Indian fusion band Shakti wins Grammy for Best Global Music Album

Brimming with joy are Shakti band members Shankar Mahadevan, V Selvaganesh and Ganesh Rajagopalan, who won a Grammy for Best Global Music Album. The Indian fusion band was up against the likes of Susana Baca, Bokante, Burna Boy, and Davido for the prestigious award.

Released in June 2023, the 2024 Grammy award winning album, “This Moment” is Shakti’s third studio album and their first release in 46 years. Following the release they embarked on a global 27-city tour to mark their 50th Anniversary.

Shakti, comprising of legendary musicians John McLaughlin (guitarist), V Selvaganesh (carnatic percussionist), Ganesh Rajagopalan (violist), Zakir Hussain (tabla player & composer), and Shankar Mahadevan, received the award at the 66th annual Grammy Awards held on the 4th February in Los Angeles.

Popular Indian vocalist and composer Shankar Mahadevan, who has been featured in over 7000 film & indie songs in various Indian languages including Tamil, Malayalam & Hindi, to name but a few, spoke on behalf of his band members.

“John Mclaughlin is missing today; we miss you, John. Thank you boys, and thank you, God, family, friends, and India.”

Shakti was formed in 1973, as McLaughlin sought deeper musical fulfillment following the success of his immensely influential and successful jazz/rock fusion outfit The Mahavishnu Orchestra. A Greenwich Village music shop owner connected McLaughlin with tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain, who had been performing with giants of Hindustani music since he was a child.

Their initial informal encounters grew into Shakti, an outfit that transcended the boundaries separating Eastern and Western music via dynamic virtuosity and spiritual openness.

Over the succeeding decades, Shakti’s powerful albums and tours established them among the key architects of what is today called “World Music,” inspiring generations of musicians to discard arbitrary borders in search of fruitful musical hybrids.