All posts tagged: independent music

‘Two labels rejected Khat’: Navjot Ahuja reveals how his song became a viral sensation without marketing | Exclusive

‘Two labels rejected Khat’: Navjot Ahuja reveals how his song became a viral sensation without marketing | Exclusive

A packed Mumbai schedule, endless traffic and soaring heat would normally leave most artists visibly exhausted. But independent singer-songwriter Navjot Ahuja appears surprisingly calm in the middle of it all. Fresh off a promotional shoot and moving between interviews across the city, the Rajasthan-born musician speaks with the same quiet detachment that now defines both his personality and his music. And perhaps that emotional distance is exactly what makes his music resonate so strongly. ‘Two labels rejected Khat’: Navjot Ahuja reveals how his song became a viral sensation without marketing | Exclusive. Navjot’s breakout track Khat, with over 10 million streams on Spotify and 46 million viewerships on audio on YouTube, recently became one of India’s biggest independent music success stories, topping Spotify’s Global Viral 50 chart for over 30 days without marketing or a major label push. But despite the sudden visibility, the singer insists fame was never the goal. For him, songwriting feels less like ambition and more like instinct. “I never chose music, but music chose me,” he says early into the …

Vishal Dadlani reacts to Arijit Singh’s decision to quit playback singing: ‘I’m on his side, he is a good guy’

Vishal Dadlani reacts to Arijit Singh’s decision to quit playback singing: ‘I’m on his side, he is a good guy’

Singer Arijit Singh sent shockwaves through the music industry with his decision to step away from playback singing earlier this year. Now, musician and singer Vishal Dadlani has commented on Arijit’s decision in an interaction with the podcast Untriggered with AminJaz. Vishal says he is fully supportive of Arijit and would like to go ahead and explore his music in the future. (Also read: Arijit Singh is done with music being a machine’: Music producer reveals why singer quit playback singing) Vishal Dadlani praised Arijit Singh and said that musically, he is a genius. What Vishal said about Arijit When asked about Arijit’s decision to quit playback singing, Vishal said, “Do what makes you happy, man. He has put out some kind of explanation on it. Jo bhi hain, tere dil ka hain, tu kar. Music is an ocean that exists with or without any of us. So cheers! The guy, musically speaking, is a genius. There is no question. Explore, that is what life is for.” When the host said that if Arijit goes …

3rd edition of Tunecore India Grant to focus on Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada indie musicians

Tunecore is a US-based global platform that assists self-releasing musicians market their songs. HT Image “We are starting to see the growth of truly independent music in the south. Which is why we decided to focus on the south and be there for the young musicians who are starting their journey as an independent musician,” Akhila Shankar, head of TuneCore South Asia, told PTI. Hindustan Times – your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. Shankar said, in India, classification of music does not stop at genre level. “That’s more of a western concept. While we have hip-hop and pop and rock and various other genres, there is another layer of nuance in India which is specific to the language in which people are communicating and expressing themselves. For instance, Punjabi music is a genre by itself,” she added. However, Tunecore’s decision to micro-tune into regional languages happened from the second edition, Shankar said. The first TuneCore grant, introduced in 2022, was open to musicians across India, irrespective of language or genre. “For us the …

Jubin Nautiyal, Arjun Kanungo: Artistes who embraced independent music in 2023

In the year 2023, the music industry witnessed a notable trend as more and more music artists began embracing the independent space. While some of them had already been working independently to some extent, this year marked a significant increase in their pursuit of independence. To gain insights into this growing shift, we spoke to several singers and music composers to understand the reasons behind their decision and explore the factors driving this movement. Jubin Nautiyal and Arjun Kanungo were among many others who worked independently this year Why more artiste are going independent? For Jubin Nautiyal, who is a well known playback singer popular for songs such as Raatan Lambiyan and Maanike, it was time to take the charge. “The person putting in the money is the in charge. So I didn’t want to be tied down where someone else is telling me what to do and how to do it. That is the only way I could break through the clutter,” says the singer, who released his album Tum Aaye Ho Toh independently. …