The historical divide in the Indian music industry, between film and non-film or regional music is fast disappearing. Though film music still dominates consumption, regional music industries and independent artists are taking rapid strides.
Much of this growth has been driven by the non-Hindi speaking regions of the country. The progress made over the years is due to the quality of artists and their singing. Besides there is a growing pool of upcoming talent with potential waiting to be explored.
In the north the Punjabi music industry has always been at the forefront of the regional music market. But now other states are catching up too.
In October, Desi Records released a Haryanvi song ‘52 GajKa Daman’ sung by RenukaPanwar, with music composed by AmanJaji and lyrics written by MukeshJaji. The song has received 800 Million+ views on YouTube and globally is the 16th most viewed music video from India ever.
A few years back, ‘Why This Kolaveri Di’ composed by Anirudh and sung by Dhanush became the highest viewed Indian video on YouTube. The song has more than 264 million YouTube views and is still going strong.
Regional music has grown substantially on streaming platforms in the past few years largely due to deeper internet penetration and the rise of local superstars. There are regional artists who are breaking stereotypes and gaining popularity by creating original and innovative sounds. The rise of indie music labels has also aided in the progress.
Can regional Music become the new trendsetter in the Indian music industry?
“Indian consumers and audiences have a different feeling and appeal for regional music today since the past. Though Hindi film music for long has had ruled the roost, yet it is beyond all doubts that regional music continued to sway emotions as the listeners could relate their mood and feelings spontaneously and easily. If the question arises whether regional music has a place in Indian music the obvious answer would be yes! I strongly believe the power of regional music is resurging and being recognised separately. The more powerful it becomes in the coming years, the more it will feel proud of its varied richness and definitely occupy a significant position,” asserted one of Bengali music industry’s leading composer and music director, Debojyoti Mishra.
While Mishra has a philosophical take about it, Punjabi composer Sachin Ahuja views it from a fact of the matter lens. His take is,
“Punjabi music has been in trend and has attracted the audience because its rhythm and beat has been loved by people from all the states. Now due to social media platforms Punjabi music has reached an even bigger audience and so I think it will grow exponentially.”
While retaining the traditional elements and incorporating the new trends can be the parameters for a song’s success, Jakes Bejoy, music producer and composer for multi South Indian regional states has a different take.
“I think regional music industries becoming the trend setters is entirely true. It is because the regional industries produce original content. For every movie there is tailor made content. Of course remixes or recreations will be instant hits but the longevity is missing unlike original content,” feels Jakes.
The rising popularity of regional music in India
The language of Music is universal and is not limited by geographical boundaries. History has proved that even a song whose language is not native to a particular country can do well. Indians have long danced, sung and got influenced by western music albeit in any language.
Now with music streaming and OTT platforms opening up the regional markets to a worldwide audience the tides are turning rapidly. A decade back it was impossible for South Indian content to strike a chord with their northern brethren. The Bengali regional music was popular but only because it was incorporated in film music, the traditional form remained largely limited to RabindraSangeet. Similarly, Gujarat’s garba, lavani from Maharastra and many such folk variants were a bit known as the film music composers explored them.
This is however changing which was evident during the lock down. With live show events coming to a standstill, artists took to the virtual stage to connect with their fans. This gave the regional artists a wider platform and the audience a chance to explore broader content. While the audience was receptive, the regional artists started developing a fan base, in other states, which they earlier didn’t have.
Ahuja explained,
“During the days when music was sold in physical format, people were averse to buy regional music as the language was alien to them. But with OTT and music streaming platforms giving them easy access, consumers are willing to experiment. If the content is good, it will be appreciated and it should reach a wider audience.”
Adding to Ahuja’s thoughts, Mishra expounds,
“India is a confluence of diverse cultural and musical traditions. Music is a speedy vehicle of intermingling of culture and from that standpoint it is true regional music is getting its due recognition and appreciation. The source lies in the mass appeal, with familiarity in situations, culture, festival and other guiding factors of their lives. Regional music is trendy and traditional, the diction and tune resounding in our hearts and plays a major role in all celebrations countrywide.”
So can the rising popularity of regional music be attributed only to the streaming and OTT platforms or just rely on the folk culture for future success?
Sharing his thoughts, Jakes noted,
“Every day there are plenty of new musicians entering the regional markets, especially the Malayalam music industry. These young and aspiring musicians push the boundaries of film making, composing and sound designing and taking it to a world class level. This has led to our content reaching a worldwide audience.
How relevant is keeping up with national trends?
Traditionally regional music has been rooted in Indian classical and folk music. Regional music industries have matured and undergone numerous changes. With the digitally-driven industry, the market is heavily competitive, regional labels now focus more on the distribution and promotion of the songs than earlier. Although the traditional artists remain rooted in their cultural heritage, the youth has adapted to newer genres and styles.
“Most of regional music is based on the folk music of their respective state. To make this sound commercially popular it is fused with newer genres which are trending. This makes the sound trendy but also retains the folk flavour which is liked by the regional audience. Also the newer artists though technologically educated are still attached to the roots. Regional music is now releasing songs using the latest technology, better production and an overall value for money bouquet,” explained Ahuja.
Young and upcoming artists are now fusing the traditional elements with the contemporary. While this has found favour with the audience, many regional artists believe the growth of the industry depends very much on retaining the traditional elements.
One of them is Mishra who states,
“I believe that people connect to trends that come from the roots and are presented in a proper manner. I believe it also happens the other way round, where regional music plays a huge role in influencing the trends through its respective idioms and ethos.”
Jakes believes originality is the only constant, no matter the current trend.
“As a composer I work in three languages, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam so I don’t really look at the national trends. I listen to good sound from international, Bollywood or regional composers. We still listen to the old gems because of their creativity, originality and also they set a certain paradigm. Whoever can break the existing paradigm and create a new one will trend,” said Jakes.
Regional music industries are growing, but slowly. They require to be showcased on a larger scale worldwide. ‘To be heard’ is one of the most essential factors and for which OTT and music platforms need to push their content more.
