Femme Music – A Global Music Movement
“We champion the next generation of Indian women in music”
Written by Aanchal Bordoloi; Edited by Sohaib Durrani
Femme Music is India’s first Female-Only Independent Music Label started by Bengaluru-based singer-songwriter, music producer and audio engineer Sanoli Chowdhury and UK-based music industry veteran Vinod Gadher. Drawing influence from the Riot Grrrl Movement from the early 1990s, which grew out of a strong desire to address sexism in the punk scene, Femme Music aims to spotlight female artists from India, breaking industry barriers through international releases, label deals, showcases and more. It is essentially a platform where female voices lead, own their narratives, and build sustainable careers in India and globally.
Nyima Records is one of Femme Music’s flagship sub-labels and a home for English singer-songwriters from the country. Its debut release Nyima Vol.1, featuring 11 singer-songwriters, will be dropping on 28th November. In their endeavour towards building a movement for female representation in music, the artists will be embarking on tour in prominent venues across 4 major cities of the country starting from the 9th of November until the 26th. Extending beyond just individual releases, such national showcases and global partnerships, Femme Music is indeed a revolution by itself.
Inception of Femme Music
- The idea of developing independent artists
- The vision that India is going to be the next big destination for independent music
- The necessity of India to have a movement for female independent artists
The idea of a record label came about to develop artists – not just push those who had a good head-start. The word develop is used here to emphasize that numbers are not the end-game. The focus is to build careers for artists that are long-term in nature and enduring.
(Writer’s note – It is interesting to see that this is not the first time that a long-term career has been the emphasis. As expressed by Yama Seth (head of talent at Level House India) in our conversation earlier, “This quick process is also quick to die. There’s a peak and there’s a fall. Songwriter 1 is replaced by Songwriter 2 on Instagram, within a matter of 8-10 months and all that is remaining is basically a one-hit-wonder who basically peaked on the algorithm for like a couple of months and then their tenure is over. Some of them are so young that they haven’t really had a chance to understand the identity they want to build as a musician, before it comes and goes. I turned 33 in March so maybe you can call me old-school about this but I feel like the people who’ve taken 10 years; their career is not going to go away and maybe their music would still be relevant, even after 10 more years. It’s like the difference between 3D printing something vs. building it block by block. The latter is always what I go for because I know that it will outlast everything” ).
Femme Music is an Artist Development Ecosystem. Their support to artists extends to –
- Transparent monthly accounting
- Hands-on social media strategy and content creation
- Career-building management skills
- Access to live bookings, showcases and festival placements
This is a holistic approach that seeks to bridge the gap between talent and opportunity – to really assist artists with the tools it takes to thrive and push them to another level. Nyima Records has partnered with AWAL for music distribution to ensure worldwide reach across streaming platforms, playlists and sync opportunities. The releases will be covered in international blogs, playlists, press and showcase festivals, to guarantee a global stage for its artists.
My biggest takeaway from trying to understand the mission behind Femme Music is that it is indeed a passion project. Vinod Gadher could have chosen to retire after a successful career in the music industry, but instead decided to turn his vision into reality. As a singer-songwriter and performing musician myself, it is in fact a reality that the industry in male-dominated. Sanoli Chowdhury is probably the only female audio engineer in the country that I am aware of. Vinod and Sanoli have also started Indie Grrrl, a brand to showcase talent from independent female singer-songwriters throughout the country as well as to create a movement for female independent artists.
I got the opportunity to interact with Sanoli about Femme Music. Her responses help shed more light on this revolution to champion and celebrate women in music.
What is the mission and vision behind Femme Music?
We want to help develop female independent artists from India and also eventually expand to South Asia. Vin and I realized that Indian female artists needed help understanding the music industry. With this in motion, we wanted to help build a movement, we needed a music label that would allow these artists to release their music and support them.
Within a span of five years, what are some of the positive changes that you would like to see in the Indian Independent music industry?
We hope the industry doors are more open and inspire the next generation of women in music to dream bigger. We would love to have more sustainable careers for artists and the nation rising to support artists. There is a lot of good music and it’s just about time people discover it and genuinely enjoy it. India is going to be the next big thing for indie music and that is something we have believed in for a very very long time.
How did the Riot Grrrl movement of the 90’s help spark an idea to build this label from scratch?
The Riot Grrrl movement showed us how powerful music can be in creating space for women’s voices, especially in male-dominated industries. That DIY, feminist energy inspired us to build Femme Music as a platform for Indian female artists singing in English, to take control of their narrative, build community, and be heard on their own terms.
Could you tell us a bit about Nyima Records?
Nyima Records is a sub-label of Femme Music dedicated to indie/pop/singer-songwriter artists. Creating sub-labels helps us stay organised as we grow, but at the heart of everything we do, across every division of Femme Music, the essence remains the same: championing and celebrating women in music.
What can we look forward to in 2026 from Femme Music?
Select artists from Nyima Vol.1 will be offered an EP deal, giving them access to deeper support, including production, artwork, and promotional strategy. In 2026 we hope to also launch our other two sub-labels ‘Solna Records’ and ‘Nokta Records’.
