{{Short description|Pop music produced in India}} {{distinguish|Indie pop|Indo pop}} {{Infobox music genre | name = Indian pop | native_name = | etymology = | other_names = Indi-pop • I-pop | image = Euphoria perform at the Red Bull SoundClash Concert in Dubai in November 2014.jpg | image_size = 260 | alt = | caption = Euphoria performing at the Red Bull SoundClash concert in Dubai, November 2014 | stylistic_origins = {{hlist|Bollywood music|Filmi|Indian music|Tamil music|Telugu music}} | cultural_origins = 1960s—1990s, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, United Kingdom | instruments = | derivatives = | subgenres = {{hlist|Asian Underground|Bhangra|Bhangragga|Bollywood reprise|Hindi dance music|Indian rock}} | subgenrelist = | fusiongenres = | regional_scenes = | local_scenes = | other_topics = }}
'''Indian pop music''', also known as '''Indi-pop'''<ref name="indiatoday">{{Cite news |last=Bora |first=Pranab |date=15 November 1996 |title=Channel V and MTV create never-before market for global music |work=India Today |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/indiascope/story/19961115-channel-v-and-mtv-create-never-before-market-for-global-music-834080-1996-11-15}}</ref> or '''I-pop''', refers to pop music produced in India that is independent from filmi soundtracks for Indian cinema. Indian pop is closely linked to Indian cinema (Bollywood, Tollywood, Pollywood and Kollywood), Pakistani pop music, and the Asian Underground scene of the United Kingdom. The variety of South Asian music from different countries are generally known as Desi music.
==History== {{See also|Hindi film music|Pakistani pop music|Bangladeshi rock|Asian Underground}}
Pop music originated in Pakistan with the playback singer Ahmed Rushdi's song "{{Lang|ur-latn|Ko Ko Korina}}" in 1966<ref name="CITEREFSocPolHistory">{{Cite web |last=Paracha |first=Nadeem F |date=December 13, 2004 |title=Socio-political History of Modern Pop Music in Pakistan |url=http://www.chowk.com/articles/8459 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100618091924/http://www.chowk.com/articles/8459 |archive-date=2010-06-18 |access-date=2008-06-27 |publisher=Chowk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=April 11, 2012 |title=29th death anniversary of Ahmed Rushdi today |url=http://dunyanews.tv/print_news_eng.php?nid=105193&catid=6&flag=d/2011-04-11/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160114050419/http://dunyanews.tv/print_news_eng.php?nid=105193&catid=6&flag=d/2011-04-11/ |archive-date=Jan 14, 2016 |access-date=2011-03-04 |publisher=Duniya News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=12 April 2010 |title=Remembering Ahmed Rushdi |url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/5631/remembering-ahmed-rushdi/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100427003202/http://tribune.com.pk/story/5631/remembering-ahmed-rushdi/ |archive-date=27 April 2010 |access-date=28 December 2012 |website=The Express Tribune}}</ref> and has since then been adopted in India, Bangladesh, and lately Sri Lanka, and Nepal as a pioneering influence in their respective pop cultures. Following Rushdi's success, Christian bands specialising in jazz started performing at various night clubs and hotel lobbies in various Southeast Asian cities. They would usually sing either famous American jazz hits or cover Rushdi's songs.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Banerjee |first1=Indrajit |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wo9YWvrWFcIC&pg=PA389 |title=Asian Communication Handbook 2008 |last2=Logan |first2=Stephen |date=2008 |publisher=AMIC |isbn=978-981-4136-10-5 |page=389 |language=en}}</ref>
