Anoushka Shankar facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Anoushka Shankar
Shankar at the Rudolstadt-Festival 2016
Born	Anoushka Hemangini Shankar (1981-06-09) 9 June 1981 (age 44) London, England
Nationality	British American
Occupation	Sitarist composer actress
Spouse(s)	Joe Wright ​ ​ (m. 2010; div. 2019)​
Children	2
Parent(s)	Ravi Shankar (father)
Relatives	Norah Jones (half-sister) Shubhendra Shankar (half-brother)
Musical career
Origin	London
Genres	Indian classical crossover world music
Instruments	Vocals sitar piano tanpura
Years active	1995–present
Labels	Angel, Deutsche Grammophon, Mercury KX

Anoushka Shankar is a famous British-American musician who plays the sitar, a stringed instrument from India. She is also a composer, writer, and actress. She is known for mixing different music styles, from traditional Indian classical music to modern electronic sounds.

Anoushka has released many solo albums and has worked with a wide range of artists, including her famous father, Ravi Shankar. She has been nominated for eleven Grammy Awards and was the first Indian musician to perform live at the awards ceremony.

Early Life and Family

Anoushka Shankar was born in London on June 9, 1981. She spent her childhood moving between London and Delhi, India. Her father was the world-renowned sitar player Ravi Shankar, and her mother is Sukanya Rajan. Through her father, she has a half-sister, the singer Norah Jones.

As a teenager, Anoushka lived in California. She graduated from high school with honors in 1999. Instead of going to college, she decided to focus on her music career.

Music Career

Learning the Sitar

Anoushka and Ravi Shankar performing together in 2005.

Anoushka began learning the sitar when she was eight years old. Starting at age ten, she would join her father on stage during his concerts, playing an instrument called the tanpura which provides a background drone.

Her first major public performance was on February 27, 1995, when she was just 13. She played at a concert in New Delhi celebrating her father's 75th birthday. By the time she was 14, she was touring the world with her father. At 16, she signed her first record deal with Angel Records.

Becoming a Solo Artist

Anoushka released her first album, Anoushka, in 1998, followed by Anourag in 2000. In 2003, she was nominated for a Grammy Award for her album Live at Carnegie Hall. She was the youngest person ever nominated in the World Music category at the time.

After releasing three classical Indian albums, she began creating her own unique music. Her 2005 album, RISE, was her first album of original, non-classical music. It earned her another Grammy nomination. In 2006, she became the first Indian musician to perform at the Grammy Awards ceremony.

Exploring New Sounds

Anoushka Shankar at the Lorient Interceltic Festival in 2014.

Anoushka loves to mix different styles of music. Her 2007 album, Breathing Under Water, combined the sitar with electronic music. It featured guest artists like her sister Norah Jones and the singer Sting.

She continued to explore new sounds in her later albums. Traveller (2011) mixed Indian music with Spanish flamenco. Traces of You (2013) was a very personal album created after her father passed away. Her albums Home (2015) and Land of Gold (2016) also received Grammy nominations.

Working with Other Musicians

Throughout her career, Anoushka has worked with many famous artists. She has been a guest on albums by Herbie Hancock, Sting, and Lenny Kravitz. She has also performed her father's sitar concertos with major orchestras around the world, like the London Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic.

She has also composed music for movies and television. In 2017, she wrote the score for the silent film Shiraz. In 2020, she co-composed the music for the BBC series A Suitable Boy.

Working for a Better World

Anoushka Shankar uses her fame to support important causes. She is an activist who works to help women and refugees. She is also a strong supporter of animal rights.

In 2013, she joined a campaign called One Billion Rising to demand an end to violence against women. She has also worked with organizations like Help Refugees and the United Nations World Food Programme to raise awareness and funds for people in need.

Personal Life

In 2010, Anoushka married British film director Joe Wright. They have two sons, born in 2011 and 2015. The couple separated in 2017 and their divorce was finalized in 2019. She currently lives in London with her sons.

Awards and Honors

Anoushka has received many awards for her music. Some of her most important honors include:

• Eleven Grammy Awards nominations between 2003 and 2024.
• Named Woman of the Year in India in 2003.
• Named one of 20 Asian Heroes by Time magazine in 2004.
• An asteroid, 292872 Anoushankar, was named after her in 2017.
• Received an Honorary Doctor of Music degree from the University of Oxford in 2024.

Discography

Shankar in 2020

Studio Albums

Live and Compilation Albums

• Full Circle: Carnegie Hall 2000 (2000)
• Live at Carnegie Hall (2001)
• Concert for George (2003)
• Live in Concert at the Nehru Park, New Delhi (2005)
• Healing the Divide: A Concert for Peace and Reconciliation (2007)
• Reflections (2019)
• Between Us ... (2022)

See also

In Spanish: Anoushka Shankar para niños