Anoushka Shankar reveals she skipped Grammys 2026 as it takes toll on her mental health, shares if winning award matters

Talking about her mental health, Anoushka Shankar said that the days leading up to the Grammys have a lot of preparations, which take a toll on a person.

Sitar maestro Anoushka Shankar, who had two nominations at the 68th annual Grammy Awards, has revealed why she chose not to attend the event and instead stayed in India for her projects. Taking to Instagram, Anoushka penned a long note and also shared whether winning a Grammy Award truly matters.

Anoushka Shankar shares why she skipped Grammys this year

Anoushka Shankar has been nominated 14 times at the Grammys but never won.

Along with the note, Anoushka shared a bunch of photos from her recent shows. She was seen playing the sitar, performing and spending some fun moments with her team members. Sharing the post, Anoushka wrote, "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!"

Anoushka on how the event stresses her

She opened up about how being part of the event gets her stressed. "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

She also said how a bigger artist's name can land in front of voters. "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," Anoushka added.

Anoushka on her India shows

The sitar player opened up about being in India and how she is enjoying it. "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.

About Anoushka and her Grammy nominations

In 2003, Anoushka received her first Grammy nomination in the Best Global Music Album category for her third album, Live at Carnegie Hall. She was the youngest-ever nominee in this category. She was nominated for diferent categories in the Grammys in 2006, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2023, and 2024.

In 2025, 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. So far, she hasn't won any Grammy Awards.