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Tag: Sony Music India

  • Sony strikes the right chord with THG to amplify India’s global music pitch

    Sony strikes the right chord with THG to amplify India’s global music pitch

    MUMBAI: India’s musical ambitions just got a global mic check. In a pitch-perfect move set to reshape India’s live music industry, Sony Music India has teamed up with Los Angeles-based entertainment heavyweight The Hello Group (THG) to launch THG India, a joint venture that promises to give Indian artists a global stage and the backing to own it.

    Billed as the first international collaboration of this scale for Sony Music India, THG India blends the local label’s deep industry roots with THG’s international clout in live touring, publishing, and artist development. Based out of Mumbai, the new entity aims to provide a complete support system from artist management to worldwide bookings to help Indian talent break into international circuits without missing a beat.

    “This is more than a business deal, it’s a bridge for Indian music to go global,” said Sony Music India managing director Vinit Thakkar. “With THG’s unmatched touring network and our homegrown muscle, we’re unlocking a future where Indian artists can thrive not just locally, but on the world’s biggest stages.”

    From Bts and Enhypen to The Chainsmokers and Twice, THG’s publishing and tour booking legacy is packed with platinum plaques and packed stadiums. THG India now aims to channel that pedigree into India’s booming music scene, which has seen a surge in independent acts and a hungry live-event audience post-pandemic.

    “The talent in India is phenomenal and the world is listening,” added The Hello Group CEO Taylor Jones. “THG India will ensure they’re heard. With a team on the ground and decades of experience behind us, we’re here to make Indian music truly borderless.”

    As live music becomes a serious economic engine for the Indian entertainment industry, the joint venture directly addresses one of its most glaring gaps sophisticated infrastructure for touring and artist development. Backed by Sony’s investment and creative ecosystem, THG India is poised to become the launchpad for the country’s next wave of breakout stars.

    With names like Steve Aoki, I.M of MONSTA X, and Kang Daniel already on its international roster, The Hello Group brings proven star power to the partnership. And for Indian artists who until now have struggled to convert local fandom into global visibility this could be the stage door they’ve been waiting for.

    In a world where music travels faster than ever, THG India is putting Indian artists on the global tour bus no passport needed, just pure talent and the right push.

  • A.R. Rahman lits the stage on fire at Chhaava album launch

    A.R. Rahman lits the stage on fire at Chhaava album launch

    MUMBAI: The night was electric, the beats were thunderous, and the legend himself, A.R. Rahman, took center stage for a grand musical celebration. The much-anticipated Chhaava album launch turned into an unforgettable spectacle, blending history, emotion, and melody. Produced by Dinesh Vijan under Maddock Films and directed by Laxman Utekar, the historical epic Chhaava is set to hit cinemas worldwide on 14 February 2025.

    With an ensemble cast featuring Vicky Kaushal and Rashmika Mandanna, the event was graced by Utekar, Vijan, and the entire creative team behind the film. But the real showstopper? Rahman’s signature blend of soulful melodies and powerful arrangements that took the audience on a sonic journey through time and Maratha pride.

    The launch was nothing short of a musical blitzkrieg. Each song from the Chhaava album was brought to life with Rahman’s spellbinding performance, amplified by a dynamic dance troupe that infused the stage with unrelenting energy. The atmosphere was charged, the audience enthralled, and the beats—sharp as a warrior’s sword—pierced through the air, keeping everyone hooked. The event also featured a candid conversation between the cast and Rahman, offering a deeper glimpse into the soul of the Chhaava album.

    Rahman shared his excitement, stating, “Some movies aren’t just stories—they are the roar of a beating heart. Chhaava is one of them. I thoroughly enjoyed composing the score, BGM, and songs with the incredible team of Laxman Utekar, Dinesh Vijan, Vicky Kaushal, Rashmika Mandanna, and my amazing music team. To all the fans, I hope you enjoy this music as much as we enjoyed creating it. And I can’t wait for you to experience our performance! Chhaava releases on February 14 in cinemas near you.”

