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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nInspired to keep creating but facing restrictive travel due to the pandemic, the current iteration of Shakti \u2014 McLaughlin, Rajagopalan, Hussain, percussionist V. Selvaganesh (son of Vinayakram) and singer Shankar Mahadevan \u2014 started putting together an album the way many musicians were forced to during the lockdown: piecemeal over the internet.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI got a new perspective about music after playing with Shakti,\u201d Rajagopalan said. \u201cAs a musician, I do a lot of collaborations and fusion music, but this was a true eye opener because the way the music came, how the composition came about, and how much everybody was contributing and everybody was [stuck] in different areas. We were in five different places and coordinated the sent music to each other.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the members of Shakti, it was a new form of recording from what the longtime industry veterans were used to, but the results exceeded expectations as the album, \u201cThis Moment,\u201d was released to critical acclaim in June 2023. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
To get a sense of the electric chemistry between the five band members, check out Shakti\u2019s joyous appearance on NPR\u2019s Tiny Desk series from October. Sitting cramped in a circle, the group\u2019s communication and creativity is on full display as they build a layered sound that truly seems to fuse Eastern and Western traditions.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s too much,\u201d he said. \u201cThe moment it was announced, I didn\u2019t believe so many people here in India would be so delighted that we would be nominated for the Grammys. The reception that we got, the emails, the phone calls, the messages, were incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n