How Indian Musicians Made Their Mark at the 2026 Grammy Awards

The 68th Annual Grammy Awards, held on 1 February 2026, in Los Angeles, celebrated musical excellence across genres. 

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Presented by the Recording Academy, the Grammys are often described as the Oscars of music, honouring outstanding recordings, compositions, and artistic achievement.

The 2026 edition reinforced a growing reality: Indian sounds and Indian-origin artists are no longer peripheral on the world’s biggest music stage. 

They are present, recognised, and increasingly influential, reflecting a widening global appetite for Indian-rooted music in many forms.

Here’s a look at the Indian and Indian-origin artists at the 2026 Grammys.

Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Amaan Ali Bangash, and Ayaan Ali Bangash

Sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, along with his sons Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash, won a Grammy Award this year as composers on the album ‘Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.’ 

The project brought Indian classical music into a deeply meditative global space, pairing the sarod’s introspective resonance with the Dalai Lama's spiritual reflections.

A torchbearer of the Senia-Bangash gharana, Amjad Ali Khan has spent decades carrying Indian classical music to world stages. 

Together with his sons, the Grammy win marked a powerful moment for Indian classical artistry rooted in lineage, discipline, and quiet global impact.

Anoushka Shankar 

At the 2026 Grammy Awards, Anoushka Shankar earned two nominations, one for the Best Global Music Album for ‘Chapter III: We Return to Light’ and another for the Best Global Music Performance for her song ‘Daybreak’.  

The projects stood out for their reflective, genre-blurring sound, placing Indian classical instruments in dialogue with contemporary global music. 

Despite her nominations, Anoushka Shankar did not attend the Grammy ceremony. Instead, she continued with her Chapters Tour with the 1 February concert in Mumbai. 

Shankar’s relationship with the sitar began early, shaped by years of rigorous training and constant performance. 

Over time, she has expanded that foundation into a body of work that moves fluidly between classical concert halls, electronic collaborations, and experimental albums. 

Alam Khan 

Alam Khan was part of ‘Chapter III: We Return to Light’, which received a Best Global Music Album nomination at the 2026 Grammys. 

His sarod work added emotional weight and classical grounding to an album built on cross-cultural collaboration. 

Khan’s musical lineage stretches back generations, rooted in the Senia-Bangash gharana. 

Trained under his father, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, he has spent his career balancing commitment to tradition with openness to collaboration. 

Sarathy Korwar

Sarathy Korwar’s name appeared on the Grammy roster in 2026 as a collaborator on ‘Chapter III: We Return to Light’, nominated for Best Global Music Album.

The US-born and Indian-raised musician’s sound has been shaped by movement across geographies and genres, with roots in Indian rhythmic traditions and a deep immersion in jazz and experimental music. 

He first drew global attention through critically acclaimed albums like ‘Day to Day’, ‘More Arriving’, and ‘KALAK’, which combine percussion with spoken word, electronics, and social commentary. 

Siddhant Bhatia 

Siddhant Bhatia’s ‘Sounds of Kumbha’ earned a nomination for Best Global Music Album at the 2026 Grammys, bringing the sonic atmosphere of the Kumbh Mela into an international spotlight. 

The album translated chants, ambient sound, and collective faith into a contemplative musical experience.

With Sounds of Kumbha, Bhatia turned one of India’s oldest spiritual gatherings into a contemporary soundscape. 

Shakti 

At the 2026 Grammys, Shakti received two nominations — Best Global Music Album for ‘Mind Explosion (50th Anniversary Tour Live)’ and Best Global Music Performance for ‘Shrini’s Dream (Live)’. 

The band’s story spans decades, tracing the evolution of Indo-jazz fusion from an experiment to a respected global form. 

With Indian stalwarts like Shankar Mahadevan anchoring the current lineup, the group continues to prove that collaboration, when rooted in mutual respect, doesn’t dilute tradition. It deepens it.

Charu Suri 

Charu Suri was nominated for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album at the 2026 Grammys for the albumn ‘Shayan’. 

The nomination placed her among a select group of Indian-origin artists recognised for instrumental innovation.

Suri’s musical journey moved through Western classical training before finding its home in jazz. 

Alongside her role as a producer on ‘Sounds of Kumbha’, Suri represents a growing presence of Indian-origin women shaping global music from behind the piano and behind the scenes.

Raja Kumari

Rapper, singer, and songwriter Raja Kumari featured at the 2026 Grammys through her contribution to ‘Sounds of Kumbha’, which was nominated for Best Global Music Album. 

Her involvement brought the spoken-word and hip-hop sensibility into a project rooted in devotion, widening its emotional and stylistic range.

Long before the Grammys, Kumari was writing poetry, training in Bharatanatyam, and negotiating what it meant to be South Asian in American pop culture.

Lara Raj (with KATSEYE)

Global girl group KATSEYE, featuring Lara Raj, received two nominations, one for the sought-after Best New Artist and a second for the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for their song ‘Gabriela’. 

Competing in mainstream pop categories, the group’s recognition pointed to a more inclusive global pop landscape.

At just 20, Lara’s path to the Grammys was shaped by the power of fandom. Selected through an international survival show ‘Popstar Academy’ that formed KATSEYE, she represents a generation of Indian-heritage artists entering global pop not through genre labels, but through visibility and performance. 

India’s Grammy legacy and a hopeful tune

From sitar and sarod to devotional soundscapes, jazz, hip-hop, and global pop, Indian and Indian-origin artists continue to expand the country’s musical footprint on the world stage.

Over the decades, artists such as Pandit Ravi Shankar, A R Rahman, Zakir Hussain, Ricky Kej, and now Ustad Amjad Ali Khan with Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash, have built a legacy of Grammy recognition. 

As Indian musicians continue to innovate and collaborate across cultures, every nomination and win signals momentum, with more global ears tuned in to India’s ever-evolving musical heartbeat.