Guest Column: Why Spiritual Music Is Finding A New Audience Among Gen Z

For me, spirituality was never something I had to discover. It was something I grew up inside.

My childhood was deeply shaped by spirituality, music and the experiences my parents introduced me to from a very young age. Some of my earliest memories are of travelling to the Himalayas with them, visiting ashrams, spending time with learned gurus, attending the Kumbh Mela and being surrounded by kirtans. I was exposed to devotional music even before I could speak or fully understand language. In many ways, music became my first language.

As I grew older, that inherited connection became something more personal. Meditation, silence and moments of reflection taught me to look inward and understand what spirituality meant to me beyond the traditions I had grown up around. I began to realise that some of the answers we spend years searching for become clearer when we simply create enough space to listen.

That idea has quietly shaped the way I live and work. At Birla Open Minds, Soul Science is particularly close to my heart. We speak to children about meditation, mindfulness, reflection and emotional well-being because I believe education should prepare you for both worlds, the one outside you and the one within you.

Music has become another expression of that philosophy.

Through Sounds For The Soul, I am building a space where India's spiritual traditions can meet the sounds and sensibilities of today. Shankaraa was my offering to Mahadev, born from devotion, stillness and surrender. Radhe Hari (Divine Love) expresses divine love, while Hari's Heart comes from a deeply personal relationship with the Divine. Draupadi's Prayer draws from one of the most powerful moments in the Mahabharata, while Sita Ram (the dance of joy) explores spirituality through celebration and movement.

Baba brings another dimension to that world, an ode to Mahadev's power and devotion expressed through a contemporary, high-energy sound. For me, that is the beauty of spirituality. It can be stillness, surrender, celebration or pure energy. It does not have to fit into one form.

Perhaps that is why I find the growing connection between spirituality and younger audiences so interesting. Gen Z is exploring meditation, yoga, breathwork, mindfulness and music with a genuine curiosity about meaning and inner well-being. They are finding their own ways into spirituality rather than necessarily accepting a single definition of it.

Music can make that exploration experiential. You can feel something before you understand it. I know that because that is how my own relationship with spiritual music began.

I also see a fascinating opportunity from an entrepreneurial perspective. India has an extraordinary spiritual and musical heritage, and there is enormous potential to take these traditions to audiences globally while keeping their essence intact.

Our Kirtan Jamming experience in the UK reinforced that belief. Seeing people from different backgrounds connect with Indian chants and music reminded me that devotion has a way of transcending cultural boundaries. The feeling of surrender, joy and connection is something people can experience regardless of where they come from.

I see opportunity to bring music, community and shared experiences together in a way that keeps the spirit of devotion at its heart. For me, the intention behind what we create matters as much as what we create. I have never felt that ambition and spirituality need to sit on opposite sides. I can build, create and dream while staying rooted in faith and gratitude. Perhaps that is what discipline means to me, not just moving forward, but knowing what to carry with y ou along the way.

Ultimately, I don't see spiritual music as something we turn to only when life becomes difficult. For me, it has always been part of life's best moments, a way of expressing gratitude, joy, love and connection.

That is what I hope my music can offer too: a moment to pause, feel deeply, celebrate freely and reconnect with something within.

Because sometimes, music doesn't take you somewhere new. It simply helps you recognise what has been within you all along.