How the bustling beats of 90s' Indi-pop faded away

The 90s era was a transformative period for Indian music, with Indi-pop emerging as a unique fusion of Indian and Western sounds, captivating audiences and creating a cultural wave. Though it faced a decline due to various factors, the genre is seeing a hopeful revival as modern artistes experiment with its essence.

In Short

• The 90s saw the rise of Indi-pop, a fusion of Indian classical and Western pop
• It became a cultural phenomenon
• The genre declined due to the rise of Bollywood music, digital distribution challenges, amid other reasons

Imagine this: You’re living in the 90s. It’s the afternoon and you’re back from school. All you want to do now is tune in to MTV with dreamy eyes and watch Alisha Chinai exude Indian princess goals in Made In India, vibe to Suchitra Krishnamoorthi's Dole Dole and Shweta Shetty’s Johnny Joker or sing along to Baba Sehgal’s Main Bhi Madonna. That was the era when life was much simpler. That was the era of Indi-pop.

THE 90s MUSIC ERA

Music has always been an important aspect of Indian films. Just as every decade brings an evolution, the 90s saw a fresh change in the audience’s ever-evolving music taste. And before anyone could see, Indi-pop music was born. But, what exactly is Indi-pop?

Indi-pop is a fusion of Indian classical music and Western pop, which emerged as a powerful force in the Indian music scene in the early 90s. The genre captivated the audience with its unique blend of sounds and cultural influences and steadily became a rage.

About the 90s music era, rapper-singer Baba Sehgal told India Today Digital, “90s music era was exciting and challenging. My determination, parents' blessings and the support of my music label led to the new beginning of Indi-pop.”

THE RISE OF INDI-POP MUSIC

It wasn’t just the music. The vibes, artistes, bands – everything about Indi-pop became a hit. You had Alisha Chinai, who taught women how to dream and not settle for anyone until she found her perfect match – “Tan gora ho ya kaala, par ho sachha dilwala, chandi nahi sona nahi koi heera" (The colour of the skin doesn’t matter, but my man should have a heart of diamond). Quite way ahead of its time, ain’t it?

Alisha dominated the music scene with her chart-topping hits, along with Baba Sehgal, Euphoria, Aryans, Sunita Rao, Shweta Shetty, Suchitra Krishnamoorthi, and others. Their songs, often characterised by upbeat tempo, romantic themes, and catchy melodies, resonated with the youth of the time. Indi-pop came in as a fresh and much-needed perspective about a whole new era of music, which ultimately led to a cultural wave.

"There was a complete vacuum there," Alisha Chinai told India Today Digital, further adding, "That was filled because Nazia Hassan actually broke into the whole scene with Aap Jaisa Koi and became a complete rage. But then, she was from another country, and we needed someone here. And that’s when Made In India came in."

She continued, "The youth wanted some kind of music they could relate to, identify with and call their own. And that's where pop came in. It all started very slowly. But suddenly, it was like, bang on. And you know what really revolutionised it? It was the coming of MTV and VH1 because when you see a video with a good song, it just makes it even easier. People were used to Bollywood songs where they saw actresses lip-syncing and dancing."

The Lover Girl singer added that when her video came out, the audience couldn't believe that the singer was starring in it.

Suchitra Krishnamoorthi, famous for songs such as Jabse Dekha, Sona, and many others, told India Today Digital, “India needed new stars. Apart from film and cricket, it was the opening up of the Indian economy too. We pop stars were more Westernised and the urban audiences identified with us more. We also gave the youth a sense of magic.”

THE CULTURAL WAVE

The 1990s marked the golden age of Indi-pop. The audience, who were used to movie tracks only, saw singers turning actors for their music videos. It was followed by lyrics that screamed freedom, consent, women empowerment. Take Pari Hoon Main, Maeri, Kya Soorat Hai, and others, as examples.

About what led to the cultural wave of Indi-pop music, Neeraj Sridhar told India Today Digital, “People were always looking for different outlets because Bollywood had become quite prominent, which is nothing wrong. You had some big names acting in those songs. You needed something different coming your way too. You have been listening to the same seven-eight singers and there was nothing different that was coming.”

