MUMBAI: Suhrid Manchanda, who performs under the Su Real moniker, says India's music scene has evolved tremendously and has gone beyond Bollywood and Hindi pop.

"The scene has evolved tremendously over the last few years. It means it's actually possible for a weirdo like me whose music caters to niche markets to actually have a career. It doesn't all have to be Bollywood, sufi or Hindi pop anymore," Manchanda told IANS over an email.

Manchanda, who released his album Twerkistan last year, added, "There is more of an outgoing culture among youth in the metro cities, with money and brain cells to burn, and this trend seems to be spreading. Audiences, venues, promoters and branding/corporate partners are more receptive to new sounds and fans keep up to date with the latest developments."

The artiste, who is looking forward to perform at the fifth edition of Vh1 Supersonic in Pune, feels ‘the law, licensing and policing authorities need to catch up rapidly’ with the changing trends.

"(They need) to understand that music, nightlife and the arts in general not only fill our hearts, but fill pockets also creating hundreds of thousands of jobs in food and beverage (industry) and ancillary industries,” said Su Real.

Vh1 Supersonic 2018, fest by Live Viacom18, will be held at Laxmi Lawns, Pune, on 9 February and will end by 11 February. The line-up include names like Marshmello, Incubus, English trio Alt-J and American electronic music group Major Lazer.

Manchanda lauds the fest for giving a platform to home grown talent, he says, "A lot of my favourite festivals especially Vh1 Supersonic do a great job of pairing the right homegrown acts to support and open for the big international acts. Then, if the 'desi kalakaars' do their job right, they will wake up to hundreds of fresh, organic 'likes' on their Facebook profile, and maybe even some gig offers.”

"This is one of the best ways of introducing home grown acts to wider audiences and I for one have benefitted from this kind of support greatly. Thanks to Vh1 Supersonic events I've had the chance to open or support Skrillex, Major Lazer and Pretty Lights,” adds Su Real.

At the moment, Suhrid Manchanda is working on ‘lots of new music’.

(Source: IANS)