Anoushka Shankar
Anoushka Shankar has earned eleven Grammy Award nominations and became the first musician of Indian origin to perform live and present at the prestigious ceremony. She started her sitar training when she was eight years old under her father’s disciple, Gaurav Mazumdar, and soon emerged as a prodigy in Indian classical music. By age fourteen, she was performing worldwide concerts alongside her legendary father, Ravi Shankar.
This British-American sitar player of Indian descent gave her first public performance at Siri Fort in New Delhi on February 27, 1995, at thirteen years old. The performance was part of her father’s 75th birthday celebration concert and launched an illustrious career. She later became the youngest nominee in the World Music category with her third album, “Live at Carnegie Hall,” in 2003. Her debut album as a composer, “Rise,” released in 2005, has led to a humbling shift in how audiences connect with her music, as she has observed nearly two decades later.
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Anoushka Shankar’s influence in the music world continues to grow. She has hosted a three-part show for BBC Radio 3 about Indian Classical Music that explains the meaning of “classical” in Indian music’s context and examines the distinctive sounds of north Indian or “Hindustani classical music”. This piece uncovers Anoushka Shankar’s remarkable story from child prodigy to global music icon, highlighting her musical progress, personal life, and lasting effect on world music.
Early Life and Musical Roots
Anoushka Shankar’s childhood and upbringing
Birth and Heritage: London welcomed Anoushka Shankar on June 9, 1981. Her life unfolded between London and Delhi. Her parents were Tamil mother Sukanya Rajan and Bengali father Ravi Shankar, who turned 61 the year she was born. She shares her father’s legacy with half-sister American singer Norah Jones and Shubhendra Shankar, who died in 1992.
Early Family Dynamics: Young Anoushka’s father remained distant during her first six years, appearing only two days each year. Her mother raised her single-handedly in Willesden Green, north-west London, while Ravi Shankar stayed at the edges of their world. “I knew he was this big music person long before I knew he was my father,” Anoushka shared.
Household Filled with Music: Music echoed through the Shankar homes as the family moved between London, Delhi, and later San Diego, California. Life changed at the time Anoushka turned eight – her parents married and reshaped their family dynamics. Her teenage years brought academic excellence at San Dieguito High School Academy in Encinitas, California. She graduated with honors in 1999 and became homecoming queen. Music called to her more strongly than college, leading her down a different path.
Influence of her father Ravi Shankar
Learning from a Legend: Ravi Shankar’s impact altered the map of 20th-century music. His daughter received intensive guidance from an exceptional teacher. The family’s move to San Diego marked a turning point – her 70-year-old father decided to teach her the instrument that would define their lives.
A Unique Bond: “Being taught by him gave us, I think, an almost unique relationship,” Anoushka reflected. “It gave us a deep connection because we suddenly had this whole undercurrent of communication that you can only really get when you play music together”. Her training built technical mastery and deep appreciation for her father’s lifelong musical traditions.
Living with Legacy: Her father’s name opened doors, yet Anoushka faced challenges. “I won’t lie and say that it hasn’t been an ongoing struggle, because it has,” she admitted. In spite of that, she found her path within her heritage. “For me, the family name only becomes a burden if you choose to look at it as such”.
Training in sitar from a young age
First Steps in Music: The sitar became part of Anoushka’s life at nine under her father’s watchful eye. Her musical journey started even earlier – at eight, she learned from her father’s disciple, Gaurav Mazumdar. Her education expanded beyond sitar to piano and classical Indian dance, including Bharatanatyam and Kathak.
Early Performances: Ten-year-old Anoushka joined her father’s performances, playing the tanpura. Her solo debut as a sitarist lit up Siri Fort in New Delhi on February 27, 1995. The 13-year-old performer shared the stage with tabla maestro Zakir Hussain during her father’s 75th birthday celebration.
Recording and Touring: Angel Records captured her first studio experience that same year, releasing a four-CD box set titled “In Celebration” for her father’s birthday. World tours with her father began at fourteen, replacing typical teenage experiences with musical adventures. George Harrison’s landmark album “Chants of India” saw fifteen-year-old Anoushka helping with notation and conducting performers.
Breakthrough as a Young Prodigy
First public performance at age 13
Historic Debut: Thirteen-year-old Anoushka Shankar gave her first public performance on February 27, 1995, at Siri Fort in New Delhi. She engaged the audience during her father’s 75th birthday celebration concert. This pivotal moment launched an illustrious musical career that would exceed cultural boundaries.
