The 68th Annual Grammy Awards are on the verge of announcing their winners, and among them is a great deal of Indian and Indian-origin talent, thus, signifying that the incredible blending of South-Asian classic and modern sounds has become a global music power. Sitara Anoushka Shankar- composer occupies the top of the list of these celebrities with her 11th and 12th nominations. Her contribution to the EP Chapter III: We Return to Light has put her in the running for Best Global Music Album alongside Alam Khan, Hans playing the sarod, and percussionist Sarathy Korwar.
The trio’s joint piece “Daybreak” was a source of not only the Best Global Music Performance nomination but also a fruitful collaboration that mirrored the strong bonds between their fathers’ musical legacies, Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. This dual recognition of Anoushka Shankar indicates her persistent journey of uniting classical with modern global soundscape, which is, no doubt, very productive.
Cultural Fusion: Key Contenders
The nominations opening with the top sitar and sarod collaboration highlight the presence of the Indian-origin artists with their diverse characters to mainly change the genres.
The ultimate Indo-jazz fusion group Shakti, which has been with Shankar Mahadevan and Ustad Zakir Hussain along with John McLaughlin as the main members, managed to get two top nominations in the categories: Best Global Music Album for Mind Explosion (50th Anniversary Tour Live) and Best Global Music Performance for “Shrini’s Dream (Live).” The first and only Indian contemporary music group’s creative endeavor over the last fifty years is still recognized by the world.
Expanding Global Footprint
The expanding power is now totally supported by other important nominees. Composer Siddhant Bhatia was awarded Best Global Music Album nomination for Sounds of Kumbha, an ambitious, collaboration-driven endeavor that draws inspiration from the spiritual and sonic energy of the Kumbh Mela.
The renowned Indo-American pianist Charu Suri adds up the cross-cultural acknowledgement by obtaining a nomination for the Best Contemporary Instrumental Album with her album Shayan. Her project beautifully intertwines jazz and Indian ragas, thus showing that Indian-origin artists are not only included but also actively setting the new, interesting categories on the global music map.
The immensity of these nominations, ranging from classical sitar through jazz-fusion to ambient instrumental, emphasizes the rich, expanding musical dialogue that is being having by the Indian diaspora.
A recent media graduate, Bhumi Vashisht is currently making a significant contribution as a committed content writer. She brings new ideas to the media sector and is an expert at creating strategic content and captivating tales, having working in the field from past four months.
