Indian independent music artists defining indie sound in 2026

Indian music has long been organised around Bollywood soundtracks, but independent tracks are increasingly showing up where audiences actually listen. Across Spotify India playlists and viral charts, non-film songs have begun to sit alongside film music rather than outside it. For the Indian independent music artist, 2026 opens with a closer proximity to mainstream listening.

Non-film Indian indie music is becoming harder to sideline. Spotify's "Indie India" playlist added over  500,000 followers in 2022-2023, according to  a 2024 report. India also recorded 1.03 trillion on-demand streams in 2023, making it the world’s second-largest music market by volume after the United States. Consumption, however, continues to outpace monetisation.  ”The industry was valued at about ₹ 2,798 crore (US$ 319 million) in 2022 and expected to reach ₹ 5,439 crore (US$ 620 million) in 2024, still a fraction of Western revenues despite comparable consumption levels,” it added. 

Amarjit Singh Batra, managing director of Spotify India, stated that while “film music continues to dominate, constituting 70-90 per cent of all listening on Spotify in India, independent tracks are on the rise, growing at a faster pace than movie songs”. 

That momentum is being reinforced by broader shifts in listening culture.  A growing interest in regional artists, wider access to streaming platforms and the expansion of live music circuits are steadily creating space for new Indian artists.  Independent indie musicians India are also finding visibility through OTT soundtracks and increasingly high-production live performances, extending its reach beyond traditional industry pathways. 

Indian independent music artists shaping playlists in 2026

1. Reble

In a landscape that often smooths regional voices for mass appeal, Reble’s hip-hop arrives unsoftened and uncompromising. Long before her song ‘Run Down the City - Monica’from the Bollywood film Dhurandhar (2025) went viral, Shillong-based rapper Reble had already etched her place in the independent music industry. Reble, a.k.a Daiaphi Lamare, grew up in the West Jaintia Hills of Meghalaya, listening to Eminem and Courtney Love. By the age of 12, she was writing about family issues, society, and being a woman who’s trying to adjust. Since her debut single ‘Bad’ (2019), she’s released several singles including ‘Terror’, ‘New Riot’, and an EP, Entropy (2022). The influence of Eminem in her sharp delivery, besides bands like Linkin Park, jumps out. Her ‘Freeverse’ session song with Beast Inside Beats in 2023 reveals how Reble blends hip-hop with modern elements while also being lyrically relevant via her rawness. With hardly any women artists from Northeast India finding mainstream success in Bollywood so far, Reble is a name to keep an ear out for in 2026. 

2. Anjali Manoharan

Chennai-based singer-songwriter Anjali Manoharan made her debut in 2024 with the single ‘Nothing Ever Lasts Long’, and has since followed with several singles in 2025: ‘Family’, ‘Curls’, and ‘Polaroids’, all of which experiment with a distinct jazz-and-blues sound. But the multi-instrumentalist’s USP is her vocal harmonies which add a layer to her intimately composed lyrics, going beyond heartbreak or falling in love. This year will also mark the release of Manoharan’s album/EP. 

3. Jonita Gandhi

New Delhi-born, Canada-raised Jonita Gandhi went from making her mark in the music industry as a singer for Hindi film songs while being independent. She has delivered several hits over the last decade: her Bollywood debut, the title track of Chennai Express (2013), ‘The Breakup Song’ from Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016), and ‘Aahista’ from Ok Jaanu (2017). In 2020, she started writing and releasing her own songs, experimenting with Punjabi lyrics. By 2023, Gandhi signed with 91 North Records, the new label by Warner Music Canada and Warner Music India. 

Gandhi’s debut single ‘Love Like That’ released in January 2024, but it was her song ‘Beparwai’ (2025)—a single from the eponymous album—which propelled her to fame. She has opened for various recent international acts including Enrique Iglesias (Mumbai, 2025), Shawn Mendes (Lollapalooza, Mumbai, 2025), and Ed Sheeran (Chennai, 2025), besides featuring on the Hindi version of Sheeran’s song ‘Heaven’. 

4. Bloodywood

New Delhi-based band Bloodywood has carved a unique identity for itself in the independent music India landscape through its unique genre where Punjabi folk meets hip-hop meets metal. Blending heavy metal with traditional Indian folk instruments like the dhol and tumbi, besides singing and rapping in multiple languages, the band was formed in 2016. What started as a parody on YouTube—creating metal-infused covers of pop songs—Bloodywood is two albums old today, with Rakshak (2022) and Nu Delhi (2025). The band  has performed at multiple international festivals since their first international tour in 2019, from Fuji Rock in Japan and Bloodstock Open Air Festival in the United Kingdom to Brutal Assault in Czech Republic and Hellfest in France. Bloodywood also performs regularly with BABYMETAL, a Japanese Kawaii metal band formed in 2010, since their first collaboration together in composing the song Bekhauf (2024), featuring lyrics in Hindi, English, and Japanese. 

