After the immense success of NEXA Music Season 1, Maruti Suzuki India Limited announced the launch of the NEXA Music Season 2. A first of its kind initiative, NEXA Music is a platform curated to promote aspiring Indian musicians to showcase their talent and create original international global standard English music.
The NEXA Music Season 1 saw an overwhelming response of over 1000 entries globally, out of which 24 musicians were selected and mentored by the global music icon A R Rahman, supported by Clinton Cerejo. A total of 34 new English songs with music videos were released in season 1 which garnered more than 75 million views on the NEXA Music YouTube channel. Furthermore, two dedicated playlists were also created, one with the 10 marquee songs from headline artists and super winners and the other with 24 Songs from Lab artists on leading audio streaming sites like Spotify, Amazon Music and Apple Music.
Season 1 of NEXA Music also provided an on-ground music event experience with 4 live gigs featuring artists from NEXA Music across Mumbai, Gurugram, Chennai and Bangalore.
Announcing the launch of NEXA Music Season 2, Mr Shashank Srivastava, Senior Executive Director (Marketing & Sales), Maruti Suzuki India Limited said, “NEXA Music holds a very special place in our hearts. We are thrilled to announce the Second Season of NEXA Music and excited to begin our country-wide search for fresh, emerging talent. NEXA Music is one of a kind platform that encourages music enthusiasts and artists to channel their love for self-composed English music. Under the mentorship of esteemed musicians like A R Rahman, the shortlisted artists will get the opportunity to create original English compositions of global standards and be able to share them internationally. I am confident that Season 2 will receive a phenomenal response and will provide our customers with a NEXA global experience.”
On the Occasion, Mr A R Rahman said, "India is buzzing with youth, energy and undiscovered raw talent. I am happy to be part of NEXA Music in its Season 2 and look forward to finding unique voices and brilliant talent across the country. Qyuki and NEXA are building a much-needed tradition by fostering the next generation of Indian musicians.”
The jury comprising of A R Rahman, NEXA and Qyuki will shortlist 24 contestants from all the entries received. The selected 24 artists will undergo a mentorship program at the ‘NEXA Music Lab’ to further brush up their singing talent. The original tracks of the shortlisted 24 artists will be professionally reproduced in a music video featuring the artist. Out of the 24 artists, the top 4 will be shortlisted and declared as the Super Winners of Season 2. These artists will get to compose an additional new original English song under the mentorship of the music producer and will be featured in their respective music videos.
Season 2 of NEXA Music will centre around the pillars of NEXA Music Lounge and NEXA Music Lab to discover and celebrate upcoming artists.
NEXA Music Lounge is headlined by top Indian artists in the English music space. Season 2 will see super winners from Season 1 take the center stage by contributing their original compositions to the NEXA Music Lounge. The super winners of Season 1 who will be headlining Season 2 are Nisa Shetty, Simetri and Heat Sink. They will be accompanied by celebrity artists duo Clinton Cerejo and Bianca Gomes (Shor Police), Uday Benegal, and Monica Dogra under the mentorship of world-renowned music icon A R Rahman. The album name of these marquee songs will be titled “Elevate” which signifies the journey, an artist goes through on NEXA Music, which elevates them to the next level both creatively as well as literally.
NEXA Music Lab will play a key role in Season 2 in attracting and recruiting new emerging talent across the country to participate in this musical journey. The Lab process, from hunt to selection, will also form an episodic show. The 24 shortlisted participants will be mentored by music composers from international music publishers like the iconic Fairwood Music and Konic Records, Turnkey Music and Publishing Pvt. Ltd., and global music icon Mr A R Rahman.