Anoushka Shankar On Her Grammy Nominations & ‘We Return To Light’: ‘Happiness is Hard-Won, It’s Something Powerful’ | Exclusive

Anoushka Shankar continues to push the boundaries of Indian classical music with her fusion of electronic, jazz, and global sounds. As she celebrates her 10th and 11th Grammy nominations, she is also set to release the final chapter of her album trilogy, “We Return to…Read More

If there’s one artist who has continuously redefined the sitar’s sonic landscape, it’s Anoushka Shankar. Effortlessly blending Indian classical traditions with electronic, jazz, and global experimental influences, she has created a musical universe uniquely her own. This year, Shankar adds yet another remarkable chapter to her already stellar career—earning two Grammy nominations, marking her 10th and 11th nods at music’s most prestigious awards.

But that’s not all. As she steps into 2025, Shankar is also set to release the final installment of her trilogy of mini-albums, Chapter III: We Return to Light, rounding off a deeply personal and ambitious three-part journey that spans continents, collaborations, and sonic explorations.

This last chapter is a return—not just to her father Ravi Shankar’s musical legacy but to her own deeply personal connection with the country. It embodies the energy of Goa’s underground trance raves, the hypnotic cycles of Indian classical music, and the futuristic possibilities of sound looping and technology.

As Shankar gears up for her extensive 2025 tour, which will kick off in North America and extend across the globe, we sat down with Anoushka Shankar to talk about her Grammy nominations, her Indo-futurist vision, and what to expect from her upcoming album Chapter 3: We Return To Light.

Here are the excerpts:

Congratulations on the two Grammy nominations this year! How does it feel to be recognized on such a prestigious platform for the 11th time, if I’m not mistaken?

Yeah, I mean, it’s the 10th and 11th nominations this year, which is a huge honor. It’s very exciting. It feels great, of course. Yeah, it’s lovely, and we’ll see what happens. The awards process is always a bit strange, but it’s fun to be nominated, and it’s an incredible feeling.

Speaking of your upcoming album, Chapter Three, it draws inspiration from India and your personal connection to it. I wanted to know—how did the mindfulness of India shape the theme and soundscape of this album?

The album is called Chapter Three: We Return to Light, which is the culmination of a three-part trilogy, following Chapter One: Forever for Now and Chapter Two: How Dark It Is Before Dawn. The trilogy traces a cycle of emotions, symbolized by the progression of a day—moving from evening into night, and finally into the healing and strength of morning.

From the very beginning, when I started making Chapter One, I always envisioned the strong Indian sun as the visual imagery for Chapter Three. The intensity of the orange sun, the way we see it here, is so different from anywhere else. That heat was something I wanted to capture musically.

In an abstract way, that idea really influenced the album. I wanted to work with Indian collaborators, making this the most overtly connected to my roots compared to the previous chapters, which were more experimental and genre-fluid. While this album is still very experimental—it’s not classical or bound to any specific style—at its core, there is a strong Indian essence.

Daybreak opens the album with joy and optimism. How do you envision the track setting the tone for listeners, both on the album and in live performances?

Making the album is one thing, but presenting it live is a whole new incarnation of the music, right? On the record, I structured it based on a journey—different times of the day symbolizing emotions and experiences. Chapter Three moves from sunset into the full heat of day.

For example, imagine being on a dance floor at the beach, feeling full of energy, powerful, joyful, and deeply connected to those around you. That imagery influenced the music, giving it a strong pulse and vibe. Daybreak has an optimistic, major-scale melody, making it a very uplifting track. There are moments of reflection and nostalgia, but overall, it’s a very happy and energetic record.

Goa’s rave culture is a unique inspiration for this album. How did the energy of those secret forest raves and tracks like Dancing on Scorched Earth influence your music?

Yeah, Dancing on Scorched Earth and We Burn So Brightly are two tracks that more overtly reflect that influence. But still, my goal was never to imitate a genre—it was more about capturing the spirit and essence of what it feels like.

I spent my teens and twenties deeply immersed in psychedelic trance, going to Goa, experiencing those parties, and absorbing that culture. Even though I no longer do that in the same way, it remains a big part of who I am. It shaped me.

So, when making this album, I wanted to bring that hypnotic, immersive energy into my music. I aimed to infuse that groove and movement into my compositions, using my instrument in ways that express that feeling. It just felt like a natural and exciting thing to explore.

