Four Songs: Indian Indie Female Artists

Are you tired of listening to lyrics like, ‘Baby, I'm sorry (I'm not sorry)

Baby, I'm sorry (I'm not sorry)’. I am. It’s not like I’ve got anything against the current wave of pop music, but there’s a reason I reach for Joan Baez and Fiona Apple, Cohen and Oasis. Sometimes you want to listen to someone tell you a story, or transport you to a feeling you’re unable to express. So imagine my absolute delight at stumbling upon this little gem, and then finding out she’s a singer from Delhi. So put on your headphones, close your eyes, and listen to this ditty by Dot. I must have listened to this song about ten times today already…

A little bit about Dot:

This singer songwriter has quite obviously grown up with a multitude of influences and probably owes a fair bit of that to her father Amit Saigal, the founder of the seminal Rock Street Journal, India’s oldest music magazine. Her voice cuts through auto tune like a bell and aches for a Spanish guitar and a duet with Dean Martin. I imagine her needing no props while she sits behind her piano and belts out number after number like she was born to my summer vacation. This is music to be heard live, and I for one can’t wait for her to come to Mumbai. .

Another singer that’s been blowing up my Instagram of late is Illina Hats, a young teenage musician based out of Mumbai and currently studying in Singapore. Her full voice belies her age and finds me reaching for old Beyonce records. Here she is singing Tori Kelli’s Unbreakable Smile:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BbMj8SCFcJV/?taken-by=ilina_hats[/embed]

What kills me is how much so many of these musicians have to struggle to get noticed. Despite the pervasive nature of social media, we’re more likely to watch a comedy skit by AIB rather than a young singer songwriter do her thing. Yes, open mic nights dot the Mumbai and Delhi fringe scene but techno, as Dot rightly says, is still the music of choice. Singer Songwriters need to be heard to get their due and no one seems to want to actually listen these days. I can’t think of any other reason why this following tune only has 34,614 views. It is my absolute current favorite and there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be burning the charts. This is a cover of the song Zephyretta (originally sung by an Indian band Them Clones) by Sanjeeta Bhattacharya. Her voice is addictive and I dare you to not listen to this on loop. It will probably take you to some of your favorite places, mine is a summer binge watching Buffy. This is indie music at it’s best. Reminds me of Grouper and all things good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_IGlx7GFoo[/embed]

Catch her live at The Finch on the 17thand 18thof November. https://in.bookmyshow.com/events/sanjeeta-bhattacharya-live-at-the-finch/ET00063830

Our final song on today’s list is by another unheard band, Paloma & Adil, courtesy of Friday Night Originals, a fantastic music platform that allows musicians/songwriters/bands to showcase and promote their original compositions. This duo create electronic mood music perfect for that sundowner and this song has a guitar riff that will have you closing your eyes and bobbing your head.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akswmiokqA8[/embed]

And, you’re welcome.