[In case you missed it, read volume I of this list right here. This piece was originally published with Misha Mansoor included, but as it turns out, his origins don’t trace back to India, so he has been removed from the list.]

The international music scene is currently grappling with neo genres and interesting never-before-heard sounds. There isn’t a dominating umbrella of the kind of music that is to be played anymore. And amidst all this experimentation is the keenness to embrace the sounds that come from around the globe. In this, India was always known as the country with a strong classical music heritage and pop sound.

For a long time, Indian musicians like the late Pt. Ravi Shankar, and now his daughter Anoushka, and the tabla maestro Zakir Hussain amongst others were seeked out for their classical sounds, as they acted as perfect fusion partners. Others like Biddu, a young rock musician in India, followed, who then went to England and became a successful music producer along with Asha Puthli, who deftly became a Jazz sweetheart. But contemporary international music has seen the birth of a few aficionados bringing intriguing and compelling styles of music to the fore, many of them of Indian descent, proving how far and wide our country’s sonic landscape is expanding. Never before have as many independent Indian artists had so many platforms to showcase their talents on, and every year, the number of homegrown talents we see being accepted on the world stage only seems to grow. Moreover, this growth has sprung up a new hybrid breed of equally talented artists who have roots in both places, India and abroad. We’ve attempted this list before, but with so many musicians to do justice to, we felt like we had to give it another shot so here we are again, with yet another compilation of some of the most promising talents, who trace their roots to India, and are making the right waves across the globe, however small or big. Fun fact--we don’t know what it is, but Indians really do seem to fit in particularly well in the strong-headed, supremely talented metal community.

[Note to readers — this list is presented in alphabetical order and in no particular order of preference.]

I. AMIT

AMIT has been producing electronic music for a while now, in his own personal, unique experimental space, and is credited to have developed the ‘half-step’ sub-genre in Drum and Bass.His debut album deftly placed him as one of the unique artists in the electronic space. He creates an atmosphere of deep paranoia, and strong vocals, and is one to look out for.

Listen to AMIT here, and follow him on Facebook as well.





II. Ankur Batra | Fire On Dawson

Karlsruhe, Germany boasts of the acclaimed neo-progressive rock band Fire on Dawson. Started in 2006, this band’s lead vocalist Ankur Batra finds his origins in the subcontinent of India. And apart from his refined vocals, Batra also contributes lyrics infused with personal emotions drawn from his real-life experiences so there’s definitely a point of interest for all open-minded music lovers to dive into, if they want to get to know his music better.

Listen to Fire on Dawson here. You can also follow Ankur on Facebook.





III. Anup Sastry | Jeff Loomis, Intervals

This Maryland-based metal musician is an aspiring audio engineer and producer, and is currently the drummer for Jeff Loomis’ band, the Canadian instrumental band Intervals, while the progressive metal band Skyharbor has also seen him play for them in the past. In 2013, Anup caused waves in the metal music community when he released his debut solo album ‘Ghost’.

Catch the drummer’s music here, and follow Anup on Facebook.





IV. Ben Khan

Inspired by J Dilla’s endless grooves & B.B.King’s deep blues, this 21 year old London artist makes brash, modern pop with an elusive edge. Though his handful of spiked minimalist funk tracks have reached more than 2 million views, says he’s “not big on living his life out loud”.

Follow Ben on Facebook, and check out his music here.





V. Dave ‘Brownsound’ Baksh | Brown Brigade, Sum 41, Organ Thieves

Canadian musician, singer and producer David Nizam Baksh is best known as the ex-lead guitarist of the much-loved punk rock band Sum 41. With his musical passion undying, he is now the singer and guitarist of his own heavy metal reggae blend project ‘Brown Brigade’. Not just that, he also plays the guitar for Organ Thieves with two fellow Brown Brigade members, and shreds for the Canadian death punk group Black Cat Attack as well. And to add to his unending list of wide-spread musical dabbling, he has now rejoined his original band Sum 41.