You have also embraced looping, bending sound, and other technological techniques in Chapter Three. How do you see these innovations complementing the traditional aspects of the sitar?

Technology has been a part of art since the beginning of time. You figure out how to blow into a piece of bamboo, and suddenly, it becomes a flute, right?

As my music has expanded beyond the classical realm, I’ve had to find new ways to make it work. Even something as simple as modulating through different keys—which Western music does all the time—is not something our traditional instruments are designed for. So, I’ve had to rethink how I keep my frets and how I tune.

In the last 10 years, I’ve really explored and enjoyed using a pedal board, incorporating effects that alter my playing, and creating delay loops. I’ve actually become quite skilled at it, and it’s something I really love. By the time I reached this stage of the Chapters trilogy, I wanted to integrate these techniques into my composition process as well.

For example, Chapter Two exists in a very sonically unusual space. Some songs on that album sound fully electronic, and people might not even recognize the instruments. It’s very ambient, reverberant, and expansive. Yet, it’s actually all sitar—we just found ways to manipulate reverb, attack, and delay effects to create that soundscape.

Performing this live was another challenge. I had to figure out how to replicate these effects on stage. Now, when I open a show, I come out, sit down, and people expect to hear something traditional. But instead, what they hear is a sound bath of reverbs coming from me alone on stage. It’s so exciting and fulfilling—I absolutely love it.

Working with Sarathy Korwar and Alam Khan brought a fresh perspective to this project. How did their creative contributions shape the album’s narrative?

One of the parameters I set for myself when I started this trilogy was to work with a different set of collaborators on each record. I wanted each chapter to take me to a different creative space.

For Chapter One: Forever for Now, Arooj Aftab was my producer. For Chapter Two, I collaborated with my dear friend, the incredible film composer Peter Rayburn, which allowed for a strong visual storytelling element. Then, for Chapter Three, I wanted to come back home and work with Alam.

At the same time, I felt that I needed someone else to round out our duo and ground the music. Sarathy Korwar, as a percussionist and composer, was the perfect choice. He had already been touring with me for two years as part of the Chapters tour, and over that time, we had grown much closer. I had loved his music for years, and it just felt like the right fit.

Right, and that dynamic carries over into your live performances as well. Would you say the live experience has evolved over time?

Exactly. The dynamics have improved so much over time. When you perform with musicians consistently, you develop an unspoken connection. It’s been amazing to see how the music has evolved through live performances, growing in depth and energy with each show.

Hiraeth features a hidden nod to Raag Palas Kafi, a creation of your father, Pandit Ravi Shankarji. What inspired you to weave this Easter egg into the track?

I mean, a lot of this process is very intuitive. Alam actually had the initial seed of that idea—it was a series of looping melodies and repetitive refrains that we could interlock and play together.

As we were working on it, I suddenly heard something in my head—there was just something about it that reminded me of that raag. I played it, and it sounded so beautiful. We both looked at each other, and it was quite emotional because both of our fathers had performed that raag together in some of their iconic performances.

So we were like, Are we going to do it? And the answer was, Yeah, let’s do it.

Maybe some people who know and follow that music will recognize it and really love that element, but if they don’t, that’s okay too—it’s just a beautiful melody on its own. But for those who know, it holds a deep meaning.

In We Burn So Brightly, you capture the energy of alchemy and movement. What emotions or experiences drove the creation of that piece?

I think the different tracks on the album all represent aspects of how I use light and heat as metaphors for strength and healing.

Chapter Two went very deeply into the night—as a space of contemplation, cocooning, and regeneration. That then leads into Chapter Three, which represents emerging into the light, feeling strong again.

Happiness is often perceived as something light and fluffy, but when you’ve been through difficulties, happiness is hard-won. It’s something powerful. It’s something badass.

A song like We Burn So Brightly is almost about the idea that, sometimes, you literally have to burn things from your past. There’s an act of releasing the old in order to step into the new—fully embracing the present and future. It’s a very empowering and powerful process.

And Amrita is a Sanskrit word often associated with immortality and nectar in Indian mythology. What does the title signify in the context of this track and the broader themes of Chapter Three?

Yes, exactly. All of this music is instrumental, and that’s something I’ve dealt with my whole career—most of my work doesn’t have lyrics, so the titles become an important way to tell the story. They serve as a seed, giving people a hint of what the music is about while leaving room for personal interpretation.

If you look at the three Chapters together, their titles actually form a haiku that tells a story. And then, within each album, the individual song titles also tell their own narrative.