Pop music began gaining popularity across the Indian subcontinent in the early 1980s, with Pakistani singers Nazia and Zoheb Hassan forming a sibling duo whose records, produced by Biddu, sold as many as 60 million copies.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=18 November 2005 |title=NRI TV presenter gets Nazia Hassan Award |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/indians-abroad/NRI-TV-presenter-gets-Nazia-Hassan-Award-/articleshow/1299893.cms |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308235816/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2005-11-18/indians-abroad/27850544_1_presenter-awards-indian-high-commission |archive-date=8 March 2012 |access-date=2011-03-04 |website=The Times of India |quote=With her brother Zoheb Hassan, Nazia sold a staggering 60 million records and became an international name at the tender age of 13.}}</ref> Biddu himself previously had success in the Western world, where he was one of the first successful disco producers in the early 1970s, with hits such as the hugely popular "Kung Fu Fighting" (1974).<ref name="metro_biddu">{{Cite web |last=Ellis |first=James |date=27 October 2009 |title=Biddu |url=http://www.metro.co.uk/showbiz/interviews/412-biddu |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110902182831/http://www.metro.co.uk/showbiz/interviews/412-biddu |archive-date=Sep 2, 2011 |access-date=2011-04-17 |website=Metro}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6tRBAQAAIAAJ |title=The Listener, Volumes 100–101 |work=The Listener |publisher=BBC |year=1978 |page=216 |quote=Tony Palmer knocked off a film account of someone called Biddu (LWT), who appears to have been mad enough to invent disco music. |access-date=21 June 2011}}</ref><ref name="shapiro_55">{{Cite book |last=Shapiro |first=Peter |url=https://archive.org/details/turnbeataround00pete |title=Turn the Beat Around: The Secret History of Disco |publisher=Macmillan Publishers |year=2006 |isbn=0-86547-952-6 |page=55 |access-date=7 June 2011 |url-access=registration}}</ref>
The term ''Indipop'' was first used by the British-Indian fusion band Monsoon in their 1981 EP release on Steve Coe's ''Indipop Records''.<ref>[http://www.ladyslipper.org/rel/v2_viewupc.php?storenr=53&upc=73145265272 Ladyslipper Music - Monsoon Featuring Sheila Chandra]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Discography |url=http://www.sheilachandra.com/information/disco.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110201234619/http://www.sheilachandra.com/information/disco.html |archive-date=2011-02-01 |access-date=2010-03-07 |website=Sheila Chandra}}</ref> Charanjit Singh's ''Synthesizing: Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat'' (1982) anticipated the sound of acid house music, years before the genre arose in the Chicago house scene of the late 1980s, using the Roland TR-808 drum machine, TB-303 bass synthesizer, and Jupiter-8 synthesizer.<ref name="ra_raga">{{Cite web |last=Rauscher |first=William |date=12 May 2010 |title=Charanjit Singh – Synthesizing: Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat |url=http://www.residentadvisor.net/review-view.aspx?id=7445 |access-date=3 June 2011 |publisher=Resident Advisor |quote=In 1982, armed with a now-iconic trio of Roland gear, the Jupiter 8, TB-303 and TR-808, Singh set out to update the entrancing drone and whirling scales of classical Indian music.}}</ref><ref name="geeta_ragas">{{Cite web |last=Geeta Dayal |date=6 April 2010 |title=Further thoughts on '10 Ragas to a Disco Beat' |url=http://www.theoriginalsoundtrack.com/2010/04/further-thoughts-on-ten-ragas-to-a-disco-beat/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100902151454/http://www.theoriginalsoundtrack.com/2010/04/further-thoughts-on-ten-ragas-to-a-disco-beat/ |archive-date=2 September 2010 |access-date=3 June 2011 |publisher=The Original Soundtrack}}</ref>
In the late 2000s, Indi-pop music faced increasing competition from filmi music. Major pop singers stopped releasing albums and started singing for movies. Recently, Indian pop has taken an interesting turn with the "remixing" of songs from past Indian movie songs, new beats being added to them.{{cn|date=September 2025}}
In 2022, Jaimin Rajani, an Indian singer-songwriter, fused the sitar's Indian classical sound with Western rock sensibilities in "Something Here to Stay," a track from his debut album Cutting Loose.{{cn|date=September 2025}}
