It happens rarely nowadays - usually at weddings and house parties, but if you were born between 1999 and 1989, it's very likely that your dancing instincts perk up when you hear this:

It's been fifteen years since Jay Sean released Me Against Myself - his debut album that propelled him to superstardom and #1 billboard spots across the world. A huge part of that success, however, was fueled by what urban India was listening and partying to at the time. The album didn't reach 5x Platinum in India for nothing.

It's been a long time since those days, however - so we decided to take a look at some of the most popular artists from that era. It's time to trip on some serious nostalgia.

The Rishi Rich Project

While Rishi Rich, aka Rishpal Singh Rekhi's Rishi Rich Project was born in 2003, the seeds of this music revolution were sown way earlier - in the expat neighbourhoods of early 90's London.

Born Kamaljit Singh Jhooti, the musician who would become Jay Sean, displayed musical talent at a young age. Rapping alongside his cousin at the age of 11, and calling himself 'MC Nicky J' - he would soon come to be known as 'Jay' by his friends. Continuing to sing and rap while enrolling at dental college, he would eventually come across Juggy D and the both of them would leave behind their prospective careers to pursue music under Rishi Rich.

Their first albums were played around the world - with their debut single Dance With You earning massive commercial and critical success:

Today, Jay Sean is pretty much an international superstar - with #1 Billboard hits like Down with Lil' Wayne and 2019's With You, featuring Gucci Mane & Asian Doll. For the most part though, he's toned down his releases and taken somewhat of a backseat - choosing to become a family man, after marrying singer Thara in 2009 and having his two children, Ayva and Aaryan:

Juggy D, meanwhile, has found himself coming back to his roots. As the only Punjabi singer from The Rishi Rich Project, it isn't surprising that he's found opportunities with India's massive explosion of Punjabi hip-hop tracks - collaborating once again with Rishi Rich and Indian rapper, IKKA:

Bombay Rockers

Almost at the very same time, back in 2002 - three musicians met and a never-seen-before fusion of cultures hit the global music melting pot. Navtej Singh Rehal (Naf) was introduced to Scandinavian producer team WCA (Thomas Sardorf and Janus Barnewitz) - resulting in a series of recording sessions where Ari Ari was made:

Soon after, the trio began to tour Denmark and after tasting success, released their debut album Introducing… in 2003. The album contained several smash hits like Wild Rose and Sexy Mama - although their most popular song to date remains Rock Tha Party:

While this album was an incredible success, earning the group a 5x Platinum release - hell, I even bought my own copy of their CD back in 2004.

Today, they've taken a backseat - choosing to go on tour while their last new song was released back in the early 2010s. They did however, make a surprising comeback - with Rock Tha Party featured in a music video for 2017's Rocky Handsome film, starring John Abraham and Nora Fatehi:

Bombay Vikings

Seems like Scandinavian and Indian musicians get along really well.

Back in Stockholm in 1994, three experienced musicians met when Mats introduced Neeraj Shridhar and Oscar Soderberg to each other. After touring Europe and reaching a four-year hiatus, Shridhar finally produced Kya Soorat Hai in 1999, and the rest became history. Several credit groups such as Bombay Vikings for popularising the concept of western music in Indian film production.

The album's most popular track was the titular Kya Soorat Hai, which featured Tamil superstar Prabhu Deva's brother, Raju Sundaram:

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Just a year later in 2000, the group released Woh Chali, which met with international success:

They also released several more songs inspired by older Bollywood music - all through the 2000s. One of their most popular songs was 2002's Hawa Mein Udati Jayye. Look closer, and you'll even spot Gauhar Khan in this music video:

Today, the Vikings have pretty much disappeared, with Shridhar only working on Bollywood tracks and background compositions for several years now.

Raghav

Born into a Hindu family in Toronto, Canada, Raghav Mathur, known professionally as Raghav grew up with immense influences from the worlds of R&B and hip-hop. Winning a National Songwriters Association of U.S.A. award by the time he was 16, he completed an extensive education in music and joined the A&R/V2 record label - with whom he churned out several UK top 10 chartbusters in his early years, like 2004's Can't Get Enough:

The next year, Raghav released his debut album - Storyteller. The album sold 1.6 million copies, culminating in a world tour that propelled Raghav out of the UK music scene into superstardom.

Today, Raghav continues to perform across the world, although he's cut back on the recording for sure. But he did come out with this track back in 2018, after a long hiatus:

Photo: © Reuters (Main Image)