Indian musicians return to Grammy spotlight as Anoushka Shankar and Shakti earn major nominations for 2026 awards

Highlights:

• Indian artists earn multiple Grammy nods across global and jazz categories
• Anoushka Shankar picks up two nominations for Chapter III: We Return to Light
• Shakti’s live tour and tribute track land them back in contention
• Pianist Charu Suri and composer Siddhant Bhatia join the list

India’s got a big presence at the 2026 Grammys. Anoushka Shankar, Shakti, and pianist Charu Suri are all on the list. Three very different acts, same story; Indian music turning up everywhere.

Anoushka Shankar and Shakti make history at Grammy 2026 as India scores multiple global music nominations Getty Images

Anoushka Shankar keeps her streak going

Shankar’s album Chapter III: We Return to Light is up for Best Global Music Album. The record, made with Alam Khan and Sarathy Korwar, also gave her a second nod for the track Daybreak. It’s her twelfth and thirteenth overall nomination. There’s a family echo too: her father Ravi Shankar once shared a similar Grammy moment with Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Alam’s father.

Shakti back where they belong

The fusion band Shakti, led by Shankar Mahadevan and John McLaughlin, is in the race for two trophies; Best Global Music Album for Mind Explosion (Live) and Best Global Music Performance for Shrini’s Dream (Live). The group, which also features Zakir Hussain, marked fifty years this season with a sold-out world tour. Their nomination follows a recent Grammy win for This Moment.

Shankar Mahadevan's Instagram story Instagram/shankar.mahadevan

Charu Suri and Siddhant Bhatia widen the sound

Pianist Charu Suri made the shortlist for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album with Shayan. It’s jazz built around Indian ragas, slow and meditative. Composer Siddhant Bhatia joins the Best Global Music Album list for Sounds of Kumbha, a project using field recordings from the Kumbh Mela mixed with chants and ambient layers.

India’s Grammy moment

British-Indian singer Jahnavi Harrison is in too, for Into the Forest under the New Age slot. The ceremony is set for 1 February in Los Angeles. Big names like Kendrick Lamar and Lady Gaga lead elsewhere, but India’s got its moment right there beside them.