The 14th Dalai Lama has won his first Grammy Award at the 68th annual Grammy Awards, earning the honour in the Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording category for his spoken-word album Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Reported by Mimansa Shekhar from Times Now.
The win places him among several first-time Grammy recipients this year, alongside names such as KPop Demon Hunters and Steven Spielberg.
Many were surprised to see the Tibetan spiritual leader recognised at a music award ceremony. His nomination and win came through his meditation-focused spoken-word album, which blends spiritual teachings with innovative collaborations influenced by Hindustani classical music.
The album features reflections recorded over several years, touching on themes of mindfulness, harmony, health, and compassion.
At the ceremony, the Dalai Lama emerged victorious over other finalists including Fab Morvan of Milli Vanilli, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, Grammy Awards host Trevor Noah, and actress Kathy Garver. This marks his first Grammy win after previously receiving nominations in the past.
One of the album’s tracks, Water, includes the Dalai Lama’s reflections on environmental change and conservation. In the recording, he says, "Within my lifetime in the Taktser area, winter on this mountain, annually more snow, then year by year, less and less."
He refers to his birthplace in eastern Tibet, where he was born as Lhamo Thondup, while stressing the importance of preserving water as a vital natural resource.
In another track titled Peace, he speaks about the universal value of compassion, saying, "A compassionate mind is very happy. Usually people consider compassion [a] religious subject. No, compassion is for our own survival."
With this win, the Dalai Lama joins other first-time Grammy winners at the 2026 ceremony. Steven Spielberg also made history by winning a Grammy in the Best Music Film category for Music by John Williams, a documentary celebrating his longtime collaborator. The win completed Spielberg’s EGOT status, meaning he now holds an Emmy, Grammy, Tony, and Oscar.
Meanwhile, KPop Demon Hunters’ track Golden won Best Song Written for Visual Media. The song is performed by the fictional girl group HUNTR/X, with vocals by EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami.
The award went to songwriters EJAE, Park Hong Jun (also known as Teddy), Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seo, and Mark Sonnenblick, marking a significant moment for K-pop creators on the global stage.
The 68th Grammy Awards were held on February 1, 2026, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The ceremony aired live on CBS and streamed on Paramount+, while viewers in India watched it on February 2, 2026, starting at 6:30 am IST.
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