
Did you know there was once a Danish band that was more popular in India than in Denmark? The group Michael Learns to Rock shot to fame with singles like The Actor and That's Why You Go Away in the '90s. At the height of their success, they made tour stops in the Indian cities of Bengaluru and Chennai. The band was so well received that they amassed an enormous cult following across the country for years to come.
They got into cabs and went to the airport in Copenhagen-living the normal life. And when they landed in India, there was a huge entourage that greeted them with garlands, and limousines carried them to their hotels, Padmanabhan Nurani, Spotify's Head of Artists and Label Marketing India, tells For the Record.
It's just a mere glimpse of how the country's music fans have long embraced local and global artists.
Home to countless Bollywood stars, along with raga virtuosos, indie talent, and more, India has been a vibrant hub for international music and a top tour destination for world-class acts like Led Zeppelin and Bruce Springsteen. Sneha Singh, Head of Music Culture and Editorial India, credits the rich diversity of the country's music landscape for this broad acceptance of global sounds.
Because we have so many languages, it's just ingrained in us to take in and to respect each other's cultures, Singh tells For the Record. Acceptance is fairly easy and this means we listen to all kinds of music.
The robust and rich content on Spotify India ranges from locally curated favorites like Top Hits Hindi and Punjabi 101 to global playlists like Today's Top Hits and New Music Friday. Now, with the recent addition of the Warner Music Group catalog in India, listeners are also streaming the latest tracks from global stars such as Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa, and Cardi B, and rock fans have access to entire discographies of Coldplay, Linkin Park, and The Doors, among others.
In the first two weeks of the catalog's availability in India, Ed Sheeran and Dua Lipa were the top two most-searched Warner Music artists, respectively. The most-searched-for tracks were Dance Monkey by Australian songwriter Tones And I, followed by Roddy Ricch's infectious hip-hop anthem The Box.
Nurani says it's no surprise that Ed Sheeran comes up tops for the nation of 1.3 billion people. Sheeran has performed in India twice. In 2017 he greeted his audience with a respectful namaste ( hello in Hindi) before performing dressed in a blue silk kurta, the traditional shirt worn across South Asia. The Shape of You star's choice of wardrobe made national headlines, and the song played on the radio for the next two years.
Like Sheeran, Dua Lipa is also a regular in India and shows her appreciation for local culture whenever she performs there. Before playing in Mumbai last year, Dua Lipa took some time to meet with Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan and even picked up a few of his dance moves. Khan's post to Instagram fed a local media frenzy online and delighted fans everywhere-such is the interest in Bollywood meets Hollywood.
To editorial expert Singh, these cross-cultural collaborations are all a natural expression of how pop culture works in this diverse, music-savvy country. We have borrowed from the West, and the other way around, she says. Music has always been about inspiration and evolving it for the listener's ears.
Looking for a deep dive into Indian pop? Start with Spotify's Hot Hits India playlist and keep going with New Music Friday India and This Is Arjit Singh.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
19/02/2026
WBD edges above Polsat in only change in the top 10 content distributor rankings...
19/02/2026
Airlines and cruise operators ramp up spend as New Zealanders plan, compare and book online
Auckland, February 19, 2026 - New Nielsen Ad Intel data shows adver...
19/02/2026
The beginning of the new year brought a clear revival in front of television screens. The winter aura meant that Poles spent an average of 5% more time watching...
19/02/2026
New data also shows news content on FAST channels up 58% as streaming catalogs c...
19/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/02/2026
Berklee Awards Fenway Neighborhood Improvement Grants to Six Organizations A total of $25,000 will be distributed among the Boston-based nonprofits.
February...
19/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/02/2026
Foundry, the leading developer of creative software for the Media and Entertainment industry, today announced the completion of its acquisition of Griptape, a p...
19/02/2026
Capturing the raw energy and emotional intensity of FX's hit series The Bear is no small feat, especially when the set itself is as hectic and unpredictab...