Notable Accompaniment: Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain accompanied Anoushka during her solo debut. The young sitarist’s collaboration with the seasoned tabla virtuoso showed she could perform confidently with experienced musicians. This early success hinted at her future as a powerful force in Indian classical music.
Recording debut and early albums
Studio Introduction: The same year as her public debut marked Anoushka’s first recording studio experience. Angel Records celebrated her father’s 75th birthday with a special four-CD box set called “In Celebration”. She played “Adarini” on her father’s album, which became her first recorded music piece.
Debut Album: Seventeen-year-old Anoushka released her self-titled debut album “Anoushka” in 1998. She showed exceptional mastery over her instrument and earned critical acclaim for her technical precision and emotional depth. The album proved her capabilities as a solo artist beyond her father’s legacy.
Second Release: Anoushka’s second album, “Anourag,” came out in 2000. The eighteen-year-old performer featured six ragas her father arranged specifically for her, and he performed on the album too. She honored traditional Indian classical music while developing her unique artistic voice through this work.
Signing with Angel/EMI at 16
Extraordinary Contract: Angel Records’ executives recognized Anoushka’s remarkable talent and visited the Shankar family home to offer her a recording contract. The sixteen-year-old musician signed an exclusive deal with Angel/EMI Classics. This milestone highlighted the industry’s recognition of her extraordinary potential.
Industry Recognition: A major label seeking out a teenage sitarist highlighted Anoushka’s exceptional abilities. Angel/EMI’s decision showed their confidence in her talent and marketability, especially since Western record labels rarely offered such opportunities to Indian classical musicians.
Early Professional Success: Twenty-year-old Anoushka had already released three Indian classical albums for Angel Records EMI. She performed at prestigious venues like Carnegie Hall and the Barbican several times. These early achievements established her as a formidable musician, not just “Ravi Shankar’s daughter.”
Global Recognition: Anoushka toured worldwide with her father while building her recording career. These performances helped her create her own reputation while connecting with her father’s established audience. Her early professional experiences became the foundation for future musical explorations that would challenge traditional classical compositions.
Expanding Her Musical Horizons
Fusion of classical and electronic music
Musical Journey: Anoushka Shankar broke new ground with her fourth album, Rise, after establishing herself in Indian classical music. The 2005 release was her first self-produced, self-composed, non-classical album. She moved away from interpreting her father’s music and created something uniquely her own. The album showcased her talent as composer, arranger, and producer. She added earthy ambience and deep textures to her music, driven by her desire “to create music that more fully represents who I am”.
Genre-Defying Approach: Anoushka described Rise as her musical experiment: “Rise was an experiment for me, a way to speak the language of my own history: growing up across three continents with one foot in the past and one in the present”. The album surprised listeners by opening with electronic drone and tinkling piano instead of her signature sitar. This creative blend earned her another Grammy nomination in the Best Contemporary World Music category. She quickly became known as a pioneer in cross-cultural music.
Collaborations with global artists
Diverse Partnerships: Anoushka’s music knows no boundaries. She has worked with remarkable musicians from different genres. Her collaborators include Herbie Hancock, Patti Smith, Joshua Bell, Gold Panda, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Thomas Newman, Jules Buckley, Jacob Collier, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. She has also shared stages with Lenny Kravitz, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Peter Gabriel, Elton John, Madonna, Nina Simone, Sting, James Taylor, and Jethro Tull.
Family Collaborations: One of her most special musical partnerships was with her half-sister Norah Jones. Jones lent her voice to the track “Easy” on the album Breathing Under Water. This sibling collaboration bridged different musical worlds. Her father Ravi Shankar also joined the project, bringing three generations of musical talent together.
Notable albums: Rise, Breathing Under Water, Traveler
Rise (2005): At 25, Anoushka found her unique voice through this groundbreaking album. She blended jazz, pop, and pan-ethnic world music textures in unexpected ways. Critics praised its “sensual intelligence”. The album landed at #82 on Amazon.com’s Top 100 Editor’s Picks of 2005.
Breathing Under Water (2007): This project with Karsh Kale pushed beyond cultural and traditional limits. They mixed Indian classical music with electronica, dance, and folk styles. The album featured Ravi Shankar, Sting, Norah Jones, Midival Punditz, Salim Merchant, and Vishwa Mohan Bhatt. They created a unique sound where ragas and contemplative electronics existed in harmony.
