It’s that time of year again where we scour through the long Grammy nominations list to find recognisable South Asian talent. But lucky for us, 2024 seems to have been a good year for the community with old favourites making their way onto the list.
Charli XCX
Brat was the album that brought Charli XCX back into the public consciousness. It not only created new trends but had a cultural impact possibly bigger than the Barbie film. The English songstress is up for an award in the highly coveted Album of the Year category, competing with the likes of Beyonce, Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter. She has also scored nominations in 6 other categories including record of the year for her song 360 and Best Pop Solo performance for the single Apple.
Anoushka Shankar
Shankar’s album, Ch II: How Dark it is Before Dawn, has been nominated in the category of Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album. The America based sitarist’s latest work is an example of what she does best, which is to convey an inexplicable or long forgotten feeling through her instrumental music.
Her collaboration with Jacob Collier and singer Varijashree Venugopal on the single A Rock Somewhere has landed her a nomination for the Best Global Music Performance category, which is awarded to international music that has found mainstream success.
Norah Jones
Shankar’s equally talented sister, American singer-songwriter Norah Jones is also in the running for an award at the 2025 Grammys in the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album category for her work Visions. The album is a dynamic mix of her signature jazz and blues style of music. Her work retains the variety that was present in her 2003 award winning album Come Away with Me. Tracks like All This Time offer a more laid back tune, whilst the titular Visions has little to no instrumental backing, instead relying on Jones’ vocals to draw the audience in.
Arooj Aftab
After her Grammy win in 2022, making her the first Pakistani to win a Grammy award, Aftab’s name keeps popping up in the lists. She’s competing with Anoushka Shankar in the Best Global Music Performance Category with her single Raat Ki Rani. It’s a moody tune evocative of her first Grammy winning single Mohabbat, which revamped an old Urdu poem and introduced the text to millions of listeners globally. Raat Ki Rani carries the same themes of yearning and love, with her poeticism transporting listeners to a different time and place.
Ricky Kej
The three time Grammy award winner is up for a fourth in the category of Best New Age, Ambient or Chant Album for his work Break of Dawn. The Bangalore based composer and keyboardist is known for his instrumental music which fuses both ragas and Western musical themes. Perhaps a sign of his strength as a musician is that despite the fact that his pieces are instrumentals, each track clearly conveys a feeling or an idea. The titular track in his latest album carries a deep sense of hope and re-awakening, whilst Euphoria is more grandiose. But with fan favourite Anoushka Shankar also competing for the same award at the 2025 Grammys, it’s looking to be anyone’s game.
Radhika Vekaria
Radhika Vekaria is also up for the Best New Age, Ambient or Chant Album for her work Warriors of Light. The English singer is not only known for her voice, but also for her ability to modernise prayers in Sanskrit. Mantras such as the Hanuman Chalisa are sung on top of complex soundscapes which relentlessly hold the listener’s attention. Although those who appreciate traditional chants might fail to understand her appeal, her music has found a fan base in those unfamiliar with Hinduism.
Chandrika Tandon
Indian-American singer Chandrika Tandon is up for the Best New Age, Ambient or Chant Album alongside her collaborators flautist Wouter Kellerman and cellist Eru Matsumoto for their latest album Triveni. Like her fellow nominee Radhika Vekaria, Tandon’s collaborative album also creates a fascinating fusion of Western and Eastern sounds. As a result, when listening to pieces like Pathway to Light, which has lyrics in Sanskrit, you get the feeling that you’re listening to a blues tune as opposed to a traditional chant!
Four Tet
Four Tet, also known as Kieran Hebden, has secured nominations in both the Best Dance/Electronic Album category and the Best Dance/Electric Recording category for his album Three and the single Loved. Whilst the London-born singer is highly experimental, his music is still accessible to a wide audience. It is difficult to characterise his work due to the sheer variety of his music, ranging from jazzy tunes to electronic beats. Perhaps it is this ability to appeal to music lovers in any genre which makes him deserving of a Grammy.
If Zakir Hussain’s record breaking success in 2024, where he won three Grammys in one night, taught us anything, it’s that Indian artists are becoming more accepted on a global scale. With the number of nominations this year, perhaps we can be rest assured that at least one of our faves will win big.
The 2025 Grammy Awards will air on 3 February 2025 AEST.
Read more: Triveni review: A Hindustani and Carnatic fusion – Indian Link
