2025 was the year we had three demon-fighting (and five demons) blessed with impeccable vocals take over our screens in Kpop Demon Hunters. Taylor Swift didn’t just release her new album, she also dropped Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The End of an Era, a docuseries on her record-breaking eras tour. Dua Lipa wrapped up her Radical Optimism Tour, and Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Dean, Chapelle Roan and Addison Rae all had hits that people just couldn’t get enough of. World over, pop music was well and truly alive and thriving.
Closer home, Sai Abhyankkar ran through a field of sunflowers as his Tamil single ‘Vizhi Veekura’ went viral even as his first film as a music composer readied for release, young pop group Outstation opened for singer Akon at his November concert in Mumbai, Tamil singer-songwriter Rakhoo released an aesthetic, anime-style music video for his hit song ‘Yeno Ondru’, and Aditya Rikhari’s ‘Sahiba’ emerged as the longest running non-film song on the Spotify India Charts in 2025, holding the top spot for over 11 consecutive weeks.
For many young and emerging artistes in India, 2025 was the year that Indian pop music or I-pop took over the charts, played on loop on reels and resonated with a multitude of new listeners.
Aditya Rikhari
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Special Arrangement
“Indian pop music is finally getting the space it always deserved. When I started out, I-pop wasn’t seen as something that could stand on its own, and was more like a parallel universe outside the mainstream. But over the last few years, I’ve seen listeners genuinely open up to new voices, new stories, and sounds that don’t necessarily come from films,” says singer-songwriter Aditya Rikhari.
Overwhelmed and grateful about the love ‘Sahiba’ received in 2025, Aditya says people are now discovering artistes, and don’t stop at a single song. “Independent songs are topping charts, getting playlisted globally, and even inspiring what Bollywood sounds like today. It feels like we’re finally in a moment where honest music can come from anywhere and still reach everywhere,” he says.
For a long time now, film music has and continues to dominate the music landscape in India. This is something that puts Aditya’s Indie-pop achievement in perspective, given the fierce competition it probably had.
Noor Chahal
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“Pop music is everywhere in India, and especially where I come from, Punjabi pop is now world-famous. It is a global genre, while maintaining its roots in India” says singer-songwriter Noor Chahal. Her July release, the Punjabi pop ballad ‘Ranjha’ has over 4.7 million views on YouTube and counting, and Noor says 2025 has been a promising year where she found her strength as a songwriter.
“The discoverability that films give to music, with press conferences and audio launches is massive. But at present, social media and streaming platforms are so in sync with independent artistes that I think this gap is gradually decreasing, for the better,” she says.
Varun Jain
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Even for singer-songwriter Varun Jain, who started off as a cover artiste and later sang the hit song ‘Tere Vaaste’ in the Vicky Kaushal starrer Zara Hatke Zara Bachke, 2025 was the year to take a creative plunge. He released his independent single ‘Kehna Chahun’ earlier in December, which he composed, and also sang alongside Hansika Pareek, another emerging artiste in the I-pop scene.
“An independent project always feels very liberating to work on. I am also pleased at how receptive audiences now are; they might know me from my hit Bollywood song, but I now get requests for my independent tracks during concerts. People want to listen and explore more of my sound,” he says.
The coming year promises to be an exciting one to see pop take the stage in India. While John Mayer will perform in Mumbai in January, rumours are flying thick and fast about a possible concert by K-pop supergroup BTS later in the year. The line-up for Lollapalooza 2026 includes established acts like OAFF and Savera who dabble in electronic and indie-pop, as well as emerging acts like 19-year old Dehradun-based singer-songwriter Gini.
R Sumedhas, head, independent artiste and commercial pop collective, Universal Music India, describes 2025 as a phenomenal one where the industry saw many interesting stories emerge. “There cannot be a better time to be an artiste or put music out. It doesn’t matter what your genre or language is, or what stage of your career you are in. People are highly receptive, there are so many different platforms and music is being consumed in different formats, which has allowed many new artistes to emerge,” he says.
In 2026, he foresees a lot more new talent emerging across languages, from Gujarati, Malayalam and more. “You are also going to be seeing a lot more of these creative mavericks; artistes who can sing, write, produce and even direct their own videos. We also expect a few more stories like Hanumankind to emerge, who will break open the global diaspora talent pool,” he adds.