Here’s some of Dave’s music, and you can also follow him on Facebook.





VI. DJ Hvad

Originally Hari Shankar Kishore, this Denmark-based DJ describes his style as square, fast, alternative and Indian-inspired. Born to a Danish father and a Punjabi mother, his furious and animated beats resonate political and social unrest, and his music acts as an anthem for his cause.

Catch DJ Hvad’s beats here.





VII. Freddie Mercury | Queen

The British singer, song-writer and producer Freddie Mercury, best known as the lead vocalist and song-writer of the internationally loved rock band Queen hails from India, and as we exclaim with utmost pride, Mumbai. In a 2005 poll by Blender and MTV2, Mercury was voted the best male singer of all time, as he’s considered one of the greatest rock legends in history. Not to mention, apart from his beautiful voice and spectacular lyrics, his stage presence is phenomenal, and his performances are unparalleled in energy and passion.

Follow Queen on Facebook, and listen to their iconic songs here.





VIII. Heems

Himanshu Suri, popularly known as Heems broke out in the American music scene with his collaboration with his friend Victor Vazquez, with his alternative rap project, Das Racist, which when joined with another musician of Indian roots, Ashok Kondabolu as hype man, gained a new status for alternative hip hop in America. Heems, most known for his lyrics infused with quirky humour and pop culture references, has now began an independent career, with his first solo mixtape Nehru Jacket getting interesting reviews.

Catch his music here, and stay updated with his works on Facebook.





IX. Ian D’sa | Billy Talent

From the coastal haven of Goa hails this English-Canadian all-rounder musician. He’s talented enough to be a one man band, acing everything from song-writing, playing the guitar and piano, and singing to producing. Currently, he’s the guitarist for the rock band Billy Talent.

Follow Ian on Facebook, and catch Billy Talent’s music here.





X. Jai Paul

Wizard, fascinating, mysterious are just some of the words used for Jai Paul. His absence from the public eye notwithstanding, his debut demo BTSTU received rave reviews and a strong following in British Pop, with BBC’s Zane Lowe calling it the ‘Hottest Record in the World’. When his past records were illegally compiled in an album and released in Bandcamp, they made for hot sales, and the album was listen in Pitchfork’s Top 50 albums of 2013. Since the incident, Jai Paul has somewhat been in the downlow, with his fanbase eagerly waiting for him to make a comeback.

Catch his songs here, and you could follow the Britain-based musician on Facebook.





XI. Kim Thayil | Soundgarden

As the lead guitarist of the Seattle-based rock band Soundgarden, this American musician was named the 100th greatest guitar of all time by Rolling Stone magazine in 2003. Thayil co-founded Soundgarden with singer Chris Cornell and bassist Hiro Yamamoto in 1984 to take metal music back to its basic, which resonates the sounds of hard rock.

Listen to the music of Soundgarden here, and follow them on Facebook.





XII. KP Krishnamoorthy | Fractalline

From L.A, California comes the immensely talented guitarist of the technical death metal band Fractalline. What started off as a band in India called Myndsnare with KP and bassist Sandesh Nagaraj eventually turned into this full-form metal group in the US that is one of the most appreciated metal bands in California, today.

Follow KP on Facebook, and listen to his music here.





XIII. Luke Sital Singh

Singh is a british singer song writer who’s music has been compared to Bon Iver, Josh Ritter and the likes. Luke’s first ep names ‘Fail For You’ reached No.3 in the iTunes singer songwriter charts and No1 on both Bandcamp & Noisetrade in 2012. In 2013 he was names on the longlist of BBC’s Sound of 2014!

Catch Luke’s music here, and follow him on Facebook.





XIV. Mallika Sundaramurthy | Abnormality, Parasitic Extirpation

Based out of Boston, Mallika is a death metal vocalist for the bands Abnormality as well as Parasitic Extirpation. Signed with Sevared Records, this half-Tamil half-American singer’s extreme metal voice has been tearing apart various venues, and her brutal death band ,Abnormality, is a young American success.