    Kaushal, overwhelmed by the experience, said, “It’s truly an honor to be part of Chhaava, especially with the legendary A.R. Rahman sir composing the music. This film marks my first collaboration with him, and watching him perform these beautiful tracks live has been an unforgettable experience I will cherish for the rest of my life. Now that the album is launched, I’m incredibly excited for audiences to experience these songs, which are so powerful, and I hope they resonate with each one of you.”

    Mandanna added, “Vicky and I are in awe of the honor it has been to collaborate with the unparalleled A.R. Rahman sir on Chhaava. Every song in this album carries a piece of history—stories of love, sacrifice, and duty—woven together so beautifully. Watching Rahman sir bring the emotional depth of the film into the music has been a surreal experience and truly one of the most defining moments of my career. Being part of such a monumental film is a privilege I’ll forever cherish.”

    Lyricist Irshad Kamil, who intricately crafted the words for Chhaava, reflected on his artistic pursuit, stating, “Writing the lyrics for Chhaava was an artistic pursuit. Every word had to do justice to the warrior’s journey, capturing the essence of sacrifice, valor, and honor. My intent was to honor the relentless spirit of the Marathas—celebrating their courage and unwavering commitment. These songs were crafted with the same precision as a sword strike, not merely telling a story but conveying the immortal bravery of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. Working on this album was not just a task, but a duty that I was honored to fulfill.”

    With Rahman’s music as the soul of the film, Chhaava promises to be a storytelling marvel. Kaushal embodies Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj with unmatched intensity, while Akshaye Khanna steps into the formidable role of Aurangzeb, setting the stage for an epic historical clash. Mandanna adds grace and strength as Maharani Yesubai Bhonsale, the queen of Swarajya, showcasing resilience and elegance.

    Presented by Sony Music Entertainment India, the Chhaava soundtrack is set to captivate audiences far and wide, much like the warrior’s tale it brings to life.

  • Women of Music India: India’s much awaited women in music community

    Women of Music India: India’s much awaited women in music community

    Mumbai: The Women of Music India (WOMI) has officially opened its doors for membership. The foundation is a women-led community that aims to make the Indian music industry more accessible to women across the globe. In addition to artists across genres, WoMI also caters to the music workforce, from artist managers, executives, label heads to photographers, stylists, hair and make-up artists, journalists and more.

    Set up with the goal of amplifying voices of women from the ecosystem and open the door for the next generation of women entering the music industry. The membership will be free of cost to all persons who identify as women. On 23rd November, they launched a campaign that has garnered support across the board with the first cohort of members including artists like Jonita Gandhi, Jasleen Royal, Kamakshi Khanna and business executives Preeti Nayyar (SVP- brand partnerships, Universal Music Group), Ankita Maheshwari (GM – people manager, Sony Music India), Shreya Khaladkar (comms lead, Believe).  

    Speaking about the need for organizations like WOMI, early supporter and member, rapper Raja Kumari said, “It’s time for the mic to be passed on and let women take the lead too”.

    Another member of the community singer-songwriter Jasleen Royal expanded, “We should remove the barriers faced by women in the music industry, and that can only happen if we bring in more women ”.

    Execs and professionals from the music industry have pledged their support to help members get access to an extensive community of professionals, early access to opportunities, job listings, mentorship programs, industry-led workshops, and events across the country for networking.

    Universal Music Group  Sr VP brand partnerships Preeti Nayyar said, “We’re pooling in our resources, ideas and experience to allow more women to obtain the skills required to join the industry”.  

    Bluprint co-founder, Sweta Ojha said, “This initiative gives us the chance to build a community that can support each other and get more women a seat at the table across all areas of the music business”.

    As the Indian music industry is receiving more attention across global markets and continues to diversify, Women of Music India, is emerging as an outcome of this transforming landscape. With the purpose of making more voices in the industry heard, WoMI is a step towards change.

  • Lionsgate Play partners with Sony Music for ‘Jugaadistan’

    Lionsgate Play partners with Sony Music for ‘Jugaadistan’

    Mumbai: Lionsgate Play has partnered with Sony Music for their upcoming Indian original series “Jugaadistan.”

