At the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, Indian musicians achieved remarkable success, earning a total of six awards, with legendary tabla player Zakir Hussain taking home three of them. The ceremony, hosted by Trevor Noah for the fourth consecutive year, was held on February 4 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. One of the highlights of the evening was the win for Shankar Mahadevan and Zakir Hussain’s fusion group Shakti, which secured the coveted Best Global Music Album award for their album This Moment. Their competition included esteemed releases from artists with roots in Africa, the Caribbean, and Peru.
This Moment, released on June 30, 2023, after a significant 46-year hiatus since their last studio album, Natural Elements, comprises eight tracks crafted by renowned musicians including John McLaughlin (guitar), Zakir Hussain (tabla), Shankar Mahadevan (vocals), V Selvaganesh (percussion), and Ganesh Rajagopalan (violin). This accolade marks the fifth Grammy win for Indian artists in this category, formerly known as Best World Music Album, with Ravi Shankar being the last Indian winner in 2013 for his album The Living Room Sessions Pt. 1.
While this marks Mahadevan’s first Grammy victory, Hussain is no stranger to the honors, having previously won in this category in 1991 and again in 1996. His inaugural Grammy win was for Planet Drum, alongside T. H. Vinayakram, and he won again in 1996 for Raga Aberi, collaborating with L. Shankar and T. H. Vinayakram.
Congrats Best Global Music Album winner – ‘This Moment’ Shakti. #GRAMMYs 🎶
WATCH NOW https://t.co/OuKk34kvdu pic.twitter.com/N7vXftfaDy
— Recording Academy / GRAMMYs (@RecordingAcad) February 4, 2024
In a further triumph for Indian artists, the award for Best Global Music Performance was bestowed upon the song Pashto, which features Zakir Hussain alongside acclaimed Indian flautist Rakesh Chaurasia, who also won two Grammys this year, and American musicians Bela Fleck and Edgar Meyer. Other Indian-related entries nominated in this category included Abundance in Millets by Falu, featuring Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Shadow Forces by Arooj Aftab and Vijay Iyer.
Additionally, the album “As We Speak”, which contains the song Pashto, won the award for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album. It features a diverse mix of musical styles, showcasing the talents of Zakir Hussain, Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer, and Rakesh Chaurasia, melding Indian classical music with Jazz and Bluegrass through instruments like the banjo, tabla, double bass, and bansuri.
Celebrated multiple Grammy winner Ricky Kej expressed his excitement over the Indian artists’ achievements on social media, commending the contributions of Hussain, Mahadevan, Chaurasia, V Selvaganesh, and Ganesh Rajagopalan. Kej, based in Bengaluru, celebrated his third Grammy win last year for the album ‘Divine Tides’ at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards.
SHAKTI wins a #GRAMMYs #GRAMMYs2024 !!! Through this album 4 brilliant Indian musicians win Grammys!! Just amazing. India is shining in every direction. Shankar Mahadevan, Selvaganesh Vinayakram, Ganesh Rajagopalan, Ustad Zakhir Hussain. Ustad Zakhir Hussain won a second Grammy… pic.twitter.com/dJDUT6vRso
— Ricky Kej (@rickykej) February 4, 2024
India’s presence at the Grammy Awards dates back to 1968 when Ravi Shankar won in the Best Chamber Music Performance category. Over the years, Indian artists have been recognized with 19 Grammys in various categories, including Best New Age Album, Best Song Written for Visual Media, Best Compilation Soundtrack Album, and Best Classical Vocal Performance.
