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Return of the prodigals: Why Indian artistes from abroad are returning to the country

Here’s why a number of Indian artistes from abroad are relocating to the country to pursue their career

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(Clockwise): QARAN, who has composed the chartbuster Tareefan in Veere Di Wedding, is an import from Singapore, Shirley Setia, Jonita Gandhi, Raja Kumari and Dr Zeus
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Lisa Mishra became an overnight sensation when her reprised version of QARAN’s Tareefan from Veere Di Wedding was released recently. Now, the buzz is that the Chicago-based data analyst has already signed her first Bollywood project. While it’s too early to say whether she will settle in Mumbai permanently or not, a number of expat Indian singers have moved here bag and baggage. QARAN himself is an import from Singapore and UK, who has been in the city of dreams for the last five-odd years. Indo-Canadian singer Jonita Gandhi, the digital star from New Zealand, Shirley Setia; hip hop artiste, Raja Kumari from the US, Bhangra pop artiste Dr Zeus from the UK have all recently made the island city their home. Others like Ash King and Ishq Bector have been here longer.

MORE AVENUES 

In India, musicians have many more opportunities compared to overseas. Music director duo, Sachin-Jigar, who have a song Lagdi Hai Thai (Simran) with Jonita and Disco Disco (A Gentleman) with Shirley agree. “Our country has the premise for launching new talent with so many films, reality shows and live gigs in the prospect,” says Sachin. QARAN couldn’t agree more. He explains, “The music industry’s structure is Bollywood-dependent and the film industry is also heavily reliant on the former for the promotion of movies. Independent and non-film music, too, are coming up in a big way.” 

Being in the heart of things only makes sense if an artiste wants to make a mark in Bollywood, feels Dr Zeus (Baby Doll, Ragini MMS2), who shifted here last  September. He says, “I want to make a mark and improve what I’m doing. So, I’ve to be around.”

BEST OF BOTH SOUNDS

Expat musicians have an upper edge because of their training in Western music and aplomb in Indian music. Jigar says, “Their exposure to world-class artistes is an added advantage. They are also more confident and can freely express themselves. Hence, they are often a better package.” QARAN adds that these artistes have an Indian sound that’s necessary to appeal to the Indian audience.

“People are so rooted in the traditional sound that you can’t expect a completely western sound to kick off,” QARAN says. 

AUDIENCES ARE MORE OPEN NOW

Since different styles of music are easily accessible now, people are opening up to various genres. QARAN explains, “Earlier, you had to have physical copies to listen to international artistes but now anyone can access any genre or language of music. So, the audiences accept singers from abroad easily.” Sachin says that it helps composers to have expat artistes for the authenticity. “If we have a hip hop R&B song like Bandook Meri Laila (A Gentleman), perhaps what someone like Ash King can pull off gives the song so much authenticity.” Raja Kumari found the growing popularity of hip hop encouraging to spend half a year here. She told us earlier. “Listeners in India are ready for something new. The audience can be very supportive, especially if you can bring them quality music.”

CREDIT TO THE YOUNGER GENERATION

According to Dr Zeus, the new generation coming through has much to do with artistes like him relocating to Mumbai. “A lot of service providers are giving free internet, so the listeners are consuming music by different artistes. For instance, 10 years ago, you’d never have thought that a Spanish song like Despacito or Magenta Riddim (DJ Snake) would have become such massive hits all over India,” he says. Rohan Jha, Pop Head, Sony Music India adds, “The combination of over 600 million under 25-year-olds, whose music consumption is unprecedented due to increasing access to digital media is making India one of the biggest consumers of music in the world. Due to the sheer number of consumers, all genres of music find their fans. The Indian and the South Asian diaspora further adds to this proliferation. This is an irresistible proposition for artists everywhere.”

THE MARKET IS BETTER

Things may not be as formalised in terms of royalty, copyrights, etc as abroad, QARAN points out, but commercially, it’s much better here. Not just commercially but also creatively things have improved, he adds. “In the ’90s, there were only a handful of singers and composers. But now, thanks to technology and social media there’s a lot more exposure for new artistes and that’s also done a lot of good for the industry,” he says. The industry is growing and moving from a single to a multiple transaction economy, observes Rohan. “This is definitely a market from where the next big global hit, and even more importantly, a global sound will be coming from!” he states.

THE SCENARIO IS FASCINATING

QARAN, who has been a DJ in the UK and Singapore, points out that the response in India doesn’t compare to anywhere else in the world. “Once your song is out, it picks up so fast and the life cycle of a track is longer,” he states. As for the pyjama popstar Shirley, moving here made sense because she was fascinated by Bollywood. “I have lived in New Zealand where it’s quite difficult to do music commercially. So if I wanted to pursue entertainment as a profession, I would have had to move anyway, either to Australia or to Los Angeles. Mumbai seemed like the best option as I would also do covers of Bollywood songs. I wanted to give it my all to make good meaningful content.” For her, it’s also the fact that there are many other co-creators that makes things interesting. “It’s a great place to be, as there are so many people who are equally as eager as you are to create and collaborate!” Raja Kumari concurs that the country is on the verge of something great. “You can feel the energy in the air. There’s a real love for music here and so many opportunities,” she avers.

THEY ARE A BIG HIT

As Bollywood singers, performers and YouTubers, here’s how popular these artistes are... 

Jonita Gandhi: Her latest release is Allah Duhai Hai (Race 3) among other Bollywood releases and non-film singles
Shirley Setia: After Disco Disco (A Gentleman) last year, she released a single, Tu Mil Gaya, which has 6.1 million views, Jab Koi Baat with DJ Chetas and Atif Aslam has 63 million views.
Raja Kumari: All set to release her next single, I Did It, Raja Kumari’s City Slums featuring DIVINE has 7.4 million views
QARAN: Tareefan Veere Di Wedding was a chartbuster and the reprise won as many accolades too
Dr Zeus: The Punjabi singer released his studio album Global Injection recently and has the remake of his track Gwandian Da Dhol featuring Richa Chadha coming up

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