Music from the Hills: All efforts matter in the Indian indie scene
2019 NH7 Weekender in Pune - one of the biggest showcases for India’s indie artists. Photo: Karan Madhok
Obama listens to Prateek Kuhad and DIVINE signs with Nas. What’s next? Ady Manral writes about how musicians and artists around India can contribute to the rapidly growing indie scene in the country.
I woke up to a pleasant surprise a few weeks ago: Obama trending on Twitter—not far from Prateek Kuhad, the indie singer-songwriter who has been making mellow folk jams in India for years. The unthinkable had happened: the former US president had included Kuhad’s song ‘cold/mess’ into his list of favourite songs of 2019, right next to Lizzo, J. Cole, The Black Keys, Lil Nas X, Frank Ocean, and Beyonce. Even in the freezing cold winters, it seemed that the moment in the sun had arrived for the Indian indie scene.
Every time an artist releases a single, organizes a tour, reaches out to the venues, reaches out to publications for reviews etc… they add towards the formation of a foundational structure that can support the independent music scene in India. This process of each artist trying hard to make it adds to an indie eco-system that creates new opportunities for different jobs associated with The Scene.
Now that we’re in the 2020s, an exciting phase beckons ahead. India has some grand annual independent music festivals to boast now, with both big-name artists and growing opportunities for the ‘smaller guys’, thanks to the efforts of everyone contributing towards (as we all like to call it) this ‘Scene’!
The post-Obama hype for ‘cold/mess’ and Kuhad is a big deal for The Scene, as our music is now slowly getting recognised around the world. But let’s not forget the amount of work Kuhad has put in over the last five years. He has consistently produced new music and videos, worked hard on tours each year and even reached out to the audience abroad by touring regularly.
Bands such as As We Keep Searching (AWKS) and The Local Train have seen a great rise in their popularity as well in the last three years. Both these bands the stage with Katy Perry and Dua Lipa in the recent One-Plus Music Festival. Given the way they have been growing, they may hopefully soon be playing stand-alone stadium concerts in the country.
Welcome back to Instagram. Sign in to check out what your friends, family & interests have been capturing & sharing around the world.
Like Prateek Kuhad, AWKS and The Local Train didn’t find success overnight: they have worked very hard over the years, producing quality music, performing heavily at college fests, and coming up with innovative ways of enhancing the audience experience. Earlier this year, AWKS hosted several listening sessions for their album Zia across the country, and saw a steady rise in their popularity around In
Last year, we even saw a crossover of the rap music scene with Bollywood with the movie Gully Boy. The effort and growth of rap artists such as Naezy and DIVINE have been a huge contribution towards the rap music scene in India. DIVINE also signed with the label Mass Appeal India, which was co-founded by internationally-acclaimed American rapper Nas.
Every time an artist releases a single, organizes a tour, reaches out to the venues, reaches out to publications for reviews etc… they add towards the formation of a foundational structure that can support the independent music scene in India. This process of each artist trying hard to make it adds to an indie eco-system that creates new opportunities for different jobs associated with The Scene. Every small accolade for an artist is a step towards strengthening The Scene overall.
With the ease of releasing music through various digital distribution channels and social media, artists are also able to produce low-cost content. This is also probably one of the major reasons why there is a surge in the production as well as consumption of indie music in India.
There is still a long way to go, and it may require years of dedication. But I do believe that, with each artist committing themselves seriously to this profession, all the efforts in the end will aid to more growth. Indeed, there are exciting times ahead.
***
Ady Manral is a singer-songwriter based in Landour whose debut EP Lean On Love was released globally to critical acclaim in 2018. Ady has performed gigs in India, the UK and USA over the past few years. He was the co-founder and director of Big Gig, a music festival in Landour. He currently works at Woodstock School India. You can follow him on Instagram at @adyindia or Twitter @adymanral