    Sony Music has picked a diverse album that reflects the theme of the show and brought homegrown music band Indian Ocean and have songs by Akasa, Mika Singh and The Yellow Diary amongst others. They will be promoting it under their banner.

    The show’s stellar background music complements and completes the vast narrative with ease. Put together by Anurag Saikia, Khamosh Shah, Prabhdeep Taba Chake, Traffic Jam and Moussak – the songs blend mainstream voices with the music of celebrated underground artists. The

    “Right from the word go, we paid a lot of attention to the music of the show,” said Lionsgate managing director South Asia and networks – emerging markets Asia Rohit Jain. “It is a campus drama, and we didn’t want the usual run-of-the mill songs for it. Each track has been crafted with attention to detail and reflects the theme and mood of our story. We are glad that so many artists agreed to come and do the music for the show. We tried to keep the album’s vibe very diverse so that the songs appeal to college goers across the country. And for those who’ve passed out and adulted, it’s a trip back to good times!”

    “There is novelty in this album and that was our biggest draw,” said Sony Music India executive director Sanujeet Bhujabal. “We were mesmerised by the use of the sounds by artists who come from such different worlds and yet fit in so beautifully with the album. It was a delight hearing the beats of Indian Ocean, the Yellow Diary and Akasa in a mainstream show, though they are well known for their pop tracks. And yet, the show has found such talented indie artists to score their background music. This is an eclectic album that is bound to strike a chord with everyone.”

    “In today’s dynamic global music ecosystem, we at Lionsgate want to give our audience a holistic experience which includes music by the finest,” said Lionsgate vice president licensing and content partnerships Gayathiri Guliani. “The music created for ‘Jugaadistan’ is created with the best of singers, composers and artists that give a desi yet urban vibe. ‘Jugaadistan’s’ music connects instantly to all age groups. We couldn’t have looked for a better partner than Sony Music for ‘Jugaadistan’s’ music to reach new heights.”

  • Sony Music appoints Mairu Gupta as head of digital business in India

    Sony Music appoints Mairu Gupta as head of digital business in India

    KOLKATA: Sony Music India has announced the appointment of Mairu Gupta as digital business director. Gupta will lead the company’s digital business with its streaming partners in India and will collaborate with Sony Music’s global teams to drive and enhance digital revenue and market share.

    Gupta brings more than 15 years of business experience and thought leadership to Sony Music India and has won multiple awards for developing breakthrough digital content throughout his career. His most recent stint was at the NBA, where he led the content and media distribution business for the League for more than 3.5 years. He bolstered the NBA's considerable digital footprint through an expansive strategy that involved growing and engaging fan bases through localised and original content such as the musically-led, award-winning NBA Hoop nation series.  

    “We are excited to have Mairu join us as we grow our strategic partnerships in the digital business,” Sony Music India managing director Rajat Kakar said. “Mairu comes with proven leadership and entrepreneurial experience that will play a key role in building new partnerships that provide new opportunities to expand the reach of our artists.”  

    Prior to the NBA, Gupta served as Vice President and Business Head of Jack in the Box Worldwide for nearly two years. In addition to setting up and leading the organisation’s New Delhi office, Gupta created strategies that significantly grew their digital communications consultancy business, winning multiple awards for excellence in digital content.

    “There is significant opportunity for Sony Music to lead the digital future of the Indian music industry, especially when considering the added benefits of being part of the wider Sony family,” added Gupta. “It’s great to be joining such an innovative company and I look forward to working with the team and our partners to build even more creative opportunities for our artists.”

    Gupta is the latest hire as part of Sony Music India’s strategy to grow its market share across the various repertoires and genres of the Indian music industry. In June, Sony Music India announced the appointment of Jagjit Singh Bhogal as Head of A&R to grow the Company’s existing artist portfolio across languages, with a special focus on garnering worldwide exposure for Indian artists.

