Shankar Mahadevan dedicates Grammy-nominated album to late Ustad Zakir Hussain

After their Grammy triumph in 2024, fusion group Shakti once again brought glory to India. Their latest album 'Mind Explosion' earned two nominations at the 68th Grammy Awards --for Best Global Music Album and Best Global Music Performance for the track 'Shrini’s Dream'.

Singer-composer Shankar Mahadevan, who led the legendary band after the death of tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain, dedicated the nominations to the late musician. “Unfortunately, Zakir saheb is no more, so we are dedicating his album to him. He and John McLaughlin founded Shakti 50 years ago, and I joined in 2000. I used to dream of just meeting them, and now I’ve been part of the band for 25 years, touring, performing, and now leading it -- it’s truly a blessing,” Mahadevan told HT City.

The album was a compilation of recordings from around 25–30 live concerts across the US and Europe during their 2024 world tour. Mahadevan shared that the band had been in the process of releasing the album when Zakir Hussain passed away in December 2024. “It’s a void that can’t be filled. Creating a cohesive album from live



shows was challenging, but we did it, and it’s an honour to be recognised with two Grammy nominations. We will miss him a lot,” he added.

Mahadevan expressed his excitement about attending the Grammy Awards on February 1, 2026. “It’s a double joy and blessing after Shakti band’s 'This Moment' won Grammys last year (Feb 5, 2024). But, with joy at the same time there is a sadness that Zakir bhai is not with us. We will miss him a lot,” he said.

In a collaborative post with @Shakti50tour on Instagram, Mahadevan shared a video montage of the group’s live performances, which received massive traction and appreciation from fans. In another post, he thanked his co-musicians and “brothers V Selvaganesh and Ganesh Rajagopalan and maestros John McLaughlin, one and only Ustad Zakir Hussain ji and members of the recording studio.”

Other Indian nominees at the Grammys included sitarist Anoushka Shankar for 'Chapter III: We Return to Light', Delhi-based singer-composer Siddhant Bhatia for 'Sounds of Kumbha', and Indo-American pianist Charu Suri for her album 'Shayan'.