AI covers, mashups, Indie albums will dominate the music landscape in 2024 and beyond

The Established speaks to artists and music labels to find out more about the trends they are looking forward to most

Last week, Spotify Wrapped 2023 dropped, giving listeners a nostalgia-fuelled gift full of statistics—the number of minutes listened, favourite genre, top artists, et al while also delivering a yearly dose of existential crisis to users of Apple Music. Most users got Noida as the place where people with similar music tastes are based (needless to say, they weren’t happy) while Pritam was the top artist for most Bollywood music lovers.

Surprising in some ways, predictable in others, 2023 was a monumental year in music. For starters, the influence of Reels on Indian music charts continued to persist and how. Vicky Kaushal’s dance to Riar Saab and Abhijay Sharma’s Obsessed, made the hidden gem shoot to popularity, bumping it up several numbers on most of our playlists. The re-emergence of Mughal-e-Azam’s iconic Teri Mehfil Mein Kismat Aazmakar also helped spotlight classics from the yesteryears which Gen Z listeners aren’t otherwise privy to.

Moreover, with the rise of Indie music artists, independent labels, and the proliferation of Generative AI, the year saw innovative creative choices from artists and labels alike. The Established speaks to prominent streaming platforms, artists, and music labels to find out more about the trends they are looking forward to most.

Punjabi Pop For The Win!

The popularity of Punjabi pop has been on a steady rise ever since AP Dhillon, Shubh, Chani Nattan and the likes shot to fame in the months following the pandemic. The genre peaked in 2023 with never-before-seen chart domination by the Indo-Canadian hitmakers. In an exclusive conversation with The Established, Spotify revealed that Punjabi pop—which is predominantly non-filmy, label-driven, and spearheaded by Indie artists—is now going neck-and-neck with Hindi pop.

“Songs like Daku by Chani Nattan, Cheques and Baller by Shubh, Mi Amor by Sharn, and Obsessed by Riar Saab are among the top 20 most-streamed songs of 2023 on Spotify”, says a spokesperson from the streaming company. “We've seen over the years that film music dominates across Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada. This year, artists such as Arijit Singh, Pritam, Anirudh Ravichander, Sid Sriram, and more, who sing in several of these languages, were amongst the most streamed in the country, based on Spotify Wrapped data.” 

Much like Hindi and regional music where a particular set of artists do well, Punjabi music too has a crop of familiar faces. “However, compared to this, Punjabi music is mostly non-filmy, with the work of artists such as AP Dhillon, Karan Aujla, and Sidhu Moose Wala emerging as amongst the most streamed year after year.”

Rediscovering Classics From The Yore

Revealing exclusive findings on the favourite genres of Gen Z users and their listening habits, the spokesperson shares, “Based on our data, we have found that the growth in consumption of Hindi music from the 1950s and ’60s is the highest amongst listeners between the ages of 18-24 years.”. The substantial growth indicates that Gen Z is a democratic audience which is very accepting of the yesteryear classics. 

Gen Z also seems to be a generation that seeks nostalgia in the music it listens to. “Songs such as Jane Woh Kaise, Mere Mehboob Qayamat Hogi, and Mere Saamne Wali were some of the most loved songs from that era amongst Gen Z listeners, suggesting that nostalgia plays a role in the discovery and consumption of music for them”, says the spokesperson.

Hemant Kumar’s Bekaraar Karke Humein Yuh Na Jaaie, which was a part of the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Jawan, went viral on Instagram Reels this year. “I think Gen Z is very kind and accommodating toward newer artists as well as preserving the heritage of older classics”, says Siddhant Goenka, a Kolkata-based Indie artist. 

Mashups And Remixes: Yin And Yang

With over 7,70,000 followers on Instagram, 21-year-old mashup artist Sourav Ray—better known by his stage name ‘Gravero’—has the knack of remixing rather unexpected, thematically contrasting songs together. Most of his mashups have gone viral on Reels audio with fashion, comedy, and gaming influencers using it in their content. Despite landing collaborations with top labels like Saregama, Sony, Universal Music, and Warner Music, Gravero continues to be an independent artist, often having content creators like Tanmay Bhatt and Avanti Nagral appear in videos with him.

