Indian pop
Encyclopedia
Indian pop music often known as Indian-Pop, Hindi Pop, Indipop or Indi-pop, refers to pop music
in India
. Pop music really started in the South Asian region with the famous playback singer Ahmed Rushdi
's song ‘Ko-Ko-Korina’ in 1966. It is based on an amalgamation of folk music
and classical music
with modern beats from different parts of the world.
band Monsoon
in their 1981 EP release on Steve Coe's Indipop Records. Pop music began gaining popularity across the Indian subcontinent
with Pakistani singers Nazia Hassan
and Zohaib
, forming a sibling duo whose records, produced by the Indian Biddu
, sold as many as 60 million copies.
Indian popular music was further popularized in the early 1990s with grass-root efforts made by Alisha Chinai
, whose albums were also produced by Biddu, and MTV India
. Since then, it was Shashi Gopal who pioneered the spectacular growth of this genre by producing, marketing and launching some of the biggest brands (e.g. Magnasound) in the Indian pop scene.
Much of Indian Pop music comes from the Indian Film Industry, and until the 1990s, only a few singers like Remo Fernandez, Usha Uthup
, Asha Bhosle
, Sharon Prabhakar
and Peenaz Masani
were popular outside of the film industry. Since then, pop singers in the latter group have included Baba Sehgal
, Alisha Chinai
, Shantanu Mukherjee aka Shaan, Palash Sen
, K.K, Sagarika, Colonial Cousins
(Hariharan
, Leslie Lewis
), Lucky Ali
, and Sonu Nigam
, and music composers like Jawahar Wattal, who made top selling albums with, Daler Mehndi
, Shubha Mudgal
, Baba Sehgal
, Shweta Shetty
and Hans Raj Hans
.
Besides those listed above, popular Indi-Pop singers include Papon aka Angarag Papon Mahanta, Zubeen Garg
, Daler Mehndi
, Raghav Sachar
, Rageshwari, Devika Chawla
, Bombay Vikings
, Sunidhi Chauhan
, Falguni Pathak
, Bombay Rockers
, Anu Malik
, Jazzy B
, Malkit Singh
, Hans Raj Hans
, Raghav
, Jay Sean, Juggy D
, Rishi Rich
, Sheila Chandra
, Bally Sagoo
, Punjabi MC, Bhangra Knights, Mehnaz, and Sanober. Also, Indian music composer and singer Himesh Reshammiya
gave a new face to high pitch pop singing through his debut album Aap Ka Suroor(2006) which had unprecedented success in Indian music album sales.
Recently, Indian pop has taken an interesting turn with the "remix
ing" of old Indian movie songs, new beats being added to them.
charts, with singers like Rishi Rich
(working with Britney Spears
), Jay-Z
(working with Panjabi MC
), Anand Bhatt, Timbaland
, Missy Elliott
, and Truth Hurts
. (A suit for copyright infringement of a Lata Mangeshkar
song has been filed against Truth Hurts' song, "Addictive
"). Indian-Pop entered American movies with the movie, Moulin Rouge!
. Its main number, "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend (Hindi
)", featured Alka Yagnik
's song "Chamma Chamma" from the Indian movie, China Gate
(1998).
Popular rock musicians of Indian descent in the US include Kim Thayil
of Soundgarden
, Anand Bhatt, and Tony Kanal
of No Doubt
. Grammy-winning jazz singer, Norah Jones
, is the daughter of sitarist Pandit Ravi Shankar
of international fame, (US-born Sue Jones being her mother).
Indi-Pop has also become popular in the UK through songs and remixes by the likes of Siouxsie and the Banshees, Erasure
, Bananarama
, and Samantha Fox
. Pop singers of Indian descent in the UK include Talvin Singh
and Freddie Mercury
of British band Queen
, (who was born in Zanzibar, Tanzania, and started his first band in an Indian boarding school in Panchgani
). Indo-British band, Cornershop
, also fuses Indian and Western music.
