From Justh to Hanumankind: Indie artists who shaped Indian music scene in 2024

Chor by Justh

An accountant-turned-musician, Justh, let loose a Chor on the Internet, shattering records to become the most viral song on Spotify India, and globally. The song prompted content creators and celebrities like Madhuri Dixit to create reels. In an exclusive interview with indianexpress.com in February this year, Justh—who never disclosed his original name—shared his state of mind while writing Chor.

“I don’t think poets or authors never really told the world why they wrote what they did. They just wrote it and then it’s for the reader to assimilate it and be with it and create their own meanings,” Justh said.

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Aasa Kooda by Sai Abhyankkar and Sai Smirti

Crooned by Sai Abhyankkar and Sai Smirti, Aasa Kooda broke language barriers as content creators across India grooved to it, raking in 167 million views in just five months. The Tamil song—from the album Aasa Kooda from Think Indie—starred Preity Mukhundhan, who became an overnight sensation after the song’s success.

The song also helped Abhyankar bag his first film debut as a composer with Benz, a part of Lokesh Kanagaraj’s cinematic universe.

 

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Gulabi Sadi by Sanju Rathod

The virality of a song defies language, and Sanju Rathod’s Gulabi Sadi is a testament to it. An amalgamation of folk and romance, the song made it to everyone’s playlist, from becoming a travel staple to weddings. The Marathi song is from the album Gulabi Sadi created by Rathod and G-SPXRK.

With the success of the song, Rathod garnered 12 million listeners from 178 countries on Spotify this year.

 

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Jo Tum Mere Ho and Husn by Anuv Jain

The Indie scene birthed a new sensation, Anuv Jain, who gave back-to-back viral songs that solely resonated with the younger generation. The mellow voice and heartfelt lyrics of Jo Tum Mere Ho made it the top song on the “Top Songs India” list on Spotify. The song was also well received in neighbouring Pakistan.

“From an unfinished song that I used to sing to fill up my set 2 years ago to the number 1 song in 2 countries in 2024, ‘Jo Tum Mere Ho’ has had such a crazy ride. Honestly, I would’ve probably never made this song if you guys and someone very close to me hadn’t asked me to. I’m so happy that I heard y’all,” Jain wrote on Instagram.

 

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Naadaniyan by Akshath Acharya

What was meant for a simple reel video became a viral song transcending every emotion. Akshath Acharya captured hearts with his song Naadaniyan and ruled the Indie music scene with his pensive lyrics.

Speaking to indianexpress.com, Acharya shared about the creation of Naadaniyan. “From the outside, it might seem like an overnight success with just one song, but creating something enduring takes time and effort, and that process is still ongoing,” Acharya said. “Fortunately, I had a collection of songs ready before Naadaniyan was released. When people discovered me through that track, they explored my other music as well, which helped turn casual listeners into a dedicated audience,” he said.

 

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Lovebomber Baby by Gagni Porwal

If there were a genre called venting, Gagni Porwal would steal the cake and eat it too. Lovebomber Baby became an anthem for those who got their hearts broken. While many tagged it as cringe, the song served as a healer to others and also educated millennials and post-millennials about the dating phenomenon called “love bombing”. Porwal’s song became a global hit, prompting international creators to share their versions of the lexicon.

In an interview with indianexpress.com, Porwal revealed the reason behind writing her first hit. “It’s inspired by my personal life. I thought if I wrote such a song, it would spread awareness. Because many people have been traumatised for years, they stop believing in love. I had a similar feeling. But I sobbed for some time and decided to alchemise the pain; I’m an alchemist and converted my pain into power. I thought it would spread awareness and I shared my story,” she said.

 

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Big Dwags by Hanumankind

Who would have thought a 31-year-old rapper Sooraj Cherukat aka Hanumankind from India, would end up dominating the Billboard charts? Big Dwags on YouTube, in collaboration with producer Kalmi Reddy and directed by Bijoy Shetty, amassed over a whopping 184 million views in five months. The music video showcases him performing inside a “Wall of Death” (known as Marana Kinar in Malayalam), where motorcycles and cars are driven along vertical walls.

In August, the rapper achieved another milestone by entering the Top 10 tracks on the Billboard Global 200 singles. Later in September, Hanumankind performed at the Nassau Coliseum in New York in front of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Indian diaspora. A video of PM Modi hugging the artist also took the Internet by storm.

 

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The artist also bagged a project with Netflix’s popular show Squid Game Season 2 for his original The Game Don’t Stop.