Traveller (2011): The album explored the fascinating connection between Indian classical music and flamenco. Spanish flamenco might have its roots in India. Producer Javier Limón brought Anoushka to Spain for recording sessions. She explained, “In Indian music, we call it ‘spirituality,’ and in Spanish music, it’s ‘passion’. It’s really the same thing in both forms, that reaching at the deepest part of the human soul”. Traveller earned her another Grammy nomination in 2013, proving her skill at breaking musical boundaries.
Beyond Music: Film, Activism, and Writing
Scoring for films and series
Cinematic Beginnings: Anoushka Shankar started her film composition career with the British Film Institute’s restoration of “Shiraz,” a pioneering Indian silent feature from 1928. She created a score that brought this historical love story about the Taj Mahal’s inspiration to life. She performed it live at screenings too.
Expanding Portfolio: Her debut led to co-composing the score for Mira Nair’s “A Suitable Boy,” where she created music that captured post-partition India’s essence. This work earned her a nomination for Best Television Soundtrack at the Ivor Novello awards. She also contributed a Bengali lullaby to director Joe Wright’s “Anna Karenina” and co-wrote the end-title song “Gain the Ocean” for “Victoria & Abdul”.
Advocacy for women and refugees
Women’s Rights Champion: The horrific gang-rape of Jyoti Singh Pandey in Delhi in 2012 prompted Shankar to speak about her own experiences as a child abuse survivor. She backed the One Billion Rising campaign on Change.org to help end violence against women.
Refugee Advocate: Shankar serves as an official Ambassador for Choose Love and created her album “Land of Gold” in response to the refugee crisis. She found herself struggling with the contrast between her safety as a new mother and the desperate situation of families fleeing war. The title track drew inspiration from the heartbreaking image of Syrian infant Aylan Kurdi on a Turkish beach.
Gender Equality Pioneer: Shankar champions change in the music industry by creating projects that feature mostly female artists. “I need to put efforts into sharing my platform and giving other women opportunities,” she says. She emphasizes the importance of hiring women for behind-the-scenes roles, not just visible positions.
Writing and narrating effective stories
Literary Contributions: Shankar wrote “Bapi: The Love of My Life,” a biography of her father in 2002. She also wrote columns for India’s First City Magazine for three years and spent a year as a weekly columnist for the Hindustan Times.
Narration Work: She narrated “Stolen Innocence: India’s Untold Story of Human Trafficking,” a 2017 documentary about young women who escaped sex slavery in India and Nepal.
Acting Experience: Shankar’s artistic talents extend to acting in Pamela Rooks’s “Dance Like a Man” (2003), a National Award-winning film where she played an Indian classical dancer. The experience was different from music, as she noted: “With music… you are slowly building your energy up to the moment before the performance… but in film, you can never separate yourself from the pent-up energy”.
Recognition and Personal Journey
Grammy nominations and awards
Unprecedented Achievement: Anoushka Shankar’s eleven Grammy Award nominations showcase her exceptional talent. She broke new ground as the first Indian musician to perform live and present at the Grammy ceremony. Her album “Live at Carnegie Hall” earned her a spot as the youngest and first female nominee in the World Music category in 2003.
Balancing motherhood and career
Motherhood Priority: Her children take center stage in Anoushka’s life. “I do a fraction of the amount of touring I would, if I didn’t have my kids”. Despite her success in music, she speaks openly about juggling motherhood and her career. “It is a struggle. There are no jokes about the fact that it is a lot to try and balance”.
Anoushka Shankar husband and family life
Marriage and Family: London witnessed Anoushka’s marriage to British film director Joe Wright in 2010. Their family grew with two sons – Zubin in 2011 and Mohan in 2015. Life Changes: December 2017 marked their separation, and their divorce became final in September 2019. London remains her home base with her sons, where she balances her musical pursuits with raising her children.
Key Takeaways
Anoushka Shankar’s remarkable journey reveals how artistic legacy can be both a foundation and a challenge, ultimately leading to groundbreaking musical innovation and social impact.
