Believe India Launches BL/UR to Shape The Future Of Independent Indian Pop

Coinciding with its 20th global anniversary, global artist development company Believe India has announced the launch of its fourth music imprint, BL/UR, at a celebratory networking event for the music fraternity in the city.

Over the last few years, Believe India has built a multi-community talent incubation hub focused on identifying, nurturing and elevating independent talent in the country. Offering global positioning, strategic marketing and creative autonomy, Believe has been on a journey to empower regional artists and help them build sustainable, long-term careers.

Believe has previously launched three genre-specific regional imprints, Neue (Punjabi), Mahra Tora (Haryanvi), and Think Indie (Tamil Independent). Building on this established infrastructure, the company is now launching BL/UR, an imprint designed to blur in-country and global boundaries with a fresh, modern sound.

The label will serve as an exploration studio for artists while offering listeners an alternative to commercial Bollywood music. Through BL/UR, Believe is further spotlighting its core philosophy of artist development, with independent musicians releasing tracks and EPs exclusive to the imprint.

The initial roster includes Marathi pop artist Sanju Rathod, known for ‘Gulabi Saadi’ and ‘Shaky’, and composer-producer Anurag Saikia, whose viral track ‘Ishq Hai’ from the third season of Mismatched has garnered over 269 million streams on Spotify.

Celebrating the imprint’s launch, Saikia has released a new track, ‘Badeela’, the first preview of his six-song pop EP, Pardesi, which is set to launch later this year. The track uses striking Rajasthani motifs to explore the gentle, transformative power of love. Inspired by his travels, Saikia captures his experiences in Rajasthan as a pardesi in the new EP for BL/UR.

The imprint will also feature lyrical poet and rapper Farhan Khan, who has previously blended qawwali music with various genres; desi hip-hop artist Khullar G; genre-fluid duo Rusha & Blizza, known for their fusion of electronic, Indian and global sounds; and rapper-songwriter Bali, known for his contemporary take on hip-hop.

“A new generation of Indian artists are growing up without looking at identity as local or global. Their influences move seamlessly across genres and cultures, and their music reflects that. BL/UR was created to identify and develop artists defining this new chapter. The future of Indian pop will be shaped by the freedom to draw inspiration from everywhere while remaining unmistakably Indian,” said Akhila Shankar, Director - Believe Artist Services (India and South Asia).

“Our mission over the last two decades has been to democratise the music industry by giving artists the tools, platform and freedom to build audiences while staying true to their creative identity. BL/UR is a natural evolution of that vision. It reflects our belief that the future of Indian Pop lies in breaking down the boundaries between genres, sounds and influences, and giving artists the space to shape something entirely their own,” said Vivek Raina, Managing Director, Believe India & South Asia.

“As we mark Believe’s 20th anniversary, BL/UR represents where we see Indian music heading next, a new generation of artists drawing from diverse cultural and global influences to create a sound that is distinctly contemporary, distinctly Indian, and built for a global audience,” he added.