The nominations for the 67th Grammy Awards were announced on Friday, highlighting the achievements of both established and rising Indian and Indian-origin musicians. Among the recognized artists are Ricky Kej, Anoushka Shankar, Varijashree Venugopal, Radhika Vekaria, and Chandrika Tandon.
Ricky Kej, a two-time Grammy winner, has been nominated in the Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album category for his album Break of Dawn. This category also includes nominations for Anoushka Shankar’s Chapter II: How Dark It Is Before Dawn, Radhika Vekaria’s Warriors of Light, and Triveni by Chandrika Tandon, created with flautist Wouter Kellerman and cellist Eru Matsumoto.
Anoushka Shankar has earned a second nomination for her collaboration with British multi-instrumentalist Jacob Collier on the song “A Rock Somewhere,” which is nominated for Best Global Music Performance. The track also features Varijashree Venugopal, a Bengaluru-based vocalist and flautist, who receives her first Grammy nomination. Venugopal was also part of Ricky Kej’s Break of Dawn album.
Ricky Kej’s journey at the Grammys began in 2015 when he won his first Grammy for Winds of Samsara, alongside Wouter Kellerman. He earned his second Grammy in 2022 for Divine Tides, his collaboration with Stewart Copeland of The Police, in the Best New Age Album category. Kej’s third Grammy came in 2023 for the immersive audio version of Divine Tides, which won Best Immersive Audio Album.
Though no Indian artists are nominated in the Best Global Music Album category this year, Pakistani-origin artist Arooj Aftab has made her presence known with two nominations. Aftab is nominated for Best Alternative Jazz Album for Night Reign and Best Global Music Performance for her song “Raat Ki Rani,” which is also competing in the same category as Anoushka Shankar and Jacob Collier’s song.
The 67th Grammy Awards will be held on February 2, 2025, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The ceremony will celebrate music released between September 16, 2023, and August 30, 2024.