In Canada
, Indo-Canadian musicians include Dave 'Brownsound' Baksh
(a former Sum 41
guitarist now forming his own band, Brown Brigade
); percussionist Safwan Javed (of the pop-rock trio, Wide Mouth Mason
);Raj Ramayya Singer, Songwriter (The Beautiful Losers, Bhang Lassi) bassist, vocalist, and producer Chin Injeti
(formerly of the trio, Bass is Base
); Ian D'Sa
(of Billy Talent
); and Ashwin Sood
(drummer ( husband of Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan
)).
In the Scandinavian pop music scene, musicians of Indian descent include Yusaf Parvez of the Norwegian black metal bands, Dimmu Borgir
/DHG/Ved Buens Ende
/Code
.
Newest entrant is PUNKH an indo-German hiphop act that has stormed the Indian scene with the song "Punjabi na aawe"
The lead singer Deepak Nair is also the front man of the indo-German rock band GURU
Seattle-based band Manooghi Hi (featuring Indi-Pop singer, Mehnaz,) vocalize in a multitude of South Asian languages, including English, Urdu, Sanskrit, Hindi, and Bengali. The band claims to have active members living in both the United States and Mumbai.
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Pop music really started in the South Asian region with the famous playback singer Ahmed Rushdi
Ahmed Rushdi
Ahmed Rushdi, SI, PP was a versatile Pakistani playback singer who worked in film music and was "an important contributor to the Golden Age of Pakistani film music." Rushdi is acclaimed as one of the greatest singers ever lived in south asia and was a natural baritone, yet could sing high tenor...
's song ‘Ko-Ko-Korina’ in 1966. It is based on an amalgamation of folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
and classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
with modern beats from different parts of the world.
Overview
The term "Indipop" was first used by the British-Indian fusionAsian Underground
Asian Underground is a term associated with various British Asian musicians who blend elements of western underground dance music and the traditional Asian music of their home countries in South Asia...
band Monsoon
Monsoon (band)
Monsoon was an early to mid 1980s UK progressive rock trio that consisted of singer Sheila Chandra, record producer Steve Coe, and bass guitarist Martin Smith...
in their 1981 EP release on Steve Coe's Indipop Records. Pop music began gaining popularity across the Indian subcontinent
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...
with Pakistani singers Nazia Hassan
Nazia Hassan
Nazia Hassan was an iconic Pakistani pop singer. Her song "Aap Jaisa Koi" from the Indian film Qurbani made her a legend and pop icon in Pakistan and all of South Asia in the 1980s, where she is admired and loved even today, years after her death...
and Zohaib
Zohaib Hassan
Zoheb Hassan is a self retired Pakistani pop icon, who left the music industry after the sad demise of his sister and sub-continental pop legend, Nazia Hassan.-Career:Zoheb Hassan was born on November 18, 1966....
, forming a sibling duo whose records, produced by the Indian Biddu
Biddu
Biddu or Biddu Appaiah is an Indian-British music producer, composer, song-writer and singer who produced and composed many hit records worldwide during a career spanning five decades...
, sold as many as 60 million copies.
Indian popular music was further popularized in the early 1990s with grass-root efforts made by Alisha Chinai
Alisha Chinai
Alisha Chinai in Gujarati family and an Indian pop singer known for her several albums as well as playback singing in Hindi cinema.-Career:...
, whose albums were also produced by Biddu, and MTV India
MTV India
MTV India is the Indian version of MTV , a channel specialising in music and youth culture programming. It was launched in 1996 and is now part of the Viacom 18 Media Pvt. Ltd based in Mumbai. . "MTV India" is one of the oldest Music Television Networks in Asia...
. Since then, it was Shashi Gopal who pioneered the spectacular growth of this genre by producing, marketing and launching some of the biggest brands (e.g. Magnasound) in the Indian pop scene.
Much of Indian Pop music comes from the Indian Film Industry, and until the 1990s, only a few singers like Remo Fernandez, Usha Uthup
Usha Uthup
Usha Uthup is a popular Indian pop, jazz and playback singer. She is well known for popular hits in the late 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.She started her Bollywood playback career, when she sang an English verse in hit song, "Dum maro dum"" in Hare Rama Hare Krishna, and went on work with music...
