Indian Artists at the 2026 Grammys
No Trophies, But a Real Presence
The 68th Grammy Awards were held on February 1, 2026, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. No Indian nominee went home with a trophy. Best Global Music Album went to Caetano Veloso and Maria Bethânia. Even so, India was hard to miss on the nominee list this year, and Indian and Indian-origin musicians were part of the main conversation, not a side note.
Anoushka Shankar
Sitarist Anoushka Shankar had two nominations. Chapter III: We Return to Light was up for Best Global Music Album, and its track “Daybreak” was up for Best Global Music Performance. She made the record with sarod player Alam Khan and percussionist Sarathy Korwar, and both were named alongside her. This brings her career total to 13 nominations. Her first came in 2003, when she was the youngest person ever nominated in the World Music category.
Shakti
Shakti, the fusion band that won in 2024, were back with two nominations of their own. Mind Explosion (50th Anniversary Tour Live) was in the running for Best Global Music Album, and “Shrini’s Dream (Live)” for Best Global Music Performance. Fifty years after the band began, listeners are still paying attention to what they do.
Charu Suri
Pianist Charu Suri, who is Indo-American, received her first nomination, in Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for Shayan. Her music mixes Indian ragas with jazz. The album was produced and mixed by Siddhant Bhatia, a composer based in India.
Siddhant Bhatia and Raja Kumari
Bhatia had a first nomination of his own, in Best Global Music Album for Sounds of Kumbha. The 12-track album brings together more than 50 artists from around the world and is dedicated to the Mahakumbh festival in Prayagraj. Rapper and songwriter Raja Kumari contributed to the project. On the red carpet she wore a two-tone Sabyasachi saree, which got plenty of attention.
Moments Off the Ballot
Other Indian touches showed up around the ceremony. Lara Raj, who is of Indian and Sri Lankan descent and a member of the group Katseye, wore a sparkling ‘Om’ necklace and a maang tikka. A clip also went viral of Dallas-based singer-songwriter Vamsi Kalakuntla playing the Dhurandhar title track at the event.
Looking Ahead
India did not win in 2026, but the range on the list was wide: a veteran sitarist, a legendary fusion band, a jazz pianist and a devotional-electronic project, with two of them nominated for the first time. If that pattern continues, a win seems likely before long.
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