India has delivered a horde of gifts in music, and the country is popular for its traditional classical music, its songs, and uniqueness. There are such great artists in India who have famous melodic oeuvre and have won a few honors. Some of them even proceeded to win the most elevated awards. They have contributed to Indian music with their unrivaled masterpieces. Many fans truly worship some of the artists in India. Nonetheless, there are a few performers of Indian inception who gained international popularity.
1. Pandit Ravi Shankar (1920-2012)
Known for his priceless commitment to Hindustani music, Pandit Ravi Shankar was outstanding amongst other known players of the sitar. Born in 1920, he got one of the most productive music maestros of the twentieth century. His music has had a worldwide effect, with impassioned admirers and students including rock bunch The Byrds and George Harrison from The Beatles. George Harrison – who also learned Sitar with Pandit Ravi Shankar and actualized it in songs like ‘Norwegian Wood’, ‘Love You Too’ and ‘Inside You Without You’. He had recieved the Highest Civilian honor –Bharat Ratna in 1999.
2. Ustad Bismillah Khan (1916-2006)
Ustad Bismillah Khan was an Indian musician who popularized and introduced the Shehnai instrument to concert level. He got his first major break in 1937. He is well known to have performed live at Red Fort in Delhi, when he was invited to come and perform by India’s first prime minister. He was not limited to Indian audiences, but performed at the Cannes Art Festival, the Osaka Trade Fair and the World Exhibition in Montreal for global audiences. In addition, he has also played Shehnai for music in Indian movies like Goonj Uthi Shehnai and Swades (which happened to be his last film offering).
3. Ustad Zakir Hussain (1951—Present)
Ustad Zakir Hussain is heir to the one of the most popular tabla player in India, the legendary: Alla Rakha. Zakir ended up being much the same as his dad, an outstanding tabla player who began his preparations extremely young. He had begun touring even before he hit his adolescents and won the Grammy for Best World Music Album in 1992. He wants to work together with performers from various places of the world to make one of a kind music with his own ability in tabla.In his profession as a Tabla player, he has gained global acknowledgment and has toured the US and Europe and has teamed up with different artists like John McLaughlin, John Helpful, Jan Garbarek and Pat Martino to name a few. He has played Tabla for the soundtracks of movies like Francis Portage Copolla’s ‘End of the world Now’ and even Bernardo Bertolucci’s Little Buddha. In 2002, Zakir Hussain was also awarded with the Padma Bhushan Award .
4. Anoushka Shankar (1981-Present)
Anoushka Shankar is a Sitar player and daughter to legendary Indian Sitar player Pandit Ravi Shankar, and Norah Jones’ half-sister. At a tender age of 14 she started accompanying her father on world tours. She managed to earn prominence in her music career as a solo music concert performer very early on and toured around the world with an average of over 50 concerts in a year. Anoushka Shankar had been nominated for Grammy awards in 2003. She was also the youngest ever nominee and also the first woman nominee for the third album, ‘Live at Carnegie Hall,’ in the world music category
5. Zubin Mehta (1936—Present)
Zubin Mehta, who is from Mumbai, Maharashtra is an Indian Choirmaster of Western Classical Music, and the music director of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. In his career, he soon started winning international competitions and was leading the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic at age 21. He was Los Angeles Philharmonic Music Director. The composer has conducted a plethora of orchestras all across globe in his career which now stretches nearly 60 years. He also conducted a concert called the “Capital of Western Music” in Vienna, where he received 20 minutes of ovation and 14 curtain calls. Mehta has received various accolades, one of them being Praemium Imperiale (Japan), Hollywood Walk of Fame and also Tagore Award for his huge contribution to classical Music
6. A.R Rahman (1967—Present)
A legend who has the potential to touch the deepest places in the human heart. Over the last two decades he has reshaped Indian film music. His musical genius has charmed audiences from Roja to Rockstar making him one of the all-time best-selling recording artists in the world. Rahman has been touring the world successfully since 2004, starting in Singapore Dubai, Malaysia, the United Kingdom , Canada and the USA. He was also one of the artists who contributed to “We are the World 25 for Haiti” in 2010 He has received two Academy Awards, two Grammy Awards, one Golden Globe, one BAFTA Award, four National Awards, fifteen Filmfare Awards and thirteen Filmfare Awards (South).
7. Freddie Mercury (1946-1991)
The band Queen’s lead vocalist Mercury, is regarded as one of the greatest vocalists ever seen by the world. Born as Forrokh Bulsara, he spent many parts of his childhood on boarding school in Dadar Parsi Colony, Mumbai (then Bombay) and Panchgani. He moved to England, at the age of 17, and the rest is history. As a lead vocalist, he has more than 200 songs to his name, and traveled all around the globe for live concerts. Freddie had won a Brit Award along with his band for an outstanding contribution in British music. He is also in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Hall of Fame for Songwriters.