, Asha Bhosle
Asha Bhosle
Asha Bhosle is an Indian singer. She is one of the best-known and most highly-regarded Hindi playback singers in India, although she has a wider repertoire. Bhosle's career started in 1943 and has spanned over six decades. She has done playback singing for over a thousand Bollywood movies...
, Sharon Prabhakar
Sharon Prabhakar
Sharon Prabhakar is an Indian pop singer, theatre personality and public speaker. She was an active singer in 1980s and 90s, with a total of seven albums to her credit.-Career:...
and Peenaz Masani
Penaz Masani
Penaz Masani an Indian Ghazal singer who started singing in 1981 and has made over 20 albums in following years In her career, she has won a number of awards, including the title of 'Shehzadi Tarunnam' , by the state government of Uttar Pradesh 1996 and the 11th 'Kalakar Award' for 'Outstanding...
were popular outside of the film industry. Since then, pop singers in the latter group have included Baba Sehgal
Baba Sehgal
Baba Sehgal, a Khatri Sikh, is an Indian rapper and actor. Brought up in Lucknow, he was famous in the mid 1990s. He is credited as the first Indian rapper to jump on the Indipop bandwagon, and released an album which got frequent airplay on MTV India...
, Alisha Chinai
Alisha Chinai
Alisha Chinai in Gujarati family and an Indian pop singer known for her several albums as well as playback singing in Hindi cinema.-Career:...
, Shantanu Mukherjee aka Shaan, Palash Sen
Palash Sen
Palash Sen is an Indian doctor turned lead vocalist of the Indian band Euphoria, and also a songwriter.-Early life and education:He was born to Dr Rupendra Kumar Sen and Dr Pushpa Sen on 23 September 1965. He is a half Bengali and half Dogra, was born in Banaras, and brought up in Delhi, staying in...
, K.K, Sagarika, Colonial Cousins
Colonial Cousins
Colonial Cousins is a band formed by Indian duo composed of singer Hariharan and singer-composer Leslie Lewis. They also have a largely successful career as solo artists as well. Their unique brand of music fused Indian and Western musical genres instantly won the hearts of young and old alike...
(Hariharan
Hariharan (singer)
Hariharan , born 3 April 1955) is an Indian playback singer in Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, Bhojpuri and Telugu movies, an established ghazal singer, and one of the pioneers of Indian fusion music. His melody is strongly appreciated by the film fraternity...
, Leslie Lewis
Leslie Lewis
Leslie Lewis is an Indian composer, perhaps best known for his work in Colonial Cousins, a duo composed of Lewis and Hariharan.In 2003 Lewis stated that he felt the public associated him too much with remixes and for that reason he had begun to avoid remixes and instead concentrate on his original...
), Lucky Ali
Lucky Ali
Lucky Ali , born as Maqsood Mehmood Ali , is an Indian singer songwriter, composer and actor. Lucky is best known for his soulful but strikingly simple ballad-style singing and melodious voice.-Biography:...
, and Sonu Nigam
Sonu Nigam
Sonu Nigam is an Indian playback singer whose songs have been featured in numerous Hindi movies, as well as films in Assamese, Punjabi, Bengali, Marathi and Kannada language. He has also released numerous Indi-pop albums and acted in a few Hindi feature films...
, and music composers like Jawahar Wattal, who made top selling albums with, Daler Mehndi
Daler Mehndi
Daler Mehndi , born August 18, 1967, is an Indian Bhangra pop singer.Mehndi was a student of traditional Punjabi music and his first album broke sales records in India. Since 1995 he has recorded several highly successful albums in India, and also sung as a playback singer for several Hindi movies...
, Shubha Mudgal
Shubha Mudgal
Shubha Mudgal is a well-known Indian singer of Hindustani classical music, Khayal, Thumri, Dadra, and popular Indian Pop music.She has been awarded the 1996 National Film Award for Best Non-Feature Film Music Direction for 'Amrit Beej', the 1998 Gold Plaque Award for Special Achievement in Music,...
