02 March,2024 11:01 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Shankar Mahadevan Pic/Instagram
Singer-composer Shankar Mahadevan celebrates his birthday on March 3. He turns 57 this year. He commenced his career with Indiepop and rose to fame with 'Breathless' which topped the charts in 1998. Shankar made headlines this year after his and tabla maestro Zakir Hussain's fusion band 'Shakti' won the Best Global Music Album award at the Grammys 2024. That being said, fame doesn't get to him and he maintains that even the smallest achievements give him joy.
Shankar told mid-day.com in an interview, "I am someone who is overjoyed with the smallest achievement and likes to share it with people. This is one of the biggest awards that a musician can get, and to get it in the presence of such an august gathering felt surreal. The feeling of being from India grew deeper. This win signifies that Indian music is reaching out globally, and is being loved and appreciated by a global audience."
He added, "This feeling cannot be replaced by anything else. It can't be described in words or [be replaced] with materialistic pleasures. When our names were announced on stage, it was like experiencing a trance. Since Zakir Hussain ji was backstage, [after] receiving another award, he couldn't join us. But we went on stage, and I gave the speech," shares Mahadevan with mid-day, recalling how he extended his love for his fellow bandmates and dedicated his win to his wife, "whom every note of my music is dedicated to".
'Shakti' also features guitarist John McLaughlin, percussionist V Selvaganesh, and violinist Ganesh Rajagopalan. At the Grammys, the band competed with other artists like Susana Baca, Bokante, Burna Boy, and Davido. 'This Moment' album was released on June 30 last year.
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Shankar has won several awards over the years which also include three National Film Awards for Best Playback Singer. In 2019, he was honoured with the Padma Shri, the country's fourth-highest civilian award for his contributions to Film Music under the category Arts.
In his career of more than 20 years, Shankar has sung hit songs like âManmohini', âRind Posh Mal', âKay Sera Sera', âKoi Kahe Kehta Rahe', âGhanan Ghanan', âPretty Woman', âMaa', and âTaare Zameen Par' title track among others.
(With inputs from ANI)