- Started sitar training at age 8, made her debut at 13, and signed with Angel/EMI at 16, becoming the youngest Grammy nominee in World Music category
- Evolved from traditional Indian classical music to pioneering fusion genres, blending sitar with electronic, flamenco, and world music elements
- Earned 11 Grammy nominations while becoming the first Indian musician to perform live and present at the Grammy ceremony
- Uses her platform for activism, advocating for women’s rights and refugee causes through albums like “Land of Gold” inspired by the refugee crisis
- Successfully balances motherhood with career, prioritizing her two sons while continuing to tour and create music that bridges cultural divides
- Expanded beyond music into film scoring, writing, and narration, contributing to projects like “A Suitable Boy” and documenting human trafficking stories
Her story demonstrates how artistic authenticity emerges not from escaping one’s heritage, but from fearlessly expanding it to create something entirely new while using success as a platform for meaningful social change.
FAQ
How old is Anoushka Shankar?
Anoushka Shankar was born on June 9, 1981, in London, England, making her 43 years old as of February 2025. She is a renowned sitar player and composer, celebrated for her contributions to both Indian classical and contemporary music. Throughout her career, Anoushka has received multiple Grammy nominations and has collaborated with various artists across genres, solidifying her position as a prominent figure in the global music scene.
What is "Crossing the Rubicon" by Anoushka Shankar?
Crossing the Rubicon” is a track from Anoushka Shankar’s 2016 album “Land of Gold.” This album serves as her heartfelt response to the global refugee crisis, aiming to convey the intense emotions and experiences of displaced individuals. The phrase “crossing the Rubicon” symbolizes a point of no return, reflecting the irreversible decisions and challenges faced by refugees. The composition blends traditional Indian classical music with contemporary elements, showcasing Anoushka’s versatility and deep empathy for global humanitarian issues.
Who is Anoushka Shankar's father?
Anoushka Shankar’s father is the legendary sitar maestro Ravi Shankar. Born in 1920, Ravi Shankar was instrumental in bringing Indian classical music to international prominence, notably influencing Western artists like The Beatles. His collaborations and performances worldwide earned him global acclaim. As a dedicated guru, he mentored Anoushka in the art of sitar playing from a young age, fostering her musical talents and guiding her career until his passing in 2012.
Who is Anoushka Shankar's husband?
Anoushka Shankar was married to British film director Joe Wright. The couple wed in 2010 and have two children together. However, after seven years of marriage, they decided to separate in 2018. Despite the end of their marital relationship, both have continued to focus on their respective careers, with Anoushka furthering her musical journey and Joe Wright continuing his work in film direction.
Who are Anoushka Shankar's parents?
Anoushka Shankar is the daughter of Ravi Shankar and Sukanya Shankar. Her father, Ravi Shankar, was a globally renowned sitar virtuoso who played a pivotal role in introducing Indian classical music to the Western world. Her mother, Sukanya Shankar, has been a supportive presence in Anoushka’s life and career. Together, they nurtured Anoushka’s musical talents, with Ravi imparting his extensive knowledge of the sitar and Indian classical traditions to his daughter.
What is Anoushka Shankar's connection to the sitar?
Anoushka Shankar is a distinguished sitar player, having begun her training under the tutelage of her father, Ravi Shankar, at the age of seven. She gave her first public performance at thirteen and has since developed a unique style that blends traditional Indian classical music with contemporary influences. Her mastery of the sitar has earned her international acclaim, multiple Grammy nominations, and collaborations with artists across various genres, solidifying her reputation as a leading figure in world music.
What is the relationship between Anoushka Shankar and Norah Jones?
Anoushka Shankar and Norah Jones are half-sisters, both daughters of Ravi Shankar. While Anoushka pursued a career in Indian classical and fusion music as a sitarist, Norah Jones gained fame as a singer-songwriter in the jazz and pop genres. Despite their different musical paths, the sisters have collaborated on several occasions, most notably on the album “Traces of You,” where Norah’s vocals complement Anoushka’s sitar compositions, reflecting their familial bond and mutual musical respect.
What are some notable songs by Anoushka Shankar?
Anoushka Shankar’s discography showcases a blend of traditional and contemporary compositions. Notable tracks include “Traces of You,” featuring vocals by her half-sister Norah Jones, which explores themes of loss and remembrance. “Land of Gold” addresses the refugee crisis, combining poignant melodies with powerful rhythms. “Breathing Under Water,” a collaboration with Karsh Kale, merges Indian classical music with electronic influences. These compositions exemplify Anoushka’s versatility and her ability to transcend musical boundaries.
