundation. He firmly believes that tradition and innovation are not mutually exclusive. “I don’t think there’s one particular truth that holds classical music together. Classical music, with its deep roots, thrives not by remaining static but by embracing change and venturing into new territory. Just as a tree needs to spread its roots to flourish and contribute to a forest, classical musicians also adapt to and appreciate other genres.”

Ganesh resists framing this blending as a cultural obligation. “I don’t see it like that. In my own journey of staying true to classical music and blending it with different sounds, I’ve met many cool, intrepid, excellent musicians doing the same.” He names fellow musicians such as Ishaan Ghosh (tabla), Yadnesh Raika (violin), Mehtab Ali Niazi (sitar), Vivek Pandya (tabla), Kishore Ramesh (mridangam), and Sumanth Manjunath (violin) as peers sharing a love for music.

“We all play instruments because we love music unconditionally. All is fair in love… but then again, love can also make a person blind, so listen to your gut and your north star as a musician and choose your way.”

A Global Future for Carnatic Sounds

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Ganesh points to the rising popularity of rhythm-based practices like Konnakol, popularised by percussionists like B.C. Manjunath. “Most of the world didn’t know about Konnakol 20 years ago, but now they do, thanks to B.C. Manjunath ji, who even created a thaal out of the Fibonacci sequence. That went viral and for good reason.”

Ganesh believes the fusion of Carnatic instruments with global music is part of a larger movement. “We are in a time of evolution and active cross-pollination. The efforts of some truly stellar musicians have brought Indian music to the forefront of the global arts.”