FALL OF INDI-POP

The Indi-pop artistes could hardly relish their success. Their descent was swifter than their climb. But what led to the steep fall? Alisha Chinai shared, “When Indi-pop started, everyone started becoming a part of it. It became a crowd, and then, it wasn't really good music.”

She continued, “It went on to become a little mediocre, and people are very smart, they don’t like rubbish. If they don't like something, they just won't listen to it any more. And that saw the whole decline there. When music is not good enough to sustain itself, it goes down. The whole trend then kind of phased out at that point."

Suchitra Krishnamoorthi said, "Digital distribution of music is what led to it. The shift from physical music (like cassettes and CDs) to online streaming and downloads resulted in loss. A lot of the independent music labels didn’t have the financial muscle to see that change through.”

Sudhanshu Pandey from Band of Boys told India Today Digital that the film industry killed the Indian pop scene. "When I say Indian film industry, I'm not blaming anyone. I'm saying that the kind of music that started coming out of films, incorporating all sorts of hip-hop, rap, and others, it started becoming more global and more popular,” he said.

Neeraj Sridhar, too, shared his views on why Indi-pop faded away. He said, “Whatever we used to do, it slowly came into films too, because film music started to change. Our music started becoming very famous, and we used to sell more albums than any film album. Lots of music directors started accepting the fact that this was something to go with, and they adapted it, started putting it in movies."

He also said, “Once the same kind of music started coming into movies with big actors and a lot of money was spent on the songs, record companies stopped investing in people like us."

REVIVAL OF INDI-POP

While 90s Indi-pop may have lost its old-school charm, there is still hope for its revival. Despite its decline, Indi-pop music continues to hold a special place in the hearts of many Indian music enthusiasts. The songs of that period always evoke a sense of nostalgia and remind listeners of simpler times.

When Indi-pop started seeing a decline towards the start of the millennium, Band of Boys swept everyone off their feet in 2003. This five-member good-looking boy band managed to fit themselves into the Indi-pop theme that was swiftly fading away. They gave the genre some more time before it lost its glory.

"We were India's first-ever boy band. Before us, there were only rock bands like Euphoria, Indian Ocean, and so on. Their songs were in the rock or sufi rock format,” Sudhanshu Pandey from Band of Boys said.

He continued, "We were five young boys, who were decent-looking, decently-dressed, five different voices, and different textures. And when we were put together by Leslie Lewis, the kind of music he produced for us was incredible, unheard of. There was something very simple about our songs which worked."

Though the band couldn’t stand the test of time, they surprised everyone when they announced their revival. “Indi-pop has come back in a big way, but people are still trying to focus on things that can be more popular. I don't blame anybody for doing that, because popularity is also very important. If you're doing something, you're putting something out there, you want your audiences to listen to it. It is the responsibility of the artiste to make things that can be popular,” he said.

MODERN-DAY INDI-POP

A new generation of Indian artistes have taken on the baton and are experimenting with the genre, blending it with modern elements to create a fresh sound. The growing popularity of independent artistes and social media has also provided opportunities for emerging Indi-pop artists to reach a wider audience.

About modern-day Indi-pop, Suchitra Krishnamoorthi said, "There is some fantastic music happening. I am a great fan of Diljit Dosanjh. I also loved Maan Meri Jaan. Indian pop music is getting more regional now, with every state and language producing their own stars. It's a great time for music.”

She added, “But while opportunities are many, there is also over saturation. Now, anybody sitting at home can make an album without investing heavily - the only drawback is that in today’s scenario, it’s very difficult to attract the audience’s attention. And hit or flop is driven by algorithms rather than an artiste’s calibre.”

Baba Sehgal opined that modern-day Indi-pop songs are about clicks now. He said, “Indi-pop today is just one click away. Click a link and you get to see different non-film songs. But the originality of the genre has been lost completely because of no support from record labels."

Indi-pop's future looks rather promising. While only time travel can take us back to its innocence, we can somewhat make space for new things too. And what’s life without a little upgrade? With bands like Band of Boys coming up with a 2.0 version and artistes like Alisha Chinai, Baba Sehgal, and others continuing to breathe life into Indi-pop as a genre, it’s safe to say that not everything that’s lost is meant to be lost forever.