19/02/2026
Cobalt Digital Inc., a leading designer and manufacturer of award-winning video and audio conversion, processing, and distribution solutions, and a founder of o...
19/02/2026
DHD s complete range of digital audio mixers plus the latest-generation RM1 Pro broadcast-from-anywhere unit will be promoted at the upcoming Lokalradioforbunds...
19/02/2026
Operative, the preferred advertising management solution provider for the world's leading media brands, today announced a partnership with GraySwan to bring...
19/02/2026
Witbe today announced the launch of Agentic SDK, a new test automation framework designed to help video service providers build, operate, and scale agentic auto...
19/02/2026
Grass Valley today announced that Network18 Media & Investments Ltd., one of India's largest and most influential media conglomerates, is deploying Grass Va...
19/02/2026
Clear-Com is sponsoring and presenting the USITT Stage Management Award during the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) Annual Conference & S...
19/02/2026
Paramores Hayley Williams Praises Berklee Ensemble: Make Noise Williams acknowledged the Paramore Ensemble after their show at the Berklee Performance Center ...
19/02/2026
Harmonic's cOS Virtualized Broadband Platform Is Simplifying Fiber Rollouts, Lowering Infrastructure Spend, and Delivering Exceptional Broadband Experiences...
19/02/2026
Fox Corporation Announces It Will Match U.S. Government's $1,000 Contributio...
19/02/2026
The GeForce NOW anniversary celebration keeps on rolling, and this week is all about the games that make it possible. With more than 4,500 titles supported in t...
19/02/2026
AI is accelerating the telecommunications industry's transformation, becomin...
19/02/2026
Mapping protein production in brain cells yields new insights for brain disease Scripps Research and UC San Diego scientists used a novel method to show that so...
18/02/2026
Audio quality control (QC) is becoming ever more crucial for Olympic Broadcastin...
18/02/2026
The Olympic Games are not only a showcase of athletic excellence, they are also ...
18/02/2026
Netflix is entering the MMA game with a matchup between two of the biggest names ever to compete on the women's side.
Most Valuable Promotions and Netflix ...
18/02/2026
Grass Valley announces that Network18 Media & Investments Ltd., one of India'...
18/02/2026
Cobalt Digital Inc., a designer and manufacturer of video and audio conversion, ...
18/02/2026
Production is divided between a studio in the mountains and a brand-new studio i...
18/02/2026
At the Winter Games IBC in Milan, NBC Sports and Olympics' director of audio...
18/02/2026
The Women's Alpine events at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Center, about a 10-minute drive from Cortina d'Ampezzo, featured some of the most exciting Olympic...
18/02/2026
At the Broadcast Center, 14 audio-control rooms handle the sound in a complex routing and processing regimen
We are exactly where we want to be, Karl Malone,...
18/02/2026
With 300 hours of curling competition in two weeks, it's a safe bet that even the most curling-hungry fan will be satiated. It also requires a production te...
18/02/2026
Always seen as one of the more crazy Olympic events, Bobsleigh is a sport in which athletes must have nerves of steel and pilots must navigate high-tech sleds...
18/02/2026
A typical Winter Olympics day - or should I say evening - inside the Warner Bros...
18/02/2026
The Netherlands has dominated Milan's ice rinks, scooping six speed skating ...
18/02/2026
At the Broadcast Center in Stamford, three discrete intercom systems combine into a centralized infrastructure
Into the second week of Milan Cortina 2026, eigh...
18/02/2026
AI is reshaping operations, capital is scaling ownership, sports are converging with media and entertainment, and venues are evolving into year-round platforms...
18/02/2026
DNA Inc. specializes in crafting next level digital experiences in the Media, St...
18/02/2026
Conflicts have increased, but so have solutions, driven chiefly by pragmatism and the threat of AI music
The only persons on the Figure Skating ice at the 2026...