‘We Miss Him’: Shankar Mahadevan Honours Zakir Hussain As Shakti Earns Two Grammy Nominations

Indian fusion group Shakti has added another milestone to its illustrious journey, earning two nominations at the 68th Grammy Awards for its album Mind Explosion. The record has been recognised in the categories

of Best Global Music Album and Best Global Music Performance for the track Shrini’s Dream.

The recognition comes a year after the band’s Grammy win for This Moment in 2024. However, this year’s honour carries a bittersweet note, as vocalist-composer Shankar Mahadevan has dedicated the nominations to the group’s late co-founder, Ustad Zakir Hussain, who passed away in December 2024.

“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 Hindustan Times.

The band currently features guitarist John McLaughlin, percussionist V Selvaganesh, and violinist Ganesh Rajagopalan alongside Mahadevan. Reflecting on the making of Mind Explosion, he revealed that the project was born out of their 2024 world tour, during which they performed nearly 30 live shows across the United States and Europe.

“We were in the process of releasing it when Zakir saheb passed away. 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 said.

Mahadevan expressed both pride and melancholy ahead of the Grammy ceremony, scheduled for 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 added.

On social media, the musician shared clips from Shakti’s live performances in collaboration with Shakti50tour, which have garnered wide appreciation online. In another heartfelt post, Mahadevan extended gratitude to his fellow artists, thanking “brothers V Selvaganesh and Ganesh Rajagopalan and maestros John McLaughlin, one and only Ustad Zakir Hussain ji and members of the recording studio.”

Meanwhile, other Indian names in contention for the upcoming Grammys include Anoushka Shankar for Chapter III: We Return to Light, Siddhant Bhatia for Sounds of Kumbha, and Charu Suri for her album Shayan.