Chandrika Tandon Wins A Grammy

Chennai-born
Indian-American
businesswoman
and
musician
Chandrika
Tandon,
71,
won
a
Grammy
in
the
Best
New
Age,
Ambient
or
Chant
Album
category
for
her
album

Triveni,
a
blend
of
ancient
chants
and
world
music,
at
the
2025
Grammys.

Triveni
is
a
collaboration
with
South
African
flautist
Wouter
Kellerman
and
Japanese
cellist
Eru
Matsumoto,
bringing
together
their
distinct
musical
styles.

The
album’s
name
symbolises
the
confluence
of
three
rivers,
which
metaphorically
represents
the
fusion
of
the
artists’
diverse
traditions.

This
year
marks
Tandon’s
second
Grammy
nomination,
with
her
first
in
2010
for
her
album

Om
Namo
Narayana:
Soul
Call.

She
was
nominated
this
year
alongside
Ricky
Kej,
Anoushka
Shankar,
and
Indian-origin
British
artist
Radhika
Vekaria.

Tandon
is
former
PepsiCo
chairman
Indra
Nooyi’s
elder
sister.

Beyonce
made
history
at
the
2025
Grammys,
becoming
the
first
Black
female
artist
to
win
the
coveted
Grammy
for
Best
Country
Album.

She
looked
visibly
moved
as
she
accepted
the
award
for

Cowboy
Carter.

‘I
was
not
expecting
this,’
Beyonce
told
the
audience.

‘I
want
to
thank
God
that
I’m
able
to
still
do
what
I
love
after
so
many
years,
oh,
my
God!
I’d
like
to
thank
all
of
the
incredible
country
artists
that
accepted
this,
this
album
we
worked
so
hard
on…
I
think
sometimes
genre
is
a
cold
word
to
keep
us
in
our
place
as
artists,
and
just
want
to
encourage
people
to
do
what
they’re
passionate
about.
And
to
stay
persistent.’

Taylor
Swift,
who
introduced
the
category,
shared
a
personal
moment,
recalling
when
she
won
the
same
Grammy
nearly
15
years
ago.

‘It’s
an
honour
that
has
gone
to
great
artists
who
I
admire
so
much,
like
the
Chicks,
Johnny
Cash,
Loretta
Lynn,
George
Strait,
Faith
Hill,
Vince
Gill,
Allison
Krauss,
and
Shania
Twain,’
she
said.

Beyonce
also
earned
the
Grammy
for
Best
Country
Duo/Group
Performance
for
her
collaboration
with
Miley
Cyrus
on

II
Most
Wanted.

She
was
the
most
nominated
artist
at
the
2025
Grammys,
securing
11
nominations
in
total.

Lady
Gaga
and
Bruno
Mars
performed
a
tribute
to
Los
Angeles
as
their
performance
was
dedicated
to
those
affected
by
the
recent
wildfires
in
southern
California.

The
duo
sang

California
Dreamin‘
by
The
Mamas
&
The
Papas.

They
went
on
to
win
an
award
for
the
Best
Pop
Duo/Group
Performance
for
their
hit
song

Die
With
a
Smile.

Chappell
Roan
took
home
the
Best
New
Artist
award,
and
made
a
strong
statement
about
the
struggles
that
many
musicians
face.

‘I
told
myself
that
if
I
ever
won
a
Grammy
and
got
to
stand
up
here
before
the
most
powerful
people
in
music,
I
would
demand
that
labels
in
the
industry
profiting
millions
of
dollars
off
of
artists
would
offer
a
livable
wage
and
health
care,
especially
developing
artists,’
she
said
according
to

Variety.

The
singer
shared
that
she
was
signed
as
a
minor
but
later
dropped
by
her
label.
Without
job
experience,
she
struggled
to
find
work
during
the
pandemic
and
couldn’t
afford
health
insurance.

‘It
was
devastating
to
feel
so
committed
to
my
art
and
feel
so
betrayed
by
the
system
and
dehumanised,’
Roan
said.

‘If
my
label
had
prioritised
it,
I
could
have
been
provided
care
for
a
company
I
was
giving
everything
to.
Record
labels
need
to
treat
their
artists
as
valuable
employees
with
a
livable
wage
and
health
insurance
and
protection,’
she
added.

Roan
concluded
her
winning
speech
by
asking,
‘Labels,
we
got
you,
but
do
you
got
us?’

Kendrick
Lamar
won
five
awards
at
the
Grammys,
taking
his
total
wins
to
22.

The
song

Not
Like
Us
won
in
three
major
rap
categories:
Record
of
the
Year,
Song
of
the
Year,
Best
Rap
Performance,
Best
Rap
Song
and
Best
Music
Video.

Singer-Actor
Sabrina
Carpenter
won
her
first-ever
Grammy
for
Best
Pop
Vocal
Album
for

Short
n’
Sweet.

