New Delhi:
Sitar player Anoushka Shankar, who has won her sixth nomination at the Grammys, says while it would be nice to win the trophy, awards do not impact the kind of music she makes.
She is the youngest ever and first woman nominee in the World Music category of Grammys. The 35-year-old composer bagged the nomination this year for her album “Land of Gold”.
When asked if it’s disheartening when she doesn’t get the award despite multiple nominations, Anoushka told PTI, “There are certain layers to it. On ego level, it’s nice to be recognized.
So, I’m sure on that note it would be nice to win also. But, life is the same whether you win an award or not. “Your music remains same, the album doesn’t change. So, what really matters is the work.”
Coming from a family that has a great history in Indian Classical music, many would think that the singer must feel responsible when it comes to taking her father, legendary musician Pandit Ravi Shankar’s legacy forward but Anoushka says she does not treat it as a burden.
“I don’t feel any responsibility on my shoulder. I’m a musician and I share my music with people and that’s what I do and that’s who I am. I don’t do it in a sense of weight because I feel that would be really intimidating. And you have to keep yourself free from it so that you can be more creative.”
Over the years, Anoushka has collaborated with many national and international artistes and one such artiste is her half-sister and nine-time Grammy-winner Norah Jones.
Norah is known as one of the best Jazz singers in the world, who has given hits like “Come Away With Me”, “Sunrise”, “Thinking About You” and “Don’t Know Why.”
When asked whether they ever feel competitive of each other, Anoushka says, “No, our goals are very different from each other. She has no desire to play sitar and I have no desire to sing. And, we happen to be sisters so our relationship is about sisterhood and our private life and not music.”
The composer, who is currently in India for her musical tour, is excited to perform at Siri Fort Auditorium tomorrow, the place where she started her journey by giving her first performance with her father at the age of 13.
“Playing at Siri Fort is always kind a very sweet and special experience. I’ve played almost every single year at Sirifort. It’s a very comfortable and familiar venue for me and I have many experiences and memories there.”
