Several Indian Americans Get Grammy Noms

India-West News Desk

LOS ANGELES, CA – Several Indian American artists have been nominated for the 67th Grammy Awards, set for February 2, 2025, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. The nominees include Chandrika Tandon, Anoushka Shankar, Varijashree Venugopal, Ricky Kej, Noshir Mody, and Radhika Vekaria.

Entrepreneur and artist Chandrika Tandon’s album Triveni, created in collaboration with flutist Wouter Kellerman and cellist Éru Matsumoto, earned a nomination in the Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album category. Tandon previously received a Grammy nod for her album Soul Call in the Best Contemporary World Music category. Beyond her music career, Tandon is a member of the Board of Trustees at New York University and chair of Tandon Capital Associates, a financial advisory firm she founded in 1992.

Sitarist Anoushka Shankar, daughter of the legendary Ravi Shankar, received a Grammy nomination for her album Chapter II: How Dark It Is Before Dawn in the same category. Produced with British composer Peter Raeburn at his Soundtree Studios in Los Angeles, the album moves through introspective emotional landscapes. Shankar also earned a second nomination in the Best Global Music Performance category for her feature on British multi-instrumentalist Jacob Collier’s song “A Rock Somewhere,” which also features Bengaluru-based vocalist, violinist, and composer Varijashree Venugopal.

Bengaluru-based Varijashree Venugopal, a first-time Grammy nominee, also contributed to Grammy-winner Ricky Kej’s album Break of Dawn. Born in North Carolina and now based in Bangalore, Kej is a three-time Grammy winner and received his fourth nomination in the Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album category. Speaking about this nomination, Kej said, “I am honored to have Break of Dawn recognized by The Recording Academy. This album is deeply personal, reflecting my belief in music as a transformative force for health and well-being of the planet and our people.”

Indian American artist Radhika Vekaria also joins the Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album category with her album Warriors of Light. Vekaria, now based in Los Angeles, was born in the UK to parents from East Africa with Indian roots.

Noshir Mody, a Mumbai-born, self-taught musician now in the U.S., received his first Grammy nomination in the Best Global Music Performance category for his collaboration on the song “Kashira” by Masa Takumi, with Ron Korb and Dale Edward Chung. Having moved to the U.S. at 22, Mody honed his guitar skills in New York City’s jazz scene, with his latest album Abstractions reflecting his unique blend of composition and improvisation.

Also nominated in the Best Global Music Performance category is Pakistani American musician Arooj Aftab, who earned this nod for her song “Raat Ki Rani” from her album Night Reign, which is also nominated for Best Alternative Jazz Album. In 2022, Aftab became the first Pakistani woman to win a Grammy, taking home the inaugural award for Best Global Music Performance with her song Mohabbat. She was also nominated in the Best New Artist category that year and performed her Grammy-nominated song “Usher Na” with Shankar at the premiere ceremony.