Indian singer Anuv Jain on finding success without the Bollywood boost

Indian singer Anuv Jain on finding success without the Bollywood boost

The singer-songwriter has spoken about building a career in India’s music scene as an acoustic indie pop artist.

Can an Indian artist succeed outside the Bollywood machine while making music that truly feels personal? According to Anuv Jain, yes — and it can even become something “beautiful.”

The singer-songwriter’s gentle vocals have drawn hundreds of millions of views on YouTube, no small achievement for an independent artist in India’s music industry.

BBC Newsbeat met Jain as he got ready for the final dates of the European leg of his first world tour, to learn why he is taking things slowly and “hoping for the best.”

“It’s not about the numbers,” Jain tells us backstage before his sold-out show at London’s Roundhouse.

But the numbers do tell a story.

Jain, who is from Ludhiana in India’s Punjab region, started singing as a teenager.

Since then, his songs have accumulated hundreds of millions of YouTube views, helped by emotional stories about relationships and heartbreak.

Jain mainly sings in Hindi, and his songs often delve into deep feelings such as love and longing.

Fans say his music feels like the soundtrack to their lives, and personal to them.

His easy-to-connect-with style has earned him 3.9 million followers on Instagram and more than 20 million monthly listeners on Spotify.

Jain says the key to his success is straightforward.

When he writes music, he imagines how someone listening in a car, out on a run, or sitting alone at night would feel hearing the song.

“I just try to make a good song and something that I would like to listen to, something my mum, my sister and my wife would like to listen to,” he says.

“For some reason, the taste that we have in music is gentle enough that when we put it out there, there are millions of people who are wanting to consume all of this.”

Jain has built a large following without Bollywood’s support, even though the film industry has traditionally dominated Indian music with opportunities and major funding for artists.

He is among a rising group of independent musicians offering something different from the lively film soundtracks and dramatic ballads associated with the country’s movie industry.

Jain says artists like him exist in an “alternate space”.

“We release music ourselves and hope for the best,” he says.

Jo Tum Mere Ho and Afsos, Jain’s collaboration with AP Dhillon, both reached number one on the Asian Music Charts, but he says there is no formula behind his success.

At one stage, Jain was releasing just one song a year.

He says he is “very selective” about what he puts out, and until recently he only released one song annually.

But that is set to change, and he says new songs are coming “very soon”.

“They’re done and I think they’re beautiful songs so technically you might have more music this year,” he says.

“It’s not like it’s gonna be just one release, let’s see how it works out.”

He says finishing a project is essential, which may be why he is careful about what he releases.

“There are no projects like right now for me that are half or that I haven’t completed them yet.

“When I start a project, I always finish it. I mean, I might have ideas, but as soon as I start writing, I finish it.”

Simplicity appears to work, with some parts of Jain’s songs, such as Arz Kiya Hai, becoming hugely popular with his fans and going viral on TikTok and Instagram.

The singer also plays guitar and is known for songs about deep emotions and themes.

In recent years, there have been high-profile collaborations between some of western music and Indian music’s biggest names.

Jain says he would be open to working with bigger stars, but only if his own identity is kept intact and everything is done “the right way”.

“The storytelling cannot get diluted just because there’s a bigger name attached,” he says.

But, he adds: “I’m not there yet”.

Still, Jain says he can imagine teaming up with former One Direction star Zayn Malik, who has found success on both the Official Singles Chart and Official Asian Music Chart.

“He would be somebody who would definitely work very well with the kind of music that I make,” says Jain.

“Maybe the universe will just make it happen.”