''I-pop'' is a new and emerging music genre in India, blending Indian sounds with global pop influences. It features a mix of Hindi and regional languages, with themes ranging from romance to social issues.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sinha |first=Ekta |date=2025-11-21 |title=Meet The New Generation Of Indian Pop Artists Who Took Over 2025 |url=https://elle.in/life-culture/meet-the-new-generation-of-indian-pop-artists-who-took-over-2025-10799778 |access-date=2025-11-22 |website=Elle India |language=en}}</ref> Gaining popularity among youth, I-pop reflects a shift from traditional Bollywood music, driven by independent artists and digital platforms.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2025-05-04 |title=‘Indian music is a soft power with potential to woo global audiences’ |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/indian-music-is-a-soft-power-with-potential-to-woo-global-audiences/articleshow/120858399.cms |access-date=2025-09-30 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref>
==Lists== {{See also|Indian Music Industry||Pakistani pop music}}
===Best-selling albums=== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! scope="col" | Rank ! scope="col" | Year ! scope="col" | Album ! scope="col" | Artist(s) ! scope="col" | Sales (millions) ! scope="col" | {{Abbr|Ref|Refefence(s)}} |- | 1 || 1984 || ''Young Tarang'' || Nazia and Zoheb Hassan || 40 || <ref>{{Cite web |title=Young Tarang |url=http://pages.rediff.com/young-tarang/1392941 |access-date=28 November 2017 |website=Rediff |quote=The video album was sold in 40 million number which is the record of most selling video album. |archive-date=1 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201032151/http://pages.rediff.com/young-tarang/1392941 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Sheikh |first=M. A. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ol9C3lhd01QC&pg=PA192 |title=Who's Who: Music in Pakistan |date=2012 |publisher=Xlibris Corporation |isbn=9781469191591 |page=192}}{{Self-published inline|certain=yes|date=December 2017}}</ref> |- | 2 || 1995 || ''Bolo Ta Ra Ra..'' || Daler Mehndi || 20 || <ref>{{Cite web |title=Daler Mehndi |url=http://www.in.com/daler-mehndi/profile-63087.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120614081608/http://www.in.com/daler-mehndi/profile-63087.html |archive-date=2012-06-14 |access-date=2014-02-22 |publisher=In.com |quote=Daler Mehndi eventually switched from classical music to pop, and in 1995 his first album Bolo Ta Ra Ra, with tunes based on those given to him by his mother, sold half a million copies in four months and 20 million copies total, making him the best selling non-soundtrack album in Indian music history.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Booth |first1=Gregory D. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kFwWDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA151 |title=More Than Bollywood: Studies in Indian Popular Music |last2=Shope |first2=Bradley |date=2014 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780199928835 |page=151}}</ref> |- | 3 || 1995 || ''{{Lang|pa-latn|Billo De Ghar}}'' || Abrar-ul-Haq || 16 || <ref name="Abrar">{{Cite web |title=Statistics |url=http://abraronline.com/statistics.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326225201/http://abraronline.com/statistics.asp |archive-date=26 March 2009 |access-date=26 March 2009 |website=Abrar-ul-Haq Official Website}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Lodhi |first=Adnan |date=29 April 2016 |title=Abrar Ul Haq is back with a bangra |work=The Express Tribune |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/1094214/back-with-a-bangra/ |quote=Abrar formally stepped into the limelight in 1995 with the release of his first album, Billo De Gar, which sold over 16 million copies nationwide.}}</ref> |- | 4 || 1981 || ''{{Lang|ur-latn|Disco Deewane}}'' || Nazia and Zoheb Hassan || 14 || <ref>{{Cite web |last=Tunda |first=Franz |date=19 September 2010 |title="Disco Deewane", Nazia Hassan with Biddu and His Orchestra |url=http://lapelanga.com/2010/09/disco-deewane-nazia-hassan-with-biddu-and-his/ |website=La Pelanga |quote=Disco Deewane (recorded with legendary producer Biddu, who has given up music to be a writer, of all things…) went on to sell some 14 million copies worldwide, and the title track was a number one hit in Brazil.