Follow Mallika on Facebook, and catch her music here.





XV. Norah Jones

American singer-songwriter, musician and actress Norah Jones’ whole name, Geetali Norah Jones Shankar, is a dead give-away of her Indian origin. Daughter of American Sue Jones and Indian sitar legend Ravi Shankar, Norah dabbles in various genres from jazz and blues to folk and country, and even contemporary pop. With each and every beautiful song it’s apparent that this multi-talented vocalist, pianist and guitarist has music in her blood.

Catch Norah Jones’ music here. You can also follow her page on Facebook.





XVI. Nitin Sawhney

British musician Nitin Sawhney has branched out his music much like his eclectic sound with a strong body of work in jazz, hip hop and drum and bass. His versatility as a musician has made him one of the most sought after producers and composers, with him even having been nominated for a Mercury prize.

Follow Nitin on Facebook, and check out his sound here.





XVII. Pavan Mukhi | Foreign Beggars

Pavan Mukhi, founder of the acclaimed rap crew Foreign Beggars, took UK underground music by complete surprise after moving there post formation in Dubai. He has rapped for most part under the moniker Orifice Vulgatron, Pavan and his team went on to open for acts such as Snoop Dogg and Public Enemy. Much like his band which has a varied trajectory, the groups borrows influences from each member’s significant cultural base.

Listen to Pavan’s rap here, and follow him on Facebook.





XVIII. Prashant Aswani

Currently based in L.A, California, this energetic guitarist describes his style as Indian rock fusion. As a recording artist and producer, Prashant has released his incredibly infectious music in four albums -- Revelation: Fully Loaded, Visions, Frequency and Duality.

Follow Prashant’s music here, and follow him on Facebook.





XIX. Prashant Mistry | Engine EarZ Experiment

Multi-Instrumentalist Prashant Mistry (or Prash Mistry), having worked previously with music greats John Benitez and Foreign Beggars began Engine-EarZ Experiment, a live dubstep collective group in 2009. Called ‘The Massive Attack of the next generation’, Engine-Earz have received an outstanding welcome for being Dubstep’s first fully live act.

Follow Engine Earz on Facebook, and check their music out here.





XX. Praveen Sharma (Braille) | Percussion Lab, Sepalcure

This Brooklyn-based music producer’s electronic creations can be found on his personal website Percussion Lab, or on his album produced under Sepalcure--a collaboration between Praveen and Travis ‘Machinedrum’ Stewart. Better known under his alias Braille, this American artist produces unique beats with vocal fragments, melancholy vibes and warm melodic bass sounds.

Catch Praveen’s music here, and follow him on Facebook.





XXI. Ravi Bhadriraju | Job For A Cowboy (Past)

Grandson of respected Indian linguist and Dravidianist, Bhadriraju Krishnamurti, this USA-based musician found his style in death metal. Ravi was the rhythm guitarist and producer of Job for a Cowboy--a North American death metal band that got signed by Metal Blade, until he left the band to pursue his medical degree.

Catch Job for a Cowboy’s music here, and follow them on Facebook.





XXII. Robin Banerjee | The Amy Winehouse Band

Jazz and blues blended with reggae forms the style of British guitarist Robin Banerjee, who played on the late singer Amy Winehouse’s classic album Back to Black in 2006. As a part of her band, he toured with her for a year and a half, and played a tribute show to her in Israel at Zappa Tel Aviv. His fingers over guitar strings are like magic, producing beautiful melodies with each touch.

Listen to Robin’s music here, and follow them on Facebook.





XXIII. Sameer Bhattacharya | Flyleaf

Lead guitarist of the American band Flyleaf, Sameer Bhattacharya is a song-writer as well as guitarist. This Texas alt-rock band’s second album Memento Mori was a hugely appreciated top-of-the-charts success.

Follow Flyleaf on Facebook, and follow Flyleaf’s music here.





