The 2026 Grammy nominations have been announced, kicking off the countdown to one of the most anticipated nights in international music. Global superstars Kendrick Lamar and Lady Gaga lead the pack with nine and seven nominations, respectively, while producer-songwriters Jack Antonoff and Cirkut follow closely with seven each.
Although Taylor Swift missed this year’s eligibility window for her latest album Life of a Showgirl, the Grammy conversation is abuzz with notable snubs, particularly Lorde for her acclaimed album Virgin and The Weeknd (Abel Tesfaye), who were both left out despite strong critical praise.
Amid the heavyweights, Indian talent is shining brightly. Renowned sitarist Anoushka Shankar has earned her 11th Grammy nomination, this time in the Best Global Music Performance category for her track Daybreak, featuring her cousin Alam Khan and percussionist Sarathy Korwar. The track is part of her latest album Chapter III: We Return to Light, the final part of her conceptual trilogy exploring themes of renewal and dawn.
This nomination is emotionally significant, recalling the 1984 Grammy nomination shared by her father, Pandit Ravi Shankar, and his brother-in-law Ustad Ali Akbar Khan for their iconic Raga Mishra Piloo Duet for Sitar recorded live at Carnegie Hall. Over four decades later, their children are continuing the legacy of musical dialogue between sitar and sarod on the global stage.
Shankar, Khan, and Korwar are also in the running for Best Global Music Album, where they will compete with Sidhant Bhatia’s Sounds of Kumbh (Vedam Records), a cultural project commissioned by the Government of Uttar Pradesh that blends field recordings from Prayagraj with ancient mantras.
In the same category, Shakti’s Mind Explosion: 50th Anniversary Tour Live (2024), a landmark Indo-jazz collaboration featuring John McLaughlin, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Shankar Mahadevan, Vikku Vinayakram, V Selvaraj, and Ganesh Rajagopalan, is also up for recognition. Their track Sreeni’s Dream, a tribute to mandolin virtuoso U Srinivas, has been nominated alongside Daybreak in the Best Global Music Performance category.
Alongside the Indian nominees, other contenders for Best Global Album include Burna Boy (Nigeria), Youssou N’Dour (Senegal), and Brazilian icons Caetano Veloso and Maria Bethânia.
Another standout this year is Charu Suri, the Madurai-born, New York-based jazz pianist, who continues to carve a niche with her unique fusion of jazz improvisation and Indian classical ragas. Her album Shayan (Sleep), designed to help listeners rest through the meditative use of ragas, has earned her a nomination for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album.
Suri will join the constellation of nominees walking the red carpet at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena on 1 February 2026, as the world tunes in to find out who will take home the prestigious golden gramophones.