‘I’m
still
out
of
breath
from
the
performance,’
Carpenter
said
at
the
start
of
her
speech.
She
went
on
to
thank
her
family
and
producers,
keeping
her
acceptance
speech
‘short
and
sweet’.

Taylor
Swift
walked
the
red
carpet
in
a
striking
red
minidress
featuring
a
corset
bodice,
an
asymmetric
skirt,
and
a
one-shoulder
strap.
A
beaded
garter
chain
with
a
small
‘T’,
possibly
a
nod
to
her
name
or
to
her
boyfriend,
NFL
star
Travis
Kelce,
whose
team
colour
is
also
red,
can
be
seen.

Swift
was
nominated
for
six
Grammy
Awards
this
year,
including
Album
of
the
Year
for
The
Tortured
Poets
Department.

Anoushka
Shankar
looks
classic
in
custom
Dior.

Billie
Eilish,
23,
who
is
nominated
for
seven
awards
this
year,
wore
an
all-black
Prada
ensemble.

Shakira,
who
won
an
award
for
Best
Latin
Pop
Album
for

Las
Mujeres
Ya
No
Lloran
on
her
birthday,
used
the
occasion
to
make
a
statement
on
behalf
of
immigrants
in
the
United
States.

‘This
is
for
all
my
immigrant
brothers
and
sisters
in
this
country.
You
are
loved.
You
are
worth
it,
and
I
will
always
fight
with
you,’
she
said.

Shakira
also
took
the
opportunity
to
salute
the
hardworking
women
who
contribute
to
their
families’
well-being.

‘You
are
the
true
She-wolves,’
she
said,
referring
to
the
title
of
one
of
her
iconic
songs.

Her
remarks
came
shortly
after
a
controversial
moment
earlier
in
the
evening
when
host
Trevor
Noah
made
an
inappropriate
joke.
Referring
to
Shakira,
he
quipped
that
she
was
‘the
greatest
thing
out
of
Colombia
that
isn’t
a
Class
A
felony,’
alluding
to
Colombia’s
challenges
with
criminal
activity,
according
to

Variety.

This
joke
was
met
with
a
mixed
reception,
particularly
considering
the
ongoing
protests
against
US
President
Donald
J
Trump’s
immigration
policies,
which
were
happening
just
a
short
distance
away
from
the
ceremony.

Will
Smith
made
a
return
to
televised
awards
show
with
the
Grammys,
where
he
paid
tribute
to
the
legendary
Quincy
Jones.

The
actor
and
rapper
began
his
segment
by
introducing
jazz
legend
Herbie
Hancock
on
the
piano.
He
then
brought
out
Cynthia
Erivo,
who
wowed
the
audience
with
a
stunning
performance
of

Fly
Me
to
the
Moon.

Smith
spoke
fondly
of
Quincy
Jones,
a
man
he
called
‘one
of
the
most
groundbreaking
and
influential
figures
of
our
times.’

‘This
past
year,
we
lost
one
of
the
most
groundbreaking
and
influential
figures
of
our
times:
Quincy
Jones.
Known
to
friends
around
the
world
simply
as
Q,’
Smith
began
in
his
speech
as
he
honoured
the
28-time
Grammy
winner.

‘In
his
91
years,
Q
touched
countless
lives,
but
I
have
to
say,
he
changed
mine
forever.
You
probably
wouldn’t
even
know
who
Will
Smith
was
if
it
wasn’t
for
Quincy
Jones.
Quincy
made
so
many
music
greats,
across
multiple
genres,
sound
even
greater,
bringing
the
best
out
in
legends,’
he
added.

Jones,
who
died
in
November,
was
an
executive
producer
on
the
popular
TV
show

The
Fresh
Prince
of
Bel-Air,
the
show
that
made
Will
Smith
famous.

But
while
the
Grammys
paid
rich
tribute
to
Jones,
they
did
not
mention
four-time
Grammy
winner
tabla
maestro
Ustad
Zakir
Hussain.

Rising
hip-hop
star
Doechii
won
her
first-ever
Grammy
in
the
Best
Rap
Album
category
for
her
mixtape

Alligator
Bites
Never
Heal.
The
victory
was
emotional
for
Doechii,
as
she
became
only
the
third
woman
in
history
to
win
in
this
category.

Doechii,
who
was
in
tears
during
her
winning
speech,
said,
‘This
category
was
introduced
in
1989,
and
two
women
have
won.
Three
women
have
won
—
Lauryn
Hill,
Cardi
B,
and
Doechii.’

Before
stepping
off
stage,
she
had
a
message
for
young
Black
girls
watching
at
home:
‘I
know
there
is
a
Black
girl
out
there
watching,
and
I
want
to
tell
you
that
you
can
do
it.
Anything
is
possible.
Don’t
allow
anybody
to
project
stereotypes
onto
you…
You
are
exactly
who
you
need
to
be
to
get
where
you
are,
and
I
am
a
testimony
to
that.’