India, Sept. 4 -- It's a good time to be an indie musician. Spotify's Indie India playlist has just 75 songs, but it's been saved over 8,87,000 times. Last year, the majority of nominations at the IRAA (Indian Recording Arts Academy) Awards came from independent artists. Lollapalooza India's 2026 line-up features Gini, Pho, Nate08, and the bands Excise Dept, Pacifist, and Still in Therapy. Indie sounds are emerging in hip-hop, rap, pop and Urdu rock. In a country that's hung up on Bollywood tunes, this is wonderful news for the little guys on the fringe.

"We're in a phase where Bollywood music is starting to sound the same. So, listeners are hungry for something different," says musician Viepsa Arora. There are new collabs, new collectiv...