Anoushka Shankar

Biography

The daughter of sitar legend Ravi Shankar, Anoushka Shankar began studying under her father at age nine, making her performing debut four years later. Appearing alongside her father as he toured the world, she appeared at Carnegie Hall while still in her teens, and also performed with Peter Gabriel's WOMAD festival. She was the youngest and only female recipient of the House of Commons Shield awarded by British Parliament "in recognition of her artistry and musicianship — as a pre-eminent musician of the Asian Arts." Shankar made her solo debut with 1998's Anoushka, released when she was still just 17 years old. Anourag followed two years later. The young prodigy added another triumph to her already impressive career in 2001 with her Live at Carnegie Hall album. The fusion- and worldbeat-inspired Rise arrived in 2005, followed by Karsh Kale: Breathing Under Water in 2007.