50 Indian Indie Musicians

THE LIST

RAMIL GANJOO

First-release: 2018

About the artist: Ramil Ganjoo, an independent artist from Mumbai, was raised in a creative environment with a sculptor father and artist mother. After joining guitar classes at 13, Ramil was already performing at 16. Ramil has previously composed songs for several commercials short films like Dayaan (2017) and the documentary Didi - Crime and Justice (2018). He released his first single, ‘Qadar’ in 2018 and later, his debut EP ‘Phir Kabhi’ in 2020. The album plays as an ode to love and romanticism. Ramil’s mellow love songs have a wispy and dreamlike quality to them. He admits to his songs being a way of communicating his feelings effectively. The relatability, however, is why many appreciate his music.

A must-listen: Dhundo Mujhe (Single, 2020)

MAAYA MATTOO

First-release: 2020

About the artist: Maaya Mattoo is a singer-songwriter from Delhi. Trained in Hindustani classical music since she was three, Maaya started her Western vocals and keyboard lessons at the age of 10. She went on to learn the ukulele and guitar. With a mixture of percussions and string instruments in her music, Maaya now composes a variety of Soul, acoustic-driven R&B and Jazz-Funk tunes. Maaya’s debut single, ‘Some Days’, was released in 2020. Before that, she covered the blues version of various rock songs on YouTube. The music she makes is melancholic and tranquil and hits the right spot when you’re feeling blue. Her songs reflect personal conflicts, self-awareness, heartbreaks, bad days and her way of coping with them.