Solidarity among artists, especially independent artists, usually reflects in their faith in the divinity and grandeur of art. This faith is driven by a sense of wonder towards something we all believe is bigger than all of us- a global consciousness. The average age of the artists I have interviewed until now is around 25 years. So, most of them are extremely young and really figuring out their sound, vision, and forte. But, no matter how different may be the work of these artists from each other, they all truly understand the vulnerability and self-awareness it takes to put out pieces. Therefore, even if some of these people do not really enjoy listening to the work of other artists in the community, they still respect each other.
All independent musicians in the Indian experimental scene seem to believe that Art is supreme and their sense of faith in the divine power of modern music finds its way into the community that they have been able to build around it. Throughout Delhi, almost all middle-class to upper-class teenagers listen to these independent artists more than conventional film music. And it is important for me to mention this here because it has been a very recent trend in India, mostly through the rise of underground Hip-Hop. But, until around 10 years ago, most of the teenagers in these classes listened to Bollywood music exclusively. The solidarity within our community could shape the musical environment amongst youngsters throughout India.
This unity becomes more clear with communal issues like Nepotism that have rotten the music industry from the inside for an uncountable number of years. This shift towards the consumption of independent music is an implicit rebellion against an industry that has often favored connection and familial relations over talent and hard work many times. The indie music scene claims that anyone who is willing to put the work in and is even moderately talented can find an audience for their music within the community!
The picture I am attaching here is of me with two artists from this trap band called ‘Goa Trap Culture.’ I interviewed Kidd Mange and Eltwo from the band. Both of them were in their early 20s and most of their audience was in their early twenties. One of the band members (not present in the picture), Tsumayoki, is becoming a sensation throughout India with his independent commercial pop approach to Goan music.
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