Why global stars are attacking India now

“Please come to my city!”

The famous cry of music lovers all over the world who hope that their favorite artists will come to their hometown.

Fans in India, however, have often seen that plea fall on deaf ears.

Artists including Sabrina Carpenter, Gracie Abrams and the Arctic Monkeys appear on Spotify album chart in the countrywhere Ed Sheeran’s ÷ (Divide) spent 217 consecutive weeks.

Many world famous musicians tend to skip the country.

But that seems to be changing now.

Dua Lipa’s recent performance in Mumbai went viral and Coldplay will soon begin their tour – nine years after their last visit to India.

Their dates include two shows in Ahmedabad where more than 100,000 people are expected each night.

“Having that experience in your own country, it’s really cool to see it happening more and more,” music lover and aspiring artist Anoushka Maskey tells BBC Newsbeat.

Demand for live music appears to be growing in India, with ticketing platform BookMyShow reporting 18% growth in 2024.

Ed Sheeran is set to play his biggest ever cross-country tour, with artists including Shawn Mendes and Louis Tomlinson set to appear at Lollapalooza in March.

Marketing professor dr. Sourindra Banerjee, of Leeds University Business School, says India’s population of 1.4 billion – and their age – is a big draw for artists.

“A large part of the world, young people, lives in India,” says dr. Banerjee to Newsbeat.

“So if I were in the music business, that would be the place I would target, to take advantage of the demographic.”

According to global market research firm Statista, value of the Indian music industry in 2021 it was 19 billion rupees (£178 million).

By 2026, it is estimated to grow to 37 billion rupees (£346 million).

Dr Banerjee says the rise of K-pop in India it showed Western artists the country’s potential for finding new fans.

“The big music labels have research teams that would see if someone else (can) take over a big market,” he says.

More broadly, he feels Indian growing wealth and connections with the world making it an important place where artists can get a foothold and “collaborate”.

“Not only to access the Indian market, but also to access the large Indian (population) living outside the country.”

For local Indian artists, there is hope that big names could bring them big opportunities.

Pop/folk singer Anoushka has been making music since 2020 and believes that western artists offer an opportunity for local artists to gain more visibility.

She has experience herself after opening for Brit Award winner Ben Howard.

“It’s an opportunity I never thought I’d have in the country,” she says.

Independent singer-songwriter Anumita Nadesan says the opportunity to work with bigger artists “puts you on the map.”

“It is also very inspiring because earlier when a mega artist would come to India, we had to travel to another country to see their concerts.

“And you learn a lot as an artist by going to those concerts,” says the Hindi artist.

Bangalore-based pop artist Frizzell D’Souza says watching foreign artists who started from humble beginnings can send a strong message to Indian audiences that homegrown talent can achieve global fame.

She describes Ed Sheeran as her “singing hero” and says his experience on the bus and playing local venues compares.

“It’s very encouraging to know that someone like him can actually do it,” says Frizzell.

“Even though he’s such a big superstar right now, he kind of started in the same place as me.”

Frizzell also sees an opportunity for cultural exchange, with Western musical figures being exposed to Indian sounds.

It highlights rapper Hanumankind, who is charting globally with Big Dawgs and teamed up with A$AP Rocky.

“And it’s proof that international artists coming to India is also helping Indian artists break through (globally),” she says.

However, artists point out some possible disadvantages of the influx of world stars coming to India.

The biggest risk that Frizzell sees is related to money – and audiences that budget mostly for bigger artists.

“I hope I’m wrong about this, but maybe (they) would prefer bigger international acts and wouldn’t want to take a chance on younger or up-and-coming acts.”

Anumita adds that there is also the possibility that artists will overshadow the attention of smaller artists.

“But it also challenges smaller artists to maybe raise the bar.”

According to Peony Hirwani, music journalist for Rolling Stone India, the risk of being overshadowed is low because the companies involved in the events often ensure that local artists are the main support.

As an example, he cites G-Eazy’s 2024 tour, which featured only Indian acts – which helped boost their careers.

Instead, she tells Newsbeat, the focus should be on improving infrastructure to attract the biggest names such as Taylor Swift and Beyonce – both of whom have not brought their tours to India.

The fans have he often complained about the facilities, concerts are often held in sports stadiums that are used during the long cricket season in India and are not always available throughout the year.

“So we need more, bigger halls and a better system for music,” says Peony.

The Lollapalooza festival takes place at the Mumbai Racecourse – the only place with enough space to hold it safely.

“Even some of the (significant) stadiums we have right now … definitely need to talk about what everybody needs to make our infrastructure and arenas better,” Peony says.

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