Grammy Awards 2026: Anoushka Shankar loses Best Global Music Performance award to Bad Bunny

The Grammy Awards 2026 got underway with the Premiere Ceremony in Los Angeles, early Monday morning where as many as 86 awards were handed out across various award categories. The awards were handed out ahead of the main telecast. Among them was the award for Best Global Music Performance, a category that had Indian musician and composer Anoushka Shankar vying for an award.

Anoushka Shankar loses Grammy to Bad Bunny

Sadly for Anoushka, she lost out on the Grammy to global superstar Bad Bunny, for his track ‘EoO’. The star beat Shankar’s ‘Daybreak’, which featured Alam Khan and Sarathy Korwar. The other nominees in the category were Ciro Hurtado (‘Cantando en el Camino’), Angélique Kidjo (‘Jerusalema’), Yeisy Rojas (‘Inmigrante Y Que?’) and Shakti (‘Shrini’s Dream (Live)’).




The Premiere Ceremony, held at the Peacock Theater, marked the start of Grammy day, with musician and host Darren Criss opening the show by presenting the first award of the day.

Anoushka Shanka on skipping Grammys

Ahead of the ceremony, Anoushka Shankar shared a note on Instagram, addressing her nominations and her decision to stay away from the awards. She 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! 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.”

Shankar explained her absence from the ceremony, saying, “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. I wanted to take care of my mental health too.”

Anoushka Shankar on losing awards

She also candidly addressed the pressures of awards shows and giving fans a look at all that goes on behind the scenes, she said, "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. 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."

See More: Grammy Awards 2026 Live Updates: Kendrick Lamar, Bad Bunny, Lady Gaga, Billie Eilish win top honours

Anoushka Shankar wishes Grammy Nominees

Concluding her message, she wrote, "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!"

Shankar remains one of the most nominated Indian artists in Grammy history, with ‘Daybreak’ marking her 13th nomination overall.Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”