Indians who joined Taylor Swift as Grammy 2024 Winners

Indian musicians have once again broken the sound barrier... and they have done so on one of the world’s most prestigious stages – The Grammy Awards. The 66th edition of the musical ceremony received a smattering of Hindustani spice, with Indian celebrities Shankar Mahadevan (vocals) and Zakhir Hussain (tabla) winning their first ever Grammy trophy. Their band named Shakti grabbed the Global Album of the Year for the fusion music album - The Moment. And it was indeed a Moment to cherish, as they were joined on stage by fellow Indian band members V. Selvaganesh (percussionist) and Ganesh Rajagopalan (violinist).

Shakti’s elderly founder and guitarist John McLaughlin (alias “Mahavishnu”) was sadly absent, although Mahadevan acknowledged him in his acceptance speech. He added, “Thank you family, friends and India. India, we are proud of you!” And amid raucous applause from his compatriots in the crowd, Mahadevan concluded, “I would like to dedicate this award to my wife whom every note of my music is dedicated to.” But the Indian nominees were not done for the evening. Ustad Zakir Hussain went on to clinch the Best Global Music Performance Grammy for his part in Pashto.

These Indians to claim a Grammy now join an exclusive club which includes the likes of sitar maestro Ravi Shankar, music composer Ricky Kej, classical guitarist Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, tunesmith A. R. Rahman and lyricist Gulzar. Such names are testament to the Recording Academy’s drive toward acknowledging talent from across the world. Speaking of talent, the 2024 Grammy Awards stage was awash with live performances from artistes across periods and genres. Indeed, those taking Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena by storm were - prolific veterans in Joni Mitchell, Billy Joel, Tracy Chapman and U2 along with SZA, Dua Lipa, Luke Combs and Burna Boy. The items on the schedule were ably melded together by talk show host and emcee of the event Trevor Noah. 

But with regards to the actual business of the evening – the awards – Phoebe Bridgers took away the most for any nominee with four glowing trophies. These included Best New Artist, Best Rock Performance, Best Rock Song and Best Alternative Music Album. Picking up a trio of awards was SZA - for Best Progressive R&B Album, Best R&B Song and Best Top Duo/Group Performance. Meanwhile, Boygenius, Killer Mike and Victoria Monet also grabbed three Grammys a piece.

But no one could overshadow arguably the most successful and widely-adored singer-songwriter ever: Taylor Swift. The 52-time Grammy nominee was awarded Best Pop Vocal Album and the top prize of the evening – Best Album of the Year. With her win for Midnights, this is the fourth time Swift has ensnared Grammy’s biggest trophy. In so doing, she has beaten out legends Frank Sinatra, Paul Simon and Stevie Wonder. And who better to present Swift with the glistening accolade than Celine Dion (of the My Heart Will Go On fame). Swift has previously won the event’s top annual album for Fearless (2008), 1989 (2014) and Folklore (2020). The superstar’s collection of Grammys is currently at 14 and counting, which invites the question: does this young lady ever run out of breath?