}}</ref> |- | rowspan="2" | 5 | 1998 || "{{Lang|pa-latn|Mundian To Bach Ke|italic=no}}" || Panjabi MC || 10 || <ref name="washingtonpost">{{Cite news |last=Wartofsky |first=Alona |date=13 July 2003 |title=Rap's Fresh Heir |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A36325-2003Jul10¬Found=true |access-date=23 May 2012}}{{dead link|date=June 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> |- | 2002 || ''{{Lang|pa-latn|Assan Jana Mall-o Mall}}'' || Abrar-ul-Haq || 10 || <ref name="Abrar" /> |- | 7 || 1999 || ''Bay Ja Cycle Tay'' || Abrar-ul-Haq || 6.5 || <ref name="Abrar" /> |- | rowspan="2" | 8 | rowspan="2" | 1997 | ''{{Lang|pa-latn|Majajani}}'' || Abrar-ul-Haq || 6 || <ref name="Abrar" /> |- | ''Only One'' || Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Mahmood Khan || 6 || <ref name="thenews">{{Cite news |last=Ansari |first=Shahab |date=5 July 2017 |title=Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's 'lost tape recordings' found |work=The News International |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/214544-Nusrat-Fateh-Ali-Khans-lost-tape-recordings-found |quote=The album sold 6 million units worldwide and broke his sound into World music stations across the US.}}</ref> |- | rowspan="2" | 10 | 1992 || ''Thanda Thanda Pani'' || Baba Sehgal || 5 || <ref>{{Cite news |last1=Raj |first1=Radhika |last2=Khanna |first2=Shubhda |date=2 October 2010 |title=Pop no more |work=Hindustan Times |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi-news/pop-no-more/story-ma10CUVJAvQZMpmguM6chP.html}}</ref> |- | 1995 || ''Made in India'' || Alisha Chinai || 5 || <ref>{{Cite book |last=Jeffries |first=Stan |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofwo0000jeff |title=Encyclopedia of World Pop Music, 1980-2001 |date=2003 |publisher=Greenwood Press |isbn=9780313315473 |page=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofwo0000jeff/page/35 35] |quote=All of Chinai's previous success was eclipsed with the 1995 release of ''Made in India''. A series of uptempo songs indebted to traditional Indian music but revealing a definite Western influence, the album reached #1 in the Indian charts and stayed there for over a year as it sold over 5 million copies. |url-access=registration}}</ref> |- | 12 || 1997 || ''Tum To Thehre Pardesi'' || Altaf Raja || 4 || <ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IP1tAAAAMAAJ&q=altaf+raja |title=Limca Book of Records |date=1999 |publisher=Bisleri Beverages Limited}}</ref> |- | 13 || 1993 || ''Tootak Tootak Toothian'' || Malkit Singh || 2.5 || <ref>{{Cite book |last=Sabharwal |first=Gopa |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D9gvCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT304 |title=India Since 1947: The Independent Years |date=2017 |publisher=Penguin Group |isbn=9789352140893 |page=304}}</ref> |- | rowspan="4" | 14 | 1996 || ''{{Lang|hi-latn|Sunoh}}'' || Lucky Ali || 2 || <ref name="Kumar">{{Cite book |last=Kumar |first=Raj |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wwwX6DWfn3gC&pg=PA18 |title=Essays on Indian Music |date=2003 |publisher=Discovery Publishing House |isbn=9788171417193 |page=18 |language=en}}</ref> |- | 1997 || ''Vande Mataram'' || A. R. Rahman {{small|(featuring Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan)}} || 2 || <ref>{{Cite book |last=Mathai |first=Kamini |title=A. R. Rahman: The Musical Storm |title-link=A. R. Rahman: The Musical Storm |date=2009 |publisher=Penguin Group |isbn=9788184758238 |page=160}}</ref> |- | 1998 || ''Sifar'' || Lucky Ali || 2 || <ref name="Kumar" /> |- | 2004 || ''Me Against Myself'' || Jay Sean || 2 || <ref>{{Cite web |last=Bill Lamb |title=Jay Sean |url=http://top40.about.com/od/s/p/jaysean.htm |access-date=2009-12-14 |publisher=About.com |archive-date=2009-09-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090924024639/http://top40.about.com/od/s/p/jaysean.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> |- | 18 || 2004 || ''{{Lang|pa-latn|Nachan Main Audhay Naal}}'' || Abrar-ul-Haq || 1.8 || <ref name="Abrar" /> |- | rowspan="2" | 19 | rowspan="2" | 1999 | ''Deewana'' || Sonu Nigam || 1.2 || <ref name="Screen">{{Cite journal |last=Khatib |first=Salma |date=22 September 2000 |title=Indi-pop: Down but Not Out |url=http://www.screenindia.com/old/20000922/msw.htm |url-status=bot: unknown |journal=Screen |archive-url=https://archive.today/20080302212327/http://www.screenindia.com/old/20000922/msw.htm |archive-date=2 March 2008 |access-date=5 October 2013}}</ref> |- | ''Oye Hoye'' || Harbhajan Mann || 1.2 || <ref>{{Cite news |date=19 February 2000 |title=Punjabi pop hits the jackpot! |work=The Tribune |url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2000/20000219/windows/main1.htm}}</ref> |- |rowspan="3" | 20 || 1996 || ''Naujawan'' || Shaan || 1 || |- | 1997 || ''Duniya'' || Raageshwari || 1 || |- |2000 || ''Tanha Dil...'' || Shaan || 1 || |}