XXIV. Sameer Gadhia | Young The Giant

California-based five-member band Young the Giant’s lead vocalist is half-Gujarati and half-Bengali. This indie band’s smooth rock sounds are an American success led by Sameer, whose talents range from vocals and percussion, to the keyboard as well as the guitar.

Follow Young the Giant’s music, and catch them on Facebook.





XXV. Shivum Sharma

When British producer Kwes took young Shivum Sharma under his label National Anthem that launched artists such as Haim, there was an obvious buzz to what he could offer. Shivum with his initial releases of Flicker and Only You, produced by Kwes, slowly became the new soul hero in the UK underground scene. With his spacious, serene vocals, and his unhurried sounds make him the new artists to watch out.

Check out his sounds here.





XXVI. Siddhartha Khosla | Goldspot

The multi-talented singer, songwriter, producer and film composer Siddhartha Khosla is the founder of the New York-based rock band Goldspot. Right from their debut album ‘Tally of the Yes Man’, this group has received wide-spread appreciation for their alternative sounds blended with indie rock and subtle hints of pop.

Follow Siddhartha on Facebook, and follow his band Goldspot.





XXVII. Steve Chandra Savale | Asian Dub Foundation

Steve Chandra Savale better known by his stage name Chandrasonic, is the lead guitarist of British electronica band Asian Dub Foundation, with several other members of Indian origin such as John Pandit and Sanjay Tailor. The band was borne to combat a growing unrest against the Asian community in London, and has grown to present music with strong contemporary issue references and takeaways from the band members’ asian roots.

Listen to Asian Dub Foundation’s songs here, and catch them on Facebook too.





XXVIII. Sukh Knight

The East London dubstep and grime scene saw the arrival of sukh Knight who brought with him asian influences in his strong bassline productions. Along with fellow producers, Blue Bear and Alexander Growers, he began the True Tiger, a collective that remixed some of the best tracks of artists like Dot Rotten, Ed Sheeran, Snoop Dogg, and created a cult status for itself in the UK underground scene.

Follow Sukh Knight on Facebook, and catch his music here.





XXIX. Tjinder Singh | Cornershop

The British indie rock band, Cornershop, was founded by singer, song-writer and guitarist Tjinder Singh along with his brother Avtar Singh, drummer David Chambers and Ben Ayres. Best known for the single ‘Brimful of Asha’, this band’s music is a fusion of Indian music, Britpop and electronic dance music.

Follow Tjinder on Twitter, and follow Cornershop’s music here.





XXX. Tony Ashwin Kanal | No Doubt

Born to Indian parents in London, Tony Ashwin Kanal is an American musician currently based out of California. As the bassist for the rock band No Doubt, he worked with vocalist Gwen Stefani for several years, as well as with reggae singer Elan Atias. His musical prowess extends from bass guitar to producing and songwriting, and genres are no limitation for Tony as he experiments with ska punk, reggae fusion, punk rock, pop punk, new wave, alternative rock and ska.

Follow Tony on Twitter, and catch No Doubt’s music here.





XXXI. Vinay Joseph | Mastema

Hailing from Kerala, Vinay Joseph started playing the guitar at the age of 14, and he never stopped. He has played in various urban cities of India, and performed at the Dubai Desert Rock Festival in 2008. After travelling the world with his music, he’s currently based out of Texas as part of the thrash metal band Mastema.

Catch Mastema here, and follow Vinay on Facebook.





XXXII. Vishal “V” Khetia | Heart Of A Coward

Rising out of Milton Keynes, a town in England, is a five-member metal band fuelled by undying passion and immense talent. Bassist of the heavyweight metal band Heart Of A Coward, Vishal ‘V’ Khetia, along with the other four members, got signed by Century Media Records, and each track of their albums seem to tear apart the metal community, in a good way.

Follow Heart of a Coward on Facebook, and listen to their music here.





Research by: Pranay Gopinath