Indian artists have once again found strong representation at the 2026 Grammy Awards, with Anoushka Shankar, Shakti, Sidhant Bhatia, and Charu Suri securing nominations across major global categories.
Leading the lineup is Anoushka Shankar, who has received her 13th Grammy nomination for “Daybreak” in the Best Global Music Performance category. The track, featuring Alam Khan and Sarathy Korwar, appears on her album Chapter III: We Return to Light, the final installment in a trilogy exploring themes of transformation and renewal.
The nomination carries a deep historical resonance. In 1984, her father Pandit Ravi Shankar and sarod maestro Ustad Ali Akbar Khan were nominated for Raga Mishra Piloo: Duet for Sitar and Sarod — marking a full-circle moment as their children continue the artistic conversation between sitar and sarod on the global stage.
Shankar, Khan, and Korwar also appear in the Best Global Music Album category alongside Sidhant Bhatia, whose project Sounds of Kumbh (Vedam Records) has drawn attention for blending field recordings from Prayagraj’s Kumbh Mela with ancient mantras and ambient soundscapes. The album was commissioned by the Government of Uttar Pradesh as part of a cultural documentation initiative.
Meanwhile, Shakti featuring John McLaughlin, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Shankar Mahadevan, Vikku Vinayakram, V. Selvaraj, and Ganesh Rajagopalan received nominations for both Best Global Music Album and Best Global Music Performance for “Sreeni’s Dream”, a tribute to mandolin virtuoso U. Srinivas. Their 50th Anniversary Tour Live recording, Mind Explosion (2024), continues to highlight the enduring power of Indo-jazz fusion on the world stage.
Adding to the list, Madurai-born, New York-based jazz pianist Charu Suri has been nominated for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for Shayan (Sleep), a concept album that merges Indian ragas with jazz improvisation to create soundscapes inspired by the idea of rest and meditation.
While global artists such as Kendrick Lamar and Lady Gaga lead this year’s nominations with nine and seven nods respectively, the presence of multiple Indian musicians across categories signals a growing international recognition for the country’s diverse soundscape.
The 2026 Grammy Awards will be held on February 1, 2026, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
