Stories, careers and news from India’s independent creative economy.
India’s music sector grew 10% in 2025, but labels’ other income rose 26%. That split explains why an artist’s career cannot be built around streams alone.
NOV 10, 2026 · 9 MIN READ
Mary Ann Alexander grew up watching her father record in a Malayalam film studio, wrote her first song at 15 almost by accident, and built a reputation for teasing unreleased music on Instagram before ever dropping it. Now she's working with UK producers, drawing Sid Sriram features, and landed on Rolling Stone India's Future 25 for a sound she calls unmistakably her own.
Sai Abhyankkar grew up the son of two playback singers, taught himself to treat every rejection as fuel, and turned three independent singles into a reputation strong enough to have Suriya's production team calling — after A.R. Rahman. Here's how a 21-year-old became Tamil pop's biggest name almost by accident.
Taaruk Raina thought the dream of making music was too big, so he became an actor instead. Then a character's theme song he wrote on set turned into 'Kho Gaye' — now past 200 million streams — and music stopped being the backup plan. His Instagram bio says it best: happy thoughts, sad songs.
Preeti Singhania moved to Mumbai to become an actor and got rejected. A Dua Lipa concert changed her mind about what she could do instead. As Bombay The Artist, she's since built a sound that fuses Punjabi folk with drum-and-bass, crossed half a million monthly Spotify listeners, and landed on Rolling Stone India's Future 25.
Raga started rapping in sixth standard and never stopped — not even during a period of drug addiction he's spoken about openly. From a self-released debut album to a Def Jam India deal, a mentor slot on MTV Hustle, and a Rolling Stone India Future 25 placement, here's how he built a career on refusing to perform strength he didn't feel.
Natania wrote her first song at 15, after a breakup, in Mumbai. Over a decade later, she'd signed a publishing deal with Jay-Z's Roc Nation, co-written a Nick Jonas global crossover single, and heard Cardi B sing over her own chorus on a Smurfs soundtrack cut. She's spent most of that career writing for other people's voices before finally building one of her own.
Curated dispatches on festival commissions, day rates, and verified credits across India.