Biography

Upon hearing the sacred qualities in Zen Breakfast, it comes as no surprise that Karunesh's natural talent for musical expression was initially nurtured in a spiritual environment. The music of Zen Breakfast draws upon sounds from ancient spiritual and religious traditions in ways that speak to the deep-felt longing in each of us for spiritual connection.

It was during five years that Karunesh lived in an ashram in Germany that he had the opportunity to learn from and play together with musicians from cultures around the world. Music was a vital part of the mystical experience being pursued and where Karunesh (Sanskrit for "compassion") says he developed the ability to weave different styles and feelings together into a living symbiosis — a symbiosis carried by his own very unique and personal "melodies from the heart."



Karunesh was born in 1956 in Cologne, Germany. Although he had been drawn to music as a child and played in bands as a teen, he chose to study graphic design as a career. After attaining his degree, the path did not feel right for him and as sometimes happens to prompt us of a critical need for a change in direction, Karunesh was involved in a serious motorcycle accident. For two weeks, he was suspended between life and death, and this experience sparked the beginning of his spiritual path. In 1979 he made his first journey to India and began to follow his heart.

In 1984 Karunesh released his first album Sounds of the Heart, an album that quickly became a classic in the new age genre. More albums followed. With 450,000 albums sold to date, Karunesh has become established as one of the best-known artists in the genre.

Karunesh has lived in Maui, Hawaii, since 1992, bathed in the healing warmth and fragrances of the tropics. From this island's feminine embrace, he creates music that holds a beautiful, sacred and healing resonance for those who listen.

It was over breakfast one morning in Maui that company president Terence Yallop, with his background of Taoist philosophy and t'ai chi, and Karunesh, musician, sat down to talk about their hopes and dreams. From this meeting their creative collaboration was formed and Zen Breakfast conceived. This album has been followed by four more globally sucessful albums — Nirvana Café, Call of the Mystic, Joy of Life and Enlightenment: A Sacred Collection, most achieving top positions on Billboard's New Age Chart.