The reemergence of Indian Independent Music Industry in 2020
Arman Malik, the music sensation who has won countless hearts with his soulful voice and charm remarked India’s need for Independent Music in an Interview on Deccan Herald. Such a remark from a prominent name in the Bollywood Music Industry leads to a single conclusion- Indie music is what the audience wants.
The current trend in the music industry is the dismissal of distinctive genres. Borders that were initially important while composing music are now being challenged by newer artists. Ananya Birla, an artist and an entrepreneur supports the existence of cross-genre music. Experimental music has the audience on their toes, a wonderful example being Ritviz’s ‘Ved’- based on EDM, has about 5.5 million views on Youtube.
The Bollywood music industry controls 80% of the music industry. However, Indie Record labels have seen a surge in independent artists, who are willing to create great music.
Let’s look at why Indie Music is making it big:
Genre no bar-
A classic example of this is Vidya Vox of ‘Closer/Kabira’ Mashup fame. Her music Classical Rap, EDM and Indian Classical Music, and has crossed more than 55 Million views on Youtube. Mixing two or more genres and composing music around it gives the artists more freedom to experiment and play around the tunes and notes. Aditi Ramesh’s agglomeration of jazz, pop and Indian Carnatic music, with a thoughtful infusion of her thoughts, has made her one of the most loved indie musicians
It’s Non-Bollywood-
Indian audience, after their brief encounter with the degrading nature of latest Bollywood music, is embracing Indie music with open hands. For most people, any music that’s not Bollywood seems to have their attention. After the controversy around ‘Beyonce sharma jayegi’, a composition that sparked conversations around racist undertones in Bollywood music, listeners are opting for the escape and relevance Indie music provides. Indie music is salable without being reinforced by Bollywood.
Represents ‘Youth and Urban Culture’-
Sage’ by Ritviz, with its ‘trippy beats, soulful lyrics and an eclectic fusion between the club-oriented instrumental dance tracks’ was an instant hit. The video that accompanied the song showed the shunning of people who didn’t fit into a box and the love they deserve. It resonated widely with the youth of India. Another example is ‘When Chai MeetsToast’, a Kochi based band which takes inspiration from ‘the lighter side of life’, and create peppy beats and cheerful lyrics. Their most loved song ‘Khoj (Passing By)’ is themed around romanticizing escapism.
Prateek Kuhad, Arjun Kanungo, Gajendra Verma, Aher, Pacifist, Chrms and Dhruv Visvanath are a few other Indie artists we need to listen to. They are reinventing the music industry, and the compositions look promising.
Indie artists have been fighting stereotypes and are finally leaving a mark in the music industry. Drop in the Indie artists you love.
by- Mridula Gupta
