Chandrika Tandon has lived several lives in one. A former McKinsey partner and global business leader, she is also a classically trained vocalist whose music is rooted in spirituality, healing, and simplicity.
In 2025, at the age of 70, Tandon won her first GRAMMY® Award for Triveni, an album that blends Vedic chants with flute and cello to create a meditative soundscape. The win marked a defining moment in a musical journey she has quietly pursued for decades, alongside a distinguished career in business and philanthropy.
Speaking to Khaleej Times during her appearance at Global Fusion in Dubai last week, Tandon reflects on music as a spiritual practice, the power of simplicity, creative rebirth at any age, and what it means to perform healing music in one of the world’s most culturally diverse cities. Edited excerpts from the interview:
You’ve led global institutions and now create music rooted in healing and consciousness. At what point did music become a central calling in your life?
Music has always been an important part of my life. In fact, I think I sang before I could speak! But about 25 years ago, I decided to intentionally include music as part of my life because I had a spiritual crisis, and I realised that the happiest moments of my life were often tied to music.
This then began the journey of singing and feeling the music, and through music, I found myself. I found stillness, and I found myself healing and discovering much more beautiful parts of myself. As I’ve navigated this journey over the last couple of decades, I’ve become increasingly drawn to the healing aspects of music and want to share the same gift that music has given me with the rest of the world.
Winning your first GRAMMY at 70 feels especially powerful. What did that moment represent for you personally, and what do you hope it says to people who feel it’s 'too late' to begin or return to a creative path?
I don’t do music to win a Grammy. I do music because it is an important part of my own journey, and it’s an important part of what I want to share with the world. The Grammy was an extraordinary moment, and I was very grateful and appreciative, especially for the platform it allows me to have, and amplify my message of music and healing.
But that journey would have continued with or without a Grammy. And I’m incredibly thankful to have the collaborators and the support system that the Grammy now allows me to access much more easily – we can bring many more people together, to create bridges of love, harmony, and peace.
You’ve said your music isn’t about complexity but about shared spiritual experience. In a world obsessed with spectacles, why is simplicity so important to you?
I don’t make music to show off my virtuosity, what complex movements I can create, or how well-trained I am. I’ve had the most amazing masters over the last several years, and I’ve been very, very grateful for the gifts they’ve given me. But at the end of the day, it really comes back to the question: what is the purpose of what I’m trying to do here? It definitely isn't personal approbation. I want people to listen, so that it will move something deep within them, and allow them to find their own music. And the only way I can do that is to keep it accessible. Access and connection are a very important part of my journey of healing with music.
Global Fusion brought five GRAMMY winners onto one stage. What did performing in Dubai mean to you at this point in your journey?
Dubai is a perfect melting pot of multiple cultures, and it also represents a beautiful, new city where people are welcoming of fusion and celebrating differences. So, for me, coming together with other amazing musicians, not just Grammy winners, meant that we could share our version of what healing music looks like and inspire them to come and collaborate with us. There were a lot of exciting commonalities that we saw with the Emirati musician in our group and the artists from all over the world. Dubai is the most perfect, most welcoming place to bring fusion to.
You’re often introduced as Indra Nooyi’s sister, but your legacy spans business, philanthropy, and now a GRAMMY-winning musical career. How would you like your story to be understood on its own terms?
I am Indra Nooyi’s sister, and I’m so proud of her and everything she has accomplished. But we’ve had very different and distinct paths, carving out our own routes to happiness and success, however one defines that life path. I don’t really think a lot about being remembered or about legacies. I think a lot about how impactful my time should be during my time on Earth. I simply want each day to count, and for me to do the best things I can do to empower people, both economically and emotionally: economic empowerment through STEM and education, and emotional empowerment through music.
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