    Follow Tellychakkar for the consumer facing news & entertainment

  • It’s Saturday Night, but nowhere to go? Get your own DJ with House Party Nights

    It’s Saturday Night, but nowhere to go? Get your own DJ with House Party Nights

    With a global lockdown in effect and social distancing effectively becoming a way of life, partying seems like something that “we used to do”. That was the case, until Sony Music India decided to bridge that void with their new online initiative, House Party Nights.

    Featuring a new celebrity DJ behind the console every Saturday night at 8, the hour-long gig is quite literally where you want to party — in your bedroom, in your living room, in the kitchen, quite literally anywhere.

    The idea is to make sure you stay entertained and party responsibly while you #StayHomeStaySafe as you shimmy and shake like nobody’s watching at your own personal “club” — your home.

    Partnering with Sony Music India are some of the biggest names in the business: DJ Angel, DJ Paroma, DJ Shilpi Sharma, DJ Suketu, and  DJ Akhil Talreja,

    So, Stay Home, Stay Safe And Party Hard!!

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  • Age-appropriate ‘safe’ content is taken from Nat Geo Kids, Sony & Amar Chitra: Shirsa

    MUMBAI: Shirsa, a company specialising in enabling content publishers to engage-new age kids online and offline, has taken care of parental concerns on content and safety over internet and time spent on digital devices. The contents are age-appropriate and are based on user behaviour from renowned content partners such as National Geographic Kids, British Council, Amar Chitra Katha, Sony Music India, TED Ed and more,” said Shirsa co-founder and CEO Sukhada Tendulkar.

    As the kids’ television time is shifting to internet based devices, the time spent by them on the online devices is continuously on the rise. At the same time parents want their kids to learn from every interaction on the internet. This encouraged Tendulkar and Mandar Desai to start Shirsa as a ‘Kids Engagement Company’ which is primed to encourage children to be curious and have fun.The opportunity Shirsa sees is engaging kids globally, through interactive edutainment which includes entertaining content with educational value, gamification, interactive features offered through multiple platforms.

    While it all starts with the brain, Shirsa has consciously correlated itself to being curious and as we know – Curious is fun. There is no better way to get kids involved in learning than getting them curious. Curiosity is nothing but an appetite for knowledge. It is the spark behind ideas, ideas that ignite reasoning and great learning. Today’s children or the ‘digital natives’ (children of digital era, always surrounded by technology) have access to technology at their fingertips. Digital music, video players, mobile phones, video games and the like have changed the way we receive and process information! Fundamentally, they ‘think’ differently than the previous generations. And that’s a greatest challenge as well as a boon when it comes to building educational tools for kids. Challenge – because the content has to compete with the round-the-clock ‘edutainment’ kids live with and be exciting and engaging enough to grasp the attention of the kids. And a boon – because kids love anything digital and anything that come through a laptop, a tablet or a phone, they are happy to experiment with.

    Shirsa is currently engaging children aged 6 to 15 years through innovative plus safe digital products and services in collaboration with parents, educationists and partners. Each online platform is created basis a deep understanding of the transforming nature of knowledge consumption in order to gratify the ever-changing needs of hungry young minds.

    PlanetOfGui.com is a social platform that inspires kids aged 6 to 15 years to be curious learners while having fun with engaging content. While Newspik.in is a digital newspaper sharing bite-sized news, city events and non-fictional articles for children. The news topics range from nature to science and technology, from entertainment to sports stories from across the world.

    Both the platforms are gamified wherein every activity of the child is rewarded with Geekos, our virtual currency. These Geekos can then be redeemed against buying real products, unlocking social features, customizing avatar, and getting freebies at your doorstep.

    Shirsa Enhance is the co-scholastic solutions vertical of Shirsa Labs that specializes in developing products that are child friendly, real-world relevant and easy to implement in schools. Our life skills product will make the child ready for the future along with preparing him or her to tackle any challenges in their life.

