2022 was yet another great year for indie music. With the Covid-19 pandemic having a slightly lesser impact on artists compared to the previous year, 2022 opened up the platform for a diverse number of indie artists to showcase their talent. The competition is surely growing, but this year opened up an arena of fresh and promising talents.
Here are the artists we think will own 2023:
1) Anumita Nadesan
This artist from Kerala took the internet by storm when she posted her cover of ‘Jashn-E-Baharaa.’ Although it was her reels on Instagram that won the hearts of people, Anumita reached the next level when she released her debut single ‘Khwaab’ this year. It had over 30 million + views and 10 million streams. Fashion powerhouse Manish Malhotra also launched a collection using her soundtrack. She is also the first woman to be featured on the cover of Spotify’s ‘Indie India playlist. A performer at the Bacardi NH7 Weekender, there is no doubt that 2023 will be even bigger for Anumita.
2) Rawal
With the underground hip-hop community’s help, this fiery rapper from Delhi rose as a musician this year. His collaborative debut album ‘Sab Chahiye’, with multi-talented producer and songwriter Bharg, was a critically acclaimed project and an instant crowd favorite and since then Rawal has collaborated with artists like Calm, Encore ABJ, Ikka, Raga, Sez on the Beat and more. Earlier this year, Rawal performed in Jaipur and Chandigarh along with Ritviz, Karonik and Faizal and he even made it to the lineup at Bacardi NH7 Weekender. Rawal made 2022 truly his own and we hope 2023 will be even better for him!
3) Dikshant
This artist who took over social media through his captivating reels was noticed for his “simplicity and truthfulness” this year. The ‘Tum Aankhon Se Batana’ singer was #1 on the global daily viral songs chart in May 2022. With over 38.7 million streams, Dikshant was on the cover of Spotify’s ‘Fresh Finds’ playlist and was titled ‘Artist of the Month.’ The artist who toured all over India will surely shine brighter in 2023.
4) Sijya
This artist who released her debut EP ‘Young Hate’ on Accidental Records has already had several heads turned due to her music. With her song ‘Have to make my bed’ well received by the audience, she was on platforms like BBC 6Music, Crack Magazine, MixMag and many more. Her first track was released on the acclaimed SUCHI Selects compilation and got praises from Tom Ravenscroft, DJ Mag and Wild City. With her striking performance at the magnetic fields festival, Sijya’s 2023 will be great.
5) Akanksha Sethi
The Spoken’22 performer’s song ‘Raaz Tera Mera’ had over 1 million views. She was also featured in the ‘Indie India’ playlist by Spotify and recently came out with her Bollywood Playback debut ‘Mann Mein Halchal’ for the Tamanna Bhatia starrer, Madhu Bhandarkar’s movie ‘Babli Bouncer.’ She also sang the title track ‘Teri Meri Kahani’ for season 3 of the Dice Media Web series ‘Please Find Attached’ and the opening jingle for Zakir Khan’s ‘Farzi Mushaira’ streaming on Amazon TV. Sethi became a viral sensation this year with her covers and live session series ‘Songs in the Dark.’
6) Paradox
Whose track ranked #4 on the global daily viral songs chart, this 19-year-old was unstoppable this year. Tanishq Singh aka Paradox who shot to fame as a contestant in MTV Hustle 2.0, is known for his banger songs ‘Jaadugar,’ ‘Rihaayi,’ and many more. Rapper Badshah became a fan of this firecracker of an artist when he was on the show. The youngest rapper in India, Paradox has over 3 million listeners on Spotify. The number will only increase next year.
7) Trick Singh
23-year-old Tirath Andhu aka Trick Singh was one of the freshest voices of 2022. Incorporating elements of his heritage into his projects while still maintaining international appeal, Singh brought a fresh sound and cultural movement to the Indian music scene this year. He has been featured in various magazines like Radio City, Asli Hip Hop, and Hindustan Times and has performed at many gigs. His single ‘Tricksingh Flow’ was received very well by the audience.
8) Ranjani Ramadoss
This artist’s experience of establishing herself as an independent artist has been nothing short of challenging. But she did it anyway, and how! Being a part of two bands ‘Kelvikkuri’ and ‘Paula and the associates’ and even having a solo project, Ranj has already performed in front of AR Rahman and worked with the Chennai producer Micheal Timothy. After receiving the Toto Award for music this year, we are sure that 2023 will be great for Ramadoss.
9) Chaar Diwaari
Chaar Diwaari aka Garv Taneja, a 20-year-old artist based in New Delhi has released some well-received songs like ‘Rang,’ ‘Bhool Ja,’ and ‘Enjaay’ this year. His primary focus is creating experimental Hindi music and pushing the boundaries of convention in art, Diwaari has had a good year. The music producer, singer, songwriter and visual artist has managed to get his audience without being featured in any of the major indie music magazines/publications. We can’t wait to see what he has in store next year for his fans.
10) Frizzell D’souza
Featured on the ‘Best of RADAR India 2022’ playlist by Spotify, Frizzell’s angelic voice is enough to make anyone’s heart warm. With her first single gaining 58k + listeners, she has been featured in various popular magazines and publications. Yet another gift from the lockdown, she began as a cover artist in 2018. The musician who has released the popular EP ‘The Hills Know of You,’ also often interacts with music composer Ehsaan Noorani on Instagram.
11) Pho
An artist oscillating with wide emotions, Pho was a unique addition to the collection of indie artists in 2022. What she creates with music is limitless in terms of gender, nationality, diaspora and languages. The multi-genre artist released her debut EP ‘Bheetar Bahar’ for which she’s currently touring. The Indian Beat Box Championship 2022 performer has certainly had a great year.
12) Temsu Clover
Closing this list off is Temsu Clover, a promising new talent from Nagaland. Featured on the ‘Equal Indie India’ playlist on Spotify, Clover recently won the Best Pop Song Title at the Nagaland Music Awards. Classed in the growing bedroom pop music genre, she was featured on the Maed In India podcast, making people look forward to what she creates in 2023.