===Music video streams=== {{See|List of most-viewed Indian music videos on YouTube}}
{| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! scope="col" | Year ! scope="col" | Song ! scope="col" | Artist(s) !Language ! scope="col" | YouTube streams {{small|(millions)}} ! scope="col" | {{Abbr|Ref|Refefence(s)}} |- | rowspan="2" |2020 |"{{Lang|te-latn|Butta Bomma|italic=no}}" |Thaman S, Armaan Malik |Telugu |820 |<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Aditya Music India |date=Feb 25, 2020 |title=#AlaVaikunthapurramuloo - ButtaBomma Full Video Song (4K) {{!}} Allu Arjun {{!}} Thaman S {{!}} Armaan Malik - YouTube |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mDCVzruYzQ |access-date=2021-02-22 |website=YouTube}}</ref> |- | "{{Lang|pa-latn|Brown Munde|italic=no}}" |AP Dhillon, Gurinder Gill, Shinda Kahlon |Punjabi |605 |<ref>{{YouTube|VNs_cCtdbPc|Brown Munde - Ap Dhillon {{!}} Gurinder Gill {{!}} Shinda Kahlon {{!}} Gminxr}}</ref> |- |2019 |"Rowdy Baby" |Yuvan Shankar Raja, Dhanush |Tamil |1400 |<ref name=":0">{{Citation |title=Maari 2 - Rowdy Baby (Video Song) {{!}} Dhanush, Sai Pallavi {{!}} Yuvan Shankar Raja {{!}} Balaji Mohan |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6Q7c9RyMzk |language=en |access-date=2021-02-22}}</ref> |- | rowspan="4" |2017 |"{{Lang|hi-latn|Jai Deva Ganesha|italic=no}}" |Abhay Jain |Hindi |29 |<ref>{{YouTube|RSSxcegAyWI|Jai Deva Ganesha {{!}} Abhay Jain {{!}} New Ganpati Song {{!}} Ganpati DJ Song}}</ref> |- | "Lahore" | Guru Randhawa |Punjabi | 750 | <ref name="t-series">{{Cite web |title=T-Series |url=https://www.youtube.com/user/tseries/videos?flow=list&sort=p |access-date=19 April 2019 |website=YouTube |publisher=T-Series}}</ref> |- | "Bom Diggy" | Zack Knight and Jasmin Walia |Punjabi | {{#expr:90+410+220}} | <ref>{{YouTube|lEgTtQFMjWw|Bom Diggy {{!}} Zack Knight {{!}} Jasmin Walia (Official Music Video)}}</ref><ref>{{YouTube|yIIGQB6EMAM|Bom Diggy Diggy (VIDEO) {{!}} Zack Knight {{!}} Jasmin Walia {{!}} Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety}}</ref><ref>{{YouTube|g7PP_gkcdgE|Bom Diggy Diggy (Video Song/Lyric Video)}}</ref> |- | "High Rated Gabru" | Guru Randhawa |Punjabi | 1168 | <ref>{{YouTube|hjWf8A0YNSE|Guru Randhawa: High Rated Gabru Official Song {{!}} DirectorGifty {{!}} Bhushan Kumar {{!}} T-Series}}</ref> |- | 2014 | "{{Lang|hi-latn|Zaroori Tha|italic=no}}" | Rahat Fateh Ali Khan |Hindi | 1427 | <ref>{{YouTube|6-n_szx2XRE|Rahat Fateh Ali Khan - Zaroori Tha}}</ref> |- | 2015 | "{{Lang|hi-latn|Dheere Dheere|italic=no}}" | Yo Yo Honey Singh |Hindi | 625 | <ref name="t-series" /> |- |2011 |"{{Lang|ta-latn|Why This Kolaveri Di|italic=no}}" |Dhanush and Anirudh Ravichander |Tamil |227 |<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Jackson |first=Joe |date=2011-11-30 |title=Nonsensical, Semi-English Music Video Goes Viral in India |language=en-US |magazine=Time |url=https://newsfeed.time.com/2011/11/30/nonsensical-semi-english-music-video-goes-viral-in-india/ |access-date=2021-05-10 |issn=0040-781X}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Singh |first=Renu |date=Dec 10, 2011 |title=B-schools hit by the Dhanush's Kolaveri di attack - Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/music/news/b-schools-hit-by-the-dhanushamp39s-kolaveri-di-attack/articleshow/11047535.cms |access-date=2021-05-10 |website=The Times of India |language=en}}</ref> |}
==References== {{reflist|2}}
{{Pop music}}
Category:Indian pop Category:Music of India Category:Indian styles of music Category:Performing arts in India Category:Music of South Asia Category:Entertainment in India Category:Pop music by country