5. Taba Chake

Fingerstyle guitarist and singer Taba Chake made his debut in 2016 with the EP, Bond with Nature. But it wasn’t till his album Bombay Dreams (2019) that he rose to popularity, not only for his soothing and rhythmic music, but also his lyrics. Though Chake began writing in English and Hindi, he soon veered toward Nyishi, his mother tongue. Having grown up in the town of Doimukh in Arunachal Pradesh, Chake frequently listened to Nyishi tribal songs. Songs from his album also resonate with most listeners because of their themes: the song ‘Shaayad’, for instance, speaks about feeling invisible in a fast-paced city, while ‘My Other Side’ calls out how one's image on social media is often different from reality.

Chake has recently released an album, Khud Ko Miloon (2025). Following his first international tour across Manchester, London, Winchester, Glasgow, and Newcastle, he is also the brand ambassador of the Art and Culture department of the Government of Arunachal Pradesh. 

6. Girish And The Chronicles

Formed in Sikkim in 2009 and now based in Bengaluru, Girish and the Chronicles is as hardcore rock as a band can get. Three albums old—Back on Earth (2014), Rock The Highway (2020), and Hail To The Heroes (2022)—the band’s cover of Adele’s ‘Set Fire to The Rain’ on America’s Got Talent (Season 20) went viral in 2025, following which they played at various music festivals across India. The band has shared the stage with international acts like Guns ‘N’ Roses, Skid Row, Nazareth, Alter Bridge, Bullet for My Valentine, Hoobastank, Poets of the Fall, and Destruction. It has also toured with Chris Adler of Lamb of God/Megadeth, besides performing at the UrRock Festival in Switzerland and the Zurbaran Rock fest in Spain, besides performances in France and Belgium. 

7. Fursat FM

After touring the world with independent jazz-influenced band Peter Cat Recording Co. (since 2009), multi-instrumentalist Rohit Gupta, who started off playing the keys for the band in 2017, is making his solo dreams come true. Under the moniker ‘Fursat FM’, Gupta released Eleven Dance, a largely instrumental album in 2025, which also features other Indian independent musicians like Jayant Manchanda and Prativa Devi. Gupta has also produced work as a visual artist under the moniker. His solo works are mellower, primarily instrumental and more electronic, different from the quiet chaos PCRC's music brings. 

8. Komorebi

Komorebi—Japanese for ‘sunlight that filters through tree leaves’—is an electronic act by musician and vocalist Tarana Marwah, who grew up training in classical piano. Komorebi’s self-titled debut EP (2015) and debut album Soliloquy (2017) received much attention due to their heavy-in-harmony yet electronic sound. Her album, The Fall (2023), garnered more fans, propelled by the fact that it came with a physical graphic novel. Komorebi has performed at music festivals in India including NH7 Weekender, Magnetic Fields, Red Bull Tour Bus, Echoes of Earth, and Wonderflip. Her Coke Studio Bharat track ‘Bayo’ received a Cannes Lions Award in 2025. Marwah is also known for her work on the scores for films and OTT shows like Dabba Cartel (2025), Dahaad (2023), and Made in Heaven (2019-2023).

9. Aronjoy Das

Independent Indian musician Aronjoy Das is from the usual acoustic-leaning, soft-boy era singer-songwriter. Ever since his debut with Cold (2022), Das has only diversified his original work: Hindi lyrics with songs like ‘Hua Tera’ and ‘Dil Musafir’ (2024), and leaning toward electronic tunes with ‘Rehnuma’ (2024). The 29-year-old has also performed in collaboration with metal and hardcore rock bands, further expanding his versatile profile among indie musicians India. Das will release his debut album in 2026, which has been in the works for the last few years. 

10.Tanishque

Blending his vocal prowess and rhythmic skills at Indian classical music, Tanishque is bridging centuries of heritage with future-facing sonic worlds. His recent singles: ‘Rooh’ with A$AD (2025) and ‘Kyun Tu’ with Saar Punch (2023) are proof. Blending genres comes easy for Tanishque, a disciple of Pandit Rajinder Singh from the Patiala Gharana. He began training in Indian classical at the age of 13, and grew up listening to thumris and ghazals along with hip-hop, obsessing over Snoop and Ghulam Ali at the same time. His journey as a solo artist has been catapulted further by his experience singing with independent band Pakshee that brings together jazz, pop, rock, and funk with Hindustani classical music. Tanishque has performed at Indian and international music festivals such as NH7 Weekender and Udaipur World Music Festival, besides Freespace Jazz Festival in Hong Kong. He is working on releasing his EP in 2026, along with collaborating with other musicians making independent music India.

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