    Shirsa Engage is the events vertical of Shirsa Labs, specializes in conceptualizing and organizing large-impact kids events & school contact programs for brands. It creates engaging experiences for students, parents and educators through the help of brands. Shirsa Connect is the digital vertical of Shirsa Labs, specializes in enabling content publishers to engage digitally with kids aged 6-15 years through its multiple products. As Children’s preferences are evolving, it wants to cover the relevant Digital & Tangible touchpoints of a kid’s life through branded content engagement.

    Tendulkar said, “The Shirsa Parent App allows to set-up time duration for the child to be online. They can also monitor their growth, inclination and learning style through the App.”

    It’s the time when digital revolution is entering every aspect of life. It’s only prudent to let our children explore and experience the full learning potential of digital medium, within a safe and protected environment. With educational platforms like PlanetofGui and Newspik; children, parents, teachers and brands are to benefit equally from the innumerable fun ways to engage and enlighten the young minds.

  • ‘Kolaveri Di’ becomes 1st Indian video to touch 100 m views on YouTube

    ‘Kolaveri Di’ becomes 1st Indian video to touch 100 m views on YouTube

    MUMBAI: Kolaveri Di, the song from the movie 3 has become the first Indian video to cross 100 million views on YouTube on 2 December, 2015.

     

    The song was released by Sony Music India on 16 November, 2011 and has been sung by Dhanush.

     

    The song went viral with over a million YouTube views on its release and has attracted many people because of its simplicity, originality and colloquial lyrics, which the viewers could easily relate to.

     

    The video is made in an unplugged recording by the Sony Music team and was also promoted on social media channels. The song has attracted all categories of people and has reached into all corners of the globe.

     

    The movie 3 stars Dhanush and Shruti Haasan in the lead.

  • Wiz Khalifa’s tribute song to Paul Walker in ‘Furious 7’ goes viral

    Wiz Khalifa’s tribute song to Paul Walker in ‘Furious 7’ goes viral

    MUMBAI: After garnering an astounding response at the box office in its opening week, the action thriller Fast & Furious 7 also saw a glowing tribute to late actor Paul Walker paid through a song See You Again.

     

    The heart touching track featured in the movie, which was launched under the Sony Music label, ranks number one on iTunes and has also become the most downloaded track in its genre. The track by Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth is produced by Brian Tyler for the film.

     

    Sony Music India head of international music Arjun Sankalia said, “Not only are we were excited about the success of the movie Fast & Furious 7 but also for the title track See You Again, which is featured in the movie in memory of Paul Walker. The song is setting records across different platforms in India. As we speak, it’s no. 1 on iTunes, the most streamed and downloaded song in the English genre and also the most Shazamed song in the country. A perfect tribute to Paul Walker, the fans couldn’t have asked for more.”

     

  • Shankar’s ‘I’ trailer creates record on YouTube

    Shankar’s ‘I’ trailer creates record on YouTube

    NEW DELHI: The trailer of director Shankar’s much-awaited film I has clocked over two million views in 24 hours on Sony Music India’s YouTube channel, the fastest for any Indian film.

     

    Shankar, known for path breaking movies like Gentleman, Kadhalan, Indian, Enthiran, Anniyan, Nanban and 16 December is casting Vikram and Amy Jackson for his latest flick.

     

    Talking about the new record, Sony Music India’s south head Ashok Parwani said, “This is a first for us too, we have not witnessed such a huge pick up for any trailer. I will set new benchmarks across the film industry and we are proud to be associated with the magnum opus.”

     

    Weta Workshop, the company behind Peter Jackson’s film trilogy The Lord of the Rings, has worked on the digital make-up and background arts for the film.

     

    Produced by Aascar Films’ V Ravichandran, the music of the movie is by Grammy Award winner AR Rahman. Set to release in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam and in all major Indian languages on 24 October, I will be the first Indian film to be dubbed into Chinese. 

     

    The movie’s music launch in Chennai was the talk of the nation with Hollywood Star Arnold Schwarzenegger as the chief guest at the spectacle. The evening witnessed a bevy of stars from the film industry with AR Rahman‘s music mesmerizing the stadium of 5000 fans and actor Vikram’s performance leaving everyone spell bound.