Anoushka Shankar reveals why she skipped Grammy Awards 2026: ‘Made a conscious decision not to go…’

Anoushka Shankar may have earned two nominations at the 68th annual Grammy Awards that took place on Sunday night in Los Angeles, but the musician chose to stay back in India for her projects and skip the ceremony. Shankar gave reasons as to why she decided to skip music’s biggest night and added that it was important for her mental health.

Anoushka penned a long note on Instagram and also shared whether winning a Grammy Award truly mattered.

Anoushka Shankar reveals why she skipped the Grammys this year

Anoushka Shankar shared a series of photos from her recent shows on Instagram. One had her playing the sitar, performing on stage, and spending some fun moments with her team members. Along with the photos, Shankar wrote a long note that read, “It’s Grammy day today! I’m proud to be twice nominated - for my album Chapter III: We Return to Light and for Daybreak, the lead song from the album. These are my 12th and 13th nominations, which in itself is HUGE!"

The musician candidly admitted that being part of events like the Grammys stresses her out. "At the same time, it feels really good NOT to be in LA getting sucked into the whirlwind of interlocking excitement and stress that comes with major awards events. This year, I made a conscious decision not to go and to be on the road in India during the ceremony. I wanted to practice what I preach, which is that awards don’t matter like the actual connection playing music for people affords us as artists," she added.

Anoushka talks about her mental health

Talking about her mental health, Shankar said that the days leading up to the event have a lot of preparations, which take a toll on a person. "I wanted to take care of my mental health too- and I have to say, sometimes the process of spending literally thousands of dollars on the privilege of flying, attending, marketing and getting sucked in to the machine, hugely anxious about outfits and red carpets, starting to hope to win and then not winning (again and again!) can take a toll," she continued further.

Anoushka shares what a ‘bigger mainstream artist’ can do before the Grammys and added how a bigger artist's name lands in front of voters.

Also see: Diamonds, drama and bare breasts: Grammys 2026 best red-carpet moments

"There is always a bigger mainstream artist dropping into our global categories who has MORE money to spend on marketing; there is always an artist who chooses to spend months networking, attending nominee events and ensuring their music and name lands in front of voters. I don’t say this from bitterness, but just to acknowledge what the behind-the-scenes reality can be. If tonight, I happen to win for the first time, of course, it will be a joyful experience, but I truly, truly believe it doesn’t matter in a deeper context," Shankar added.

Anoushka on her India shows

The sitar player opened up about being in India and how she is enjoying her stay here. "Being here in India, where Chapter III really began, working and laughing and playing with my incredible band and crew, is the stuff of reality, of my TRUEST artistic life. Wishing luck and love to everyone nominated tonight- especially those whose music I genuinely love and respect! - and to our audience in Mumbai - we can’t wait to see you!" concluded her note.

Also see: Grammy Awards 2026: Full list of winners

Anoushka Shankar’s Grammy nominations

Shankar received her first Grammy nomination in 2003 in the Best Global Music Album category for her third album, Live at Carnegie Hall. She was the youngest-ever nominee in the category. Since then, she has been nominated for different categories in the Grammys in 2006, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2023, and 2024.

At the Grammys 2026, she received her 13th Grammy Award nomination for Daybreak in the Best Global Music Performance category and her 14th nomination for the album, Chapter III: We Return to Light in the Best Global Music Album category. While the musician has earned multiple Grammy nominations in her career, she hasn't won a Grammy Award so far.