This World Music Day, we’re looking back at the independent artists who have defined India’s evolving music landscape, voices that built devoted followings outside the mainstream film-music machine and, in doing so, changed what Indian audiences expect from homegrown music. Here are 10 artists who left their mark, along with our pick for the one track to start with.
Prateek Kuhad
The Jaipur-born singer-songwriter left an NYU economics degree to chase music, breaking through with “Cold/Mess,” a track that found its way onto Barack Obama’s year-end playlist and won him Best India Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards.
Our Top Pick: “Tum Jab Paas”
Anuv Jain
Known for stripped-back, guitar-and-ukulele songwriting, Jain’s track “Baarishein” became his first to cross 200 million Spotify streams - written when he was 17, about a girl he loved.
Our Top Pick: “Gul”
The Local Train
The Chandigarh-formed Hindi-Urdu rock band’s debut album, Aalas Ka Pedh, and its follow–up, Vaaqif, both became some of the most-streamed independent rock albums on Apple Music India, anchored by anthems like “Choo Lo” and “Aaoge Tum Kabhi.”
Our Top Pick: “Aaoge Tum Kabhi”
Mitraz
The pop-R&B act, fronted by Anmol Ashish, blends Hindi lyricism with electro-tinged production. Their Bollywood breakout, “Akhiyaan Gulaab,” from Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya, charted on Billboard in 2024.
Our Top Pick: “Muskurahat”
Jasleen Royal
The singer-composer and Filmfare winner co-created “Kho Gaye Hum Kahan,” a duet with Prateek Kuhad from Baar Baar Dekho that became an indie-folk staple, still drawing fresh covers years after its release.
Our Top Pick: “Sang Rahiyo”
Osho Jain
The singer-songwriter and producer’s poetic, Hindi-Urdu lyricism and brand collaborations with Instagram, Amazon, and Domino’s built him a devoted youth following marked by his debut album, Saar, and tracks like “Khush Toh Hai Na.”
Our Top Pick: “Tu Aisa Kaise Hai”
The Yellow Dairy
The alt-rock band is known for its emotionally layered sound on hits like “Marz” and “Roz Roz” - the latter a Shilpa Rao collaboration that’s quietly become one of Spotify India’s best-kept secrets.
Our Top Pick: “Kahe Kahe”
Ritviz
The electronic producer fuses Hindustani classical training with EDM, going viral in 2017 with “Udd Gaye” after winning Bacardi House Party Sessions - a track that’s since crossed 127 million Spotify streams.
Our Top Pick: “Udd Gaye”
Lucky Ali
The veteran Indipop icon and Mehmood Ali’s son released the 1996 ballad “O Sanam,” which stayed on MTV Asia’s top three for 60 weeks and resurfaced decades later when an unplugged beach performance of it went viral during the pandemic.
Our Top Pick: “O Sanam”
Parikrama
The Delhi rock pioneers, active since 1991, are best known for “But It Rained,” a 2001 anthem inspired by the Kashmir Valley kidnappings that Rolling Stone India named one of the 25 greatest Indian rock songs of the last 30 years.
Our Top Pick: “I Believe”
From folk-rooted storytelling to genre-bending electronic production, these 10 artists reflect just how far India’s independent music scene has come - and how much room it’s still making for new sounds to break through. On a day meant to celebrate music in all its forms, their catalogs are a reminder of what’s possible outside the mainstream.
Tags:
World Music Day
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Prateek Kuhad
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Parikrama
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The Local Train
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Anuv Jain
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Ritviz
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Jasleen Royal
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Lucky Ali