Some of Gravero’s most-viewed mashups include Industry Baby (Lil Nas X) x Paisa Hai Toh (from Amazon Prime Video’s Farzi), MC Sqaure’s Laado x Karan Aujla’s White Brown Black and the most unlikely of them  all—Boy’s a Liar by Ice Spice x Haath Varthi by MC Stan and Doja Cat’s Paint The Town Red x Yashraj’s Dhundhala.

“Mashups help in the discovery of newer artists and songs which would have otherwise flown under the radar,” says Gravero. “They help Indie artists get the spotlight and reach their target audience”. 

Many of Gravero’s audios have a point of transition which is a hot favourite of fashion creators for videos showcasing outfit  transitions. “If there is no point of transition, the audio can be used as background music for storytelling videos,” he says. 

Gravero feels that in 2024, the influence of Reels audio on music charts is likely to persist. “But it all depends on the influence of the person who helps the Reel audio go viral. I listened to Obsessed before Vicky Kaushal’s Reel and was rooting for it to get discovered. Yes, influence matters but the song has to stand its ground and has to be just as good. Both the song and the Reel need to synchronise well for any trend to work”.

Gravero often remixes a mega-hit track with a relatively lesser-known one, helping the latter shoot to popularity. “I am a songwriter too and would want my songs to get traction”. Gravero occasionally drops his original compositions so those listening to his remixes and mashups can also discover his singing talent.

AI Covers And Music Videos: The Untamed Beast

Last month, Kolkata-based Indie artist Siddhant Goenka dropped the music video of his single Pari, which was fully AI-generated and had characters created through Generative AI. “The process was quite intriguing. It was a learning curve too because I don’t come from a tech background. Generative AI allowed me to display a story that wouldn’t have been possible to create otherwise —that is, to hire a camera person, go to the set, cast actors”. 

Goenka feels that going forward, AI will help artists push boundaries of visual storytelling. Gravero, however, is a bit skeptical about AI covers. “It is great that we can make any artist sing any song but we need to be mindful. Musicians might feel their rights are being infringed upon,” he says. 

Gravero proceeds to talk about his favourite AI cover which renders KK’s song Tu Hi Meri Shabh Hai in Kishore Kumar’s voice. “It was the most beautiful cover I have heard. While it is great that we can revive lost voices through these posthumous covers, one must be careful of the ethical and legal boundaries around it."

The Power of Collaborations

Rohit Sobti is the founder of India Independent Music Label which spotlights new artists and helps amplify their voices, promoting their songs and videos. Sobti feels the power of collaboration is yet untapped. “Diljit Dosanjh started the wave of international collaborations with Hass Hass with Australian vocalist Sia and Palpita with Colombian singer Camilo. There’s also Nick Jonas and King’s Maan Meri Jaan in addition to Armaan Malik and Ed Sheeran’s 2Step. Many international artists are now trying to address the Indian audiences”. Sobti feels international collaborations are the way forward in 2024.

The Rise And Rise of Indie Artists

With the rising popularity of Spotify and other digital platforms, the over-reliance of artists on music labels has reduced. As a result, they are now going independent, taking their own creative decisions and making bold choices. “The likes of Anuv Jain and Prateek Kuhad have catalysed the Indie artists movement. Gen Z tends to listen to undiscovered artists rather than mainstream ones. Earlier, a singer or a band signed with a label was forced to stick to a genre but now Indie artists are able to experiment with their songs and cut across genres,” says Goenka.

Goenka feels Spotify has played a key role in empowering Indie artists. Their open channel of communication allows Indie artists to reach out to the company via Instagram and pitch their tracks. “Such kind of transparency wasn’t there earlier. It is a wonderful time to be in this space.” 

Also Read: How the fusion of folk and electronic is renewing the tone for dance music in India

Also Read: Does Tamil rap music’s secret to success lie in the diaspora?

Also Read: Parekh & Singh wants us to feel the magic of music with their new album