, Baba Sehgal
Baba Sehgal
Baba Sehgal, a Khatri Sikh, is an Indian rapper and actor. Brought up in Lucknow, he was famous in the mid 1990s. He is credited as the first Indian rapper to jump on the Indipop bandwagon, and released an album which got frequent airplay on MTV India...
, Shweta Shetty
Shweta Shetty
Shweta Shetty is an Indian pop singer known for her albums and for her contributions to Bollywood film soundtracks. She currently lives in Hamburg. She is married to a German, Christian Brandt.Her song johnny joker was a famous one....
and Hans Raj Hans
Hans Raj Hans
Hans Raj Hans is an Indian Punjabi language singer.Early lifeHans was born in Shafipur, a village near Jalandhar, Punjab, India. He is the second son of Late Sardar Arjan Singh Ji and Mata Ajit Kaur Ji . Hans had no musical history in his family, yet he began singing at a young age. Hans...
.
Besides those listed above, popular Indi-Pop singers include Papon aka Angarag Papon Mahanta, Zubeen Garg
Zubeen Garg
Zubeen Garg is a singer and composer from Assam, India, in the Bollywood and Assamese music scene. He plays dhols, guitar, dotora, mandolin, keyboard and various percussion instruments.-Background:...
, Daler Mehndi
Daler Mehndi
Daler Mehndi , born August 18, 1967, is an Indian Bhangra pop singer.Mehndi was a student of traditional Punjabi music and his first album broke sales records in India. Since 1995 he has recorded several highly successful albums in India, and also sung as a playback singer for several Hindi movies...
, Raghav Sachar
Raghav Sachar
Raghav Sachar is an Indian singer born to father, R. K. Sachar, and mother, Usha Sachar. He is the youngest of three children. He started playing his first instrument, the harmonica, at the age of four. Every year since then his parents have gifted him an instrument. Born into a family of music...
, Rageshwari, Devika Chawla
Devika Chawla
Devika is an Indian pop singer.Devika started vocal music training in New Delhi, India when she was eight years old. She continued her training and entered the enchanting world of Ragas and Hindustani Classical Music, learning under the supervision of several great teachers. The classical training...
, Bombay Vikings
Bombay Vikings
Bombay Vikings is a pop and rock group that combines Indian and classical music. It was formed in 1994 Stockholm, Sweden. The band was originally started by Neeraj Shridhar, Oscar Söderberg and Mats Nordenborg, and became popular with remix hits like, Kya Soorat Hai, Woh Chali and Chod Do Anchal ...
, Sunidhi Chauhan
Sunidhi Chauhan
Sunidhi Chauhan is an Indian playback singer, best known for her Hindi film songs in Bollywood. She has also recorded songs for Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, Assamese and Gujarati films and is credited with over 2000 songs....
, Falguni Pathak
Falguni Pathak
Falguni Pathak , born March 12, 1964, is an acclaimed singer and performing artist from India, based in Mumbai. Her music is based on traditional musical forms from the Indian state of Gujarat...
, Bombay Rockers
Bombay Rockers
Bombay Rockers is a Danish/Indian band, popular in India. Their debut album Introducing has gone five times platinum with sales of over 100,000 albums.-Biography:...
, Anu Malik
Anu Malik
Anu Malik , born Anwar Sardaar Malik, is a famous music director in the Hindi film industry. Son of veteran music director Sardar Malek, Anu Malik made his debut as a music composer in the year 1977. After a considerable period of struggle, the 90's welcomed Anu with hits like 'Phir Teri Kahani...
, Jazzy B
Jazzy B
Jaswinder Singh Bains, more popularly known as Jazzy B, is a Punjabi language bhangra singer-songwriter. He was born on April 1, 1975 in Durgapur, Nawanshahr, Punjab, India. When he was 5 years old, his family moved to Vancouver, Canada. He has released 12 studio albums, including two religious ones...
, Malkit Singh
Malkit Singh
Malkit Singh MBE born in 1962 in village Hussainpur, Jalandhar, and raised in Nakodar, Jalandhar, Punjab. He is a famous foreign based Punjabi bhangra singer. Malkit Singh has become the first Punjabi singer to be honoured by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace in London with the award of...
