Shakira is only the starter to a cracker year ahead, as more and more hotselling international artists make India their stopover. Once a destination for has-been bands and ageing rockstars, India is blinking bright on the music map. “We are one world now. All major Hollywood and Bollywood movies have simultaneous releases across the world. So, musicians cannot drop India from their map anymore,” says Sabbas Joseph, director, Wizcraft. Yet, the roadblocks still exist. “Infrastructure is still a major problem. Taxation is very high. But, with better corporate budgeting, things are looking up. The time is not far when we will have a major artist performing in India every other week,” adds Joseph. Here’s a list of global music acts that you can look forward to this year and the ones that left you breathless Coming soon: Up next, Aerosmith, considered America’s answer to the Rolling Stones, performs in India for the first time on June 2. The Mumbai concert is part of the band’s tour of Europe and UAE. The buzz is that the Black Eyed Peas and Red Hot Chili Peppers are also keen to perform in India. INXS: October 2006 had Australian rock band INXS in Mumbai. Though the band’s single Afterglow is a huge hit in India, the performance was so-so. Nelly Furtado: The Canadian singer has long targetted the Indian market with her remixes, including the popular Josh remix of Powerless. There is a bit of an Indophile in Nelly; no wonder she chose to perform in India on New Year’s Eve. Akon: He’s been burnin’ the dance floors with Smack That, and the rap artiste’s performance here was quite entertaining.Roger Waters: He can’t get enough of India. The former Pink Floyd frontman was last here in 2002, when he performed in Bangalore. And this year’s Mumbai concert packed in the usual Pink Floyd punch.Iron Maiden: This one was strictly for Headbangers Inc. The heavy metal band gave a powerhouse performance with lead singer Bruce Dickinson even climbing the sound and light tower.