Amrita comes right before the final track, We Return to Light, and it’s about remembering that there is something greater than all of this—something bigger than our individual experiences, moments, and journeys. Whether in a global or personal context, we can always turn back to the light. No matter what happens, we will always return to it. There’s something eternal about that.

Nostalgia and renewal are recurring themes in the album. How do these ideas resonate with you as an artist and as an individual?

I guess I’m a creative person, so I feel things very deeply. I think deeply. I experience life with very thin skin, meaning I often have heightened emotions—whether it’s joy, pain, or anything in between. I feel a deep sense of nostalgia for memories.

I was also brought up in a way that felt like it spanned across centuries. My father was many years older than me and represented an ancient, deeply rooted culture, while at the same time, I was growing up in my own modern world. So, I’ve always felt these stretches across time, as well as a sense of homesickness that extends across geographies.

No matter where I am, if I feel at home somewhere, I also find myself missing another place. Whenever I’m deeply engaged in something I love, I also feel the weight of something else I had to let go of in order to be there.

So, there’s always this dichotomy—joy and longing coexisting. And I think that’s just a part of life, isn’t it?

And like you said, the trilogy ends with the idea of returning to light. How do you interpret this concept in both your personal and creative life?

For me, the Chapters trilogy has been a way of sharing what I’ve learned—particularly about faith and resilience.

If you live long enough, you realize that you move through most things. As painful as certain experiences can be, you do come out the other side. When a teenager goes through their first breakup, they truly believe it’s the end of the world. They’ll say, This was the love of my life! I’ll never love again! And no matter what you tell them, they don’t believe you. But eventually, they do move on.

By the time you’re in your 30s, if you go through a breakup, a divorce, or any heartbreak, you know, This really hurts, but I’ll be okay. That’s wisdom that only comes with time and experience.

And because you’ve been there, you can offer that reassurance to someone else. You can say, I’ve been through this, and I promise—you’ll be okay. That collective experience of moving through hardship and coming out stronger is at the heart of We Return to Light—or, in a broader sense, We Return to Love.

If we keep choosing to turn toward love, to keep our hearts open, to stay connected to others, then we will be okay.

If you think about it on a global level—if everybody gives up, then we’re done for, right? There’s nothing left. So, we have to keep making the choice, as individuals, to stay open. Because if we do, then there’s still hope for the world as a whole.

So, you chose vinyl as one of the formats for this release. What makes this medium special for you, especially in the context of a trilogy that spans both history and modernity?

I think, on one level, the idea of releasing music in Chapters is a very digital concept. Streaming has changed the need for a conventional 60-minute album—you can release music however and whenever you want, and that’s very freeing.

Paradoxically, this shift has also created a demand for people who want to listen deeply, who want to own something tangible in such an oversaturated market. So, releasing limited-edition vinyl editions allows listeners who want to be collectors, who want to follow the journey in a physical form, to do so.

There’s something sonically warm about vinyl, but also something deeply nostalgic and beautiful about it.

Like you said, the trilogy speaks of resilience and hope. What lessons have you personally drawn from this creative journey, and how do they inform your future work?

That might be easier to answer in the future, once I have more hindsight. But one thing I do know is that I now have more faith in my ability to trust my intuition.

Because, in many ways, this whole project was a crazy idea—taking one album and turning it into three, working with three different producers, recording in three different countries, collaborating with three different sets of musicians, and walking into three different studios. Booking a studio with no music pre-recorded, walking in with a blank slate, and just seeing what happens.

But there’s something so real about creative intuition. If I feel that instinct—Oh, I want to get in a room with Arooj, what will happen?—or when I decided to collaborate with Peter, it just made sense. He and his wife are good friends of mine, and I was planning to stay at their house for a few days because I had a show in LA. I literally just said, Hey, since I’m there, do you want to make an album?

That’s what I mean about following creative intuition—it feels like this journey has solidified that trust in myself even more because I’ve seen that it works.

So finally, what are your upcoming projects in 2025? Do you have a tour planned?

Yes! We’re touring The Three Chapters in full, quite extensively, around the world. We’ll be finishing in India at the end of the year, which I’m really looking forward to.

We’re also orchestrating a symphonic version of The Three Chapters so that they exist in that space where I get to perform with an orchestra, which will be lovely.

And there are a couple of other projects as well—one of them is a creative trio I’m working on with two incredible musicians, which I can’t wait to talk about when the time comes. And maybe some other things… we’ll see!