, Hans Raj Hans
Hans Raj Hans
Hans Raj Hans is an Indian Punjabi language singer.Early lifeHans was born in Shafipur, a village near Jalandhar, Punjab, India. He is the second son of Late Sardar Arjan Singh Ji and Mata Ajit Kaur Ji . Hans had no musical history in his family, yet he began singing at a young age. Hans...
, Raghav
Raghav
Raghav Mathur , known professionally as Raghav, is a Canadian singer currently signed to Cordova Bay Records. He is best known for his single "Angel Eyes" which peaked at number 7 in the UK in 2005...
, Jay Sean, Juggy D
Juggy D
Jagwinder Singh Dhaliwal, better known by his stage name, Juggy D, is a British Indian singer from Southall, London, England.-Music:...
, Rishi Rich
Rishi Rich
Rishpal Singh Rekhi better known by his stage name Rishi Rich is a British Indian music producer born in Croydon, England and based in London...
, Sheila Chandra
Sheila Chandra
Sheila Chandra is an English pop singer of Indian descent.-Indian-Western pop fusion period:Sheila Chandra first came to public attention as an actress, playing Sudhamani Patel in the BBC school drama Grange Hill from 1979 to 1981.As a teenager she formed the band Monsoon with Steve Coe , and...
, Bally Sagoo
Bally Sagoo
Bally Sagoo is a British Asian musician and DJ who was born in Ranjit Nagar, Delhi, India, but grew up in Birmingham, England, in a predominantly black neighbourhood, influenced by disco, rap and Motown music. In an interview "Re-mixing Identities: "Off" The Turn-Table," Bally said:"Indian music...
, Punjabi MC, Bhangra Knights, Mehnaz, and Sanober. Also, Indian music composer and singer Himesh Reshammiya
Himesh Reshammiya
Himesh Reshammiya is an Indian music director, composer, singer and actor.-Music and film career:Himesh Reshammiya was born in Bhavnagar, Gujarat to Vipin Reshammiya and Madhu Reshammiya. He had his first success as a music director of the 2003 film, Tere Naam...
gave a new face to high pitch pop singing through his debut album Aap Ka Suroor(2006) which had unprecedented success in Indian music album sales.
Recently, Indian pop has taken an interesting turn with the "remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
ing" of old Indian movie songs, new beats being added to them.
Global Reach
Indian-Pop has made its way to the AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
charts, with singers like Rishi Rich
Rishi Rich
Rishpal Singh Rekhi better known by his stage name Rishi Rich is a British Indian music producer born in Croydon, England and based in London...
(working with Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
), Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
(working with Panjabi MC
Panjabi MC
Rajinder Singh Rai , better known by his stage name Panjabi MC is a British Indian musician.-Career:...
), Anand Bhatt, Timbaland
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
, Missy Elliott
Missy Elliott
Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott , is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actressA five-time Grammy Award winner, Elliott, with record sales of over seven million in the United States, is the only female rapper to have five albums certified platinum by the RIAA, including one...
, and Truth Hurts
Truth Hurts
Share Watson , known as Truth Hurts, is an American Contemporary R&B singer-songwriter.-Albums:-Singles:* 2002: "Addictive" Share Watson (born October 10, 1971, St. Louis, Missouri), known as Truth Hurts, is an American Contemporary R&B singer-songwriter.-Albums:-Singles:* 2002: "Addictive"...
. (A suit for copyright infringement of a Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar is a singer from India. She is one of the best-known and most respected playback singers in India. Mangeshkar's career started in 1942 and has spanned over six and a half decades. She has recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films and has sung songs in over thirty-six regional...
song has been filed against Truth Hurts' song, "Addictive
Addictive (song)
"Addictive" is a 2002 single recorded by Truth Hurts for Dr. Dre's Aftermath label. One of the label's few R&B hits, "Addictive" features a guest rap from Rakim, and is based around a Hindi music sample, which eventually brought on a $500 million lawsuit against Aftermath...
"). Indian-Pop entered American movies with the movie, Moulin Rouge!
Moulin Rouge!
