Joy Giving Fiddler – Sunita Bhuyan

Sunita Khaund Bhuyan is an award winning violinist and a household name not only in Assam but all over the country. Her energetic and soulful live performances put you in a spell. Sunita is a recipient of the Indira Gandhi Priyadarshini Award for excellence in music. She enjoys experimenting with light classical and folk fusion to reach out to a diverse spectrum of audiences. Sunita is also the Ambassador for "Joy of Giving" for Mother Teresa’s campaign by Don Bosco.

Small Wonder - Lydian Nadhaswaram

12 year old child prodigy, Lydian Nadhaswaram is a Chennai based pianist to watch out for, and though his fingers are not big enough to reach the octaves, his piano-playing ability will leave you stumped, especially when you hear him play the fastest and the toughest western classical pieces. This is something we have never seen or heard before. A young Bach, Mozart or Debussy in the making, this young boy’s control and composure on the piano makes you wonder if he's on the same page with them.

The Indian face of Opera = Patricia Rozario

Award - winning Indian soprano singer Patricia Rozario, OBE went on to study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London and has performed at major venues all over the world. She also performed at Wembley stadium when PM Narendra Modi visited London. One of her most notable appearances was across Europe in The Marriage of Figaro conducted by Sir George Solti. She has also given concerts in the Royal Opera House in London, and performed when our very own Royal Opera House in Mumbai reopened last year. Rozario has made numerous recordings of the works of composer John Tavener. She is currently a professor at the Royal College of Music, where she is a member of the Vocal Faculty.

Cool Cats – Run Pussy Run

Our first brush with Gowri Jayakumar was when we saw her performing with her band at a music event earlier this year. Gowri has been around in the Indian indie scene for a while now, chucking a stable job as a journalist, for a career in music. And if you thought she made the wrong decision, going by her career graph, she certainly knows what she is doing.

The “GRAIN” project came about out of my personal desire to write songs: GRAIN

The Delhi based boys from Midival Punditz – aka Gaurav Raina and Tapan Raj who laid the foundation for eclectic Indian electronica, have a 20-year-old roster boasting of performances with everyone from Anoushka Shankar and Karsh Kale to Alicia Keys and Norah Jones.

Simply The Blues: BLU

While we hear of many music competitions searching for pop and rock bands, very few look for the ultimate Blues bands. 2017 saw a battle of bands to unearth new and original Blues talent, which received an overwhelming response with entries from bands across the country. Two year old band BLU from Delhi, offered a fresh perspective on the Blues and alternative music and were declared winners at the Mahindra Blues Band Hunt 2017 which got them a chance to perform at the Mahindra Blues Festival 2017.

Gospel Truths – Sonam Kalra and the Sufi Gospel Project

Given the kind of music on the contemporary gospel scene today, infused with rap, dance beats and rock, the soothing and angelic vocals of Sonam Kalra and The Sufi Gospel Project bring an interdenominational, intergenerational and a new musical expression to this vast landscape of music. As founder, and spiritual bellwether for the group, Sonam Kalra combines western gospel music with Indian classical sound in The Sufi Gospel Project.

Independent Woman - Shazneen Arethna

With an illustrious career and two new EPs released this month, Shazneen Arethna has a lot going for her at the moment, which makes it difficult to start a conversation with her. As a singer and a voice–over artist from a very young age, jamming with the best rock bands in India, to her Bollywood song 'I hate you like I love you', Shazneen is truly a gifted and multi-talented singer with an incredible voice.

Bleaking the Barriers - BLEK

Mumbai band Blek is going from strength to strength. This 3-member power pop band comprising of college mates Rishi Bradoo (Guitar/Vocals) and Jared Juan Creado (Bass/Vocals) and Linford D'souza (Drums) was formed in 2011. Two years later the band found themselves at the The Great Escape Music Festival in Brighton, UK playing not one but two gigs and meeting a whole new spectrum of international music artists. At home they are a regular on the Indian music circuit and have played at most prominent muisc festivals, grabbing also a few awards along the way.

The Don Returns - Apache Indian

The Brit-Asian Steven Kapur a.k.a. Apache Indian needs no introduction. He has been around for over 25 years with a distinguished career that many of today’s artistes will envy. Apache took his vibrant sounds of Dancehall, Reggae and Raga around the world fusing his distinctive vocal style with Indian, Jamaican and English music.