English music not valued in India? We ask musicians

As Ananya Birla highlights, ‘I wish one day we value English music made by our own people’ before quitting music, Soumya Vajpayee speaks to musicians who make English music to get their view

VINEET SINGH HUKMANI

I’ve found the needed traction for my English songs globally as is evident from my world record of nine No. 1s in the European Radio Top 100 and being the first Asian/Indian to top the prestigious DRT charts in the US twice. I feel one needs to create songs with high repeat listening value, every 45 days for that region/genre community to resonate with. I am equally comfortable in English and Hindi. However, the Hindi market is overcrowded due to Bollywood and there’s no discovery mechanism for independent music. So, it takes patience and time to find your niche.

VARUN RAJPUT (ANTARIKSH)

90% of the musicians I’ve known in the last 15 years who would write and release music in English have shifted to putting out Hindi music. People doing music in English have a hard time reaching out to the right target audience. Firstly, the overall pie (audience size) for English music in India can’t be compared to the audience size for Hindi music. Secondly, all the big labels focus on Hindi music. Also, the DSPs have been unsuccessful in developing discovery pathways for Indian artistes writing in English.

ROHAN SOLOMON

I agree with Ananya’s thought process. I wish English music sung by Indian artistes was valued more in India. Some people delve into Hindi to reach a wider audience, but some may genuinely feel comfortable singing in multiple languages. As an English language indie artiste, I understood the importance of securing an alternate financially viable option a while ago, so I can continue to make the music I truly want. As an indie artiste, you have to be pragmatic towards the realities, yet honest to your art.

ARMAAN MALIK

I am saddened by Ananya’s decision to step away from music. I can relate to her sentiment. Despite the rich pool of talent we have, English music often does not receive the same level of recognition as local language music, which is predominantly driven by the film industry. I hope that I can contribute to changing that narrative and building more opportunities for artistes who create English music in India.

SUBIR MALIK (PARIKRAMA)

We have been doing English indie music knowing that it is a niche market. It will not go to every Indian or to every state, which have their own regional languages, too. We are catering to a small audience and we know that. Yet, we continue to do this (English music). When musicians want to reach out to a larger audience, they move to Bollywood or Hindi music.