Moulin Rouge! is a 2001 romantic jukebox musical film directed, produced, and co-written by Baz Luhrmann. Following the Red Curtain Cinema principles, the film is based on the Orphean myth, La Traviata, and La Bohème...
. Its main number, "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend (Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
)", featured Alka Yagnik
Alka Yagnik
Alka Yagnik is an Indian singer who is ranked among the best Hindi playback singers of all time. She is a seven-time winner of the Filmfare Best Female Playback Award as well as a two-time recipient of the prestigious National Film Awards...
's song "Chamma Chamma" from the Indian movie, China Gate
China Gate (1998 film)
China Gate is a 1998 Hindi film directed by Rajkumar Santoshi. The film is a "humble tribute to the late Akira Kurosawa", crediting Seven Samurai as its inspiration...
(1998).
Popular rock musicians of Indian descent in the US include Kim Thayil
Kim Thayil
Kim Thayil is an American guitarist best known as the lead guitarist of the Seattle-based grunge band Soundgarden, which he cofounded with singer Chris Cornell and bassist Hiro Yamamoto in 1984...
of Soundgarden
Soundgarden
Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...
, Anand Bhatt, and Tony Kanal
Tony Kanal
Tony Kanal is an English musician, record producer and songwriter. Kanal is the bassist for the American rock band No Doubt...
of No Doubt
No Doubt
No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California that formed in 1986. The ska-pop sound of their first album No Doubt , failed to make an impact...
. Grammy-winning jazz singer, Norah Jones
Norah Jones
Norah Jones is an American singer-songwriter and occasional actress.In 2002, she launched her solo music career with the release of the commercially successful and critically acclaimed album Come Away With Me, which was certified a diamond album in 2002, selling over 20 million copies...
, is the daughter of sitarist Pandit Ravi Shankar
Ravi Shankar
Ravi Shankar , often referred to by the title Pandit, is an Indian musician and composer who plays the plucked string instrument sitar. He has been described as the best known contemporary Indian musician by Hans Neuhoff in Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart.Shankar was born in Varanasi and spent...
of international fame, (US-born Sue Jones being her mother).
Indi-Pop has also become popular in the UK through songs and remixes by the likes of Siouxsie and the Banshees, Erasure
Erasure
Erasure are an English synthpop duo, consisting of songwriter and keyboardist Vince Clarke and singer Andy Bell. Erasure entered the music scene in 1985 with their debut single "Who Needs Love Like That"...
, Bananarama
Bananarama
Bananarama are an English female pop duo who have had success on the pop and dance charts since 1982. Rather than relying on a two part harmony, the duo generally sings in unison, as do their background vocalists. Although there have been line-up changes, the group enjoyed their most popular...
, and Samantha Fox
Samantha Fox
Samantha Karen "Sam" Fox is an English dance-pop singer, actress, and former glamour model. In 1983, at the age of 16, she began her topless modeling career on Page Three of The Sun, and went on to become a popular pin-up girl...
. Pop singers of Indian descent in the UK include Talvin Singh
Talvin Singh
Talvin Singh Matharoo , is a producer and composer and tabla player, known for creating an innovative fusion of Indian classical music and drum and bass...
and Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury was a British musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. As a performer, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and powerful vocals over a four-octave range...
of British band Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
, (who was born in Zanzibar, Tanzania, and started his first band in an Indian boarding school in Panchgani
Panchgani
Pānchgani is a town and municipal council in Sātārā district in Mahārāshtra, India .-History:Scenic Panchgani was discovered by the British during the British Raj as a summer resort, and a superintendent named John Chesson was placed in charge of the hill station in the 1860s...
). Indo-British band, Cornershop
Cornershop
Cornershop are a British indie rock band formed in 1991 by Wolverhampton-born Tjinder Singh , his brother Avtar Singh , David Chambers and Ben Ayres , the first three having previously been members of Preston-based band General Havoc, who released one single in 1991...
, also fuses Indian and Western music.
In Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Indo-Canadian musicians include Dave 'Brownsound' Baksh
Dave Baksh
David Nizam "Brownsound" Baksh is a Canadian guitarist, singer and producer of Indo-Guyanese descent, best known as the ex-lead guitarist of punk band Sum 41, but has since became a singer/guitarist in his own heavy metal/reggae project Brown Brigade...
(a former Sum 41
Sum 41
Sum 41 is a Canadian rock band from Ajax, Ontario. The band was formed in 1996 and currently consists of members Deryck Whibley , Tom Thacker , Jason McCaslin and Steve Jocz .In 1999, the band signed an international record deal with Island Records...
guitarist now forming his own band, Brown Brigade
Brown Brigade
Brown Brigade is a reggae-influenced heavy metal band created by former Sum 41 guitarist Dave "Brownsound" Baksh, after leaving Sum 41 in May 2006...
); percussionist Safwan Javed (of the pop-rock trio, Wide Mouth Mason
Wide Mouth Mason
Wide Mouth Mason is a Canadian blues-based rock band, consisting of Shaun Verreault , Safwan Javed , and Gordie Johnson . Former bassist Earl Pereira was also co-founder of Wide Mouth Mason...
);Raj Ramayya Singer, Songwriter (The Beautiful Losers, Bhang Lassi) bassist, vocalist, and producer Chin Injeti
Chin Injeti
Chin Injeti is a singer, musician, and music producer who got his start as a founding member of Juno award-winning group Bass is Base, he continues to thrive as an artist releasing his recent solo album "D'tach" and its reworked version "Re'tach" . Working in genres ranging from country to rock...
(formerly of the trio, Bass is Base
Bass is Base
Bass is Base was a Canadian R&B group from Toronto, Ontario, active during the 1990s.The band consisted of Chin Injeti on bass, Ivana Santilli on keyboards, and MC Mystic on percussion...
); Ian D'Sa
Ian D'Sa
Ian Michael D'Sa is the guitarist for the Canadian band Billy Talent.-Early life and career:Ian's family moved from the UK to Canada when he was 3 years old. He is of Indian Goan descent and grew up in Mississauga, Ontario learning guitar at the age of 13...
(of Billy Talent
Billy Talent
Billy Talent is a Canadian post-hardcore band from Streetsville, Ontario. They formed in 1993 with Ben Kowalewicz as the lead vocalist, Ian D'Sa on lead guitar, bassist Jon Gallant and drummer Aaron Solowoniuk ....
); and Ashwin Sood
Ashwin Sood
Ashwin Sood is a Canadian musician. Sood plays drums, percussion, keyboards, and sings.Sood was Sarah McLachlan's drummer, and was also married to McLachlan, although they are now separated....
(drummer ( husband of Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan
Sarah McLachlan
Sarah Ann McLachlan, OC, OBC is a Canadian musician, singer and songwriter. Known for her emotional ballads and mezzo-soprano vocal range, as of 2006, she has sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is Surfacing, for which she won two Grammy Awards and four...
)).
In the Scandinavian pop music scene, musicians of Indian descent include Yusaf Parvez of the Norwegian black metal bands, Dimmu Borgir
Dimmu Borgir
Dimmu Borgir is a Norwegian black metal band from Oslo, Norway, formed in 1993. Dimmu borgir means "dark cities" or "dark castles/fortresses" in Icelandic, Faroese and Old Norse. The name is derived from a volcanic formation in Iceland, Dimmuborgir...
/DHG/Ved Buens Ende
Ved Buens Ende
Ved Buens Ende is a Norwegian heavy metal band. Their sound is diverse with quiet instrumental jazz influenced sections and aggressive black metal blast beats and vocals...
/Code
Code
A code is a rule for converting a piece of information into another form or representation , not necessarily of the same type....
.
Newest entrant is PUNKH an indo-German hiphop act that has stormed the Indian scene with the song "Punjabi na aawe"
The lead singer Deepak Nair is also the front man of the indo-German rock band GURU
Seattle-based band Manooghi Hi (featuring Indi-Pop singer, Mehnaz,) vocalize in a multitude of South Asian languages, including English, Urdu, Sanskrit, Hindi, and Bengali. The band claims to have active members living in both the United States and Mumbai.