Proud to represent India, says Grammy nominee Sashank

Hyderabad: Sashank Navaladi, the Telugu boy from Andhra Pradesh who put an Indian flavor to the Grammy Awards 2023 by earning a nomination for "Shuruaat" in the Best Global Music Album category, is basking in the glory while acknowledging that the nomination made him delighted and pleasantly surprised.

The Grammy nomination for Sashank, which comes after the recent roaring success of Rajamouli's Naatu Naatu song from RRR winning a Golden Globe and being nominated for an Oscar, makes him "happy to see many Indians at the grand Grammy event”.

"The number of Indians being nominated for the coveted Grammy award was overwhelming and remarkable. Although I did not receive an award, I was proud to represent India on a worldwide stage,” Sashank told Deccan Chronicle. After learning of his Grammy nomination, Sashank, who was brought up in a family of classical music lovers and started learning the sarod, tabla, and carnatic vocals at the age of six, said he was overwhelmed with joy and celebrated the entire night with his family.

“At the time of the nomination announcement, I was on a zoom call.  I shouted with joy, and my parents, who were in the next room, rushed to me to ask what had happened. We celebrated all night long and were overjoyed with the news. I'm pleased that several Indians have been nominated for Grammy awards. Even if I didn't get one, I'd still be motivated to make it to the global stage because this is a stepping stone in my career,” an elated Sashank said.

Sashank, a Berklee College of Music graduate with a Bachelor's in Electronic Production and Design, has travelled extensively with the Berklee Indian Ensemble as a sarod player, keyboard player, and singer as well as with Simon Shaheen, a renowned violin and oud musician. He has performed with A.R. Rahman live at the United Nations in New York and was a part of the "A.R. Rahman Meets Berklee - Festival of Lights" tribute.

“I need to put in more effort as I get ready for the next two years of music. I need to practise more if I want to compete at the Grammys or on another international platform. I have no doubt that we will one day make India proud,” he said. He has collaborated with various Grammy-winning artists, written a number of original songs, and performed his song Shatabdi onstage alongside Shankar Mahadevan last year at the Berklee Performance Centre in Boston.