Raga Reinvented: Indian Classical Music’s Role in Today’s Industry
By Debarati
We have been witnessing drastic changes in the music industry and some of us may even feel that Indian classical music is becoming obsolete in the past two decades at least. But in reality, if you try to dive deeper, you will find the presence of Indian classical music quite evident in today’s music industry. In the past many years, with the advent of the contemporary music industry taking a shift, many independent artists, film scores, and social media artists have again started adapting nuanced Indian classical music into their creations. Let’s delve into why Indian classical music has again become relevant for the industry today, presenting some case studies of this blend. Let’s also look into the ways these seamless integration can be preserved today, and in the future years to come.
Continued Importance of Indian Classical in the Modern Music Industry
Indian classical music has a specific adaptive nature which is one of the interesting things about this genre of music. In the traditional times, yes, Indian classical music was mostly about Ragas and talas, which were often very complex. These days, music artists are always trying to blend Indian classical music into diverse music genres. This includes pop, electronic, jazz, you name it, and it has a blend or touch of Indian classical music in them.
For instance, the music maestro A.R. Rahman is globally acclaimed for his mixing of Indian classical elements into his Western soundtracks. This was seen in his Oscar winning soundtrack, “Jai Ho”, where he magically blended traditional classical tunes with modern pop beats.
Now, let’s delve into another crucial angle of why Indian classical is still growing in the modern music industry. With the rise in mental health awareness around the world, Indian classical music has become an important part for the collaboration between the music industry and the meditation and wellness initiatives. Different wellness centers, mobile applications such as Calm and Headspace are including Indian classical music into their own playlists for promoting mental health well-being. So, with the growing meditation and mental wellness industry, an industry worth $2 billion, Indian classical music becoming irrelevant is quite far from real.
Last but not at all the least, Bollywood has also played a pivotal role in contributing towards the existence of Indian classical music in the 21st century. Movies like “Bhool Bhulaiya” with the song “Mere Dholna” and Bajirao Mastani with “Mohe Rang Do Lal”, Bollywood has been integrating Indian classical music in diverse film genres every now and then. This way, many listeners who may not be regular listeners of Indian classical music are also listening to these songs which are literally hard core Indian classical based.
Industry Case Studies
Brodha V: Infusing Indian classical into Rap
The very first music artist who comes to mind whenever discussing Indian classical blending into modern music is Brodha V. The rapper is known for including both Hindustani classical but majorly Carnatic classical in his raps. Firstly, he uses different Indian classical music in his songs including instruments such as Veena, tabla and more. His song “Aathma Raama” is a classic example of the blend of Indian classical ragas with the hip hop beats. “Aigiri Nandini” is another such song by Brodha V which has firstly used the Sanskrit stotram dedicated to Goddess Durga along with Indian classical instruments like tabla and sitar blended into the rap. Brodha V is one such magical artist who sings an entire alaap after ending the song “Way too Easy” where he talks about his struggle as a non-hindi rap artist in India.
Nucleya: Indian EDM artist revamping Indian classical tunes
Another very renowned musician of current times is Nucleya who is known for experimenting with integrating Indian classical music with Electronic Dance Music or EDM, as we call it. For songs like “Bass Rani”, Nucleya has used the beats of the Indian classical instrument, Dhol and merged the same with electronic synths. His song “Jungle Raja” he incorporated the traditional rhythmic sounds of “mridangam” alongside aggressive electronic beats. Another example of a very beautiful intermingling of Indian classical instruments in his song can be heard in “Memories”, where he beautifully uses electronic rhythms with the blissful sound of “Ghungroo”.
Nucleya, with his unique capability of blending Indian classical music with electronic rhythms, has been successful in creating a massive audience. This has helped other music artists who follow his work to be motivated to bring Indian classical music into the mainstream festival or club culture, globally.
Promoting and Preserving Indian Classical Music
In recent years, we have seen a rise in digital platforms where new age musicians are getting chances to enroll into different Indian classical courses. Websites including the renowned Shankar Mahadevan Academy and IndianRaga have made Indian classical accessible to people to learn from masters in the comfort of their homes. Along with this, the rise in social media platforms have also opened up avenues for the content creators who are trying to excel in Indian classical music. Some such examples of artists on social media platforms include Nikhil Paralikar, known as ‘The Tabla Guy’ whose audience are becoming his fans everyday because of his unique style to fuse Tabla with modern Bollywood as well as English songs.
What’s in store for Indian classical music’s Future?
Observing the music industry today, it can be easily said that in the coming years, Indian classical will be witnessing more blending with other music genres along with the help of technologies. We are already seeing how artists around the world are using different AI tools. This has been a step for integrating ragas and Indian classical instruments, seamlessly within modern compositions. This way, different DJs, music producers and indie artists are more easily accessing Indian classical music as well. Apart from AI tools, virtual reality and augmented reality are also helping Indian classical music to reach a wider audience. With this, modern generations are also expected to keep getting opportunities to explore traditional ragas through the modern interactive nature of these advancements.