2010s Indian Independent Essentials

The 2010s were a thrilling decade for Indian indie. As more artists turned to social media for inspiration—and distribution of their work—the appetite for new sounds kept growing. Away from Bollywood’s dazzling lights, the likes of seasoned fusioneers Indian Ocean were joined by a wave of budding creatives stretching between prog-rock and Nepali folk. DIVINE catapulted from Mumbai’s streets to stardom with glorious gully rap, while Nucleya consistently pulled bass-fuelled blends in new directions. And Dhruv Visvanath cooked up fizzy, guitar-fuelled alt-pop that found fans far and near.