While the superstar names recently nominated for a Grammy grabbed the headlines, the most unexpected nominees were a group of male and female prisoners in Malawi, more than three-dozen men and women recorded “I Have No Everything Here,” which was nominated for best world album. The nomination is historic as they become the first Malawian artists to be nominated for the Grammy Awards, dominated by the world’s top musicians, songwriters, producers and engineers.

Ian Brennan, a Grammy Award-winning producer and three-time nominee, spearheaded the bare-bones production in 2013 alongside his wife, filmmaker Marilena Delli

The prisoners some of whom have been there for years, have earned special privileges like playing music. They have instruments, an organized band and even a room to rehearse in. The women, on the other hand, are kept in a small, mostly outdoor area and their only instruments were buckets used as drums. The prison heads offered Ian access to the grounds in exchange for training the staff and inmates in violence prevention — a specialty of Brennan’s for more than 20 years.

The album was recorded in the summer of 2013 and released in January 2015. It took 10 days to record and is sung in the language of Chichewa.

Ian Brennan says “For a group of unknown individuals to get nominated is shocking, t’s beautiful”

See Marilena Delli’s short film here: