Indo-American songwriter Savan Kotecha will lead India’s new talent hunt for a new boy band. Photo: AudioDo© Lena Larsson
Indo-American songwriter Savan Kotecha’s recent India visit marks the launch of a new project – a talent hunt to find “globally positioned Indian boy band” along with Universal Music India, Republic Records, talent company Represent and filmmakers Jugaad Motion Pictures.
Auditions are now open via the talent hunt’s website (which even has a reference audition tape), with quirky tasks including being introduced by a partner recording them, a Q&A segment and singing and dance tests. Kotecha tells Rolling Stone India, “We’re looking for 15 to 19-year-olds.” The website states that applications will be responded to within a month’s time.
Another term used by all stakeholders to describe the goals and ambition driving the talent hunt is that they want to help India build a “teen pop economy.” Kotecha says, “One thing I noticed while spending time here is that a lot of the big artists in India are older. But India has this massive teenage population, and there’s not much local music that’s made for them […] We want this band to represent teenagers from all over India.”
To that end, he even goes on to use the example of (Western) artist posters that are taped on to the walls of a typical teen girl in India. “It’s time for teenage girls to have Indian artists on their walls instead of just Western ones. We want to help make that shift happen,” Kotecha says.
However, the shift is arguably already underway. India has already produced new age pop stars, even if they’re not necessarily speaking to Gen Alpha. In the last year alone, Sony Music India launched girl group W.i.S.H with India-based, New Zealand composer-producer Mikey McCleary. In December, YouTuber and singer-songwriter Aksh Baghla launched “next-gen pop boy group” First5.
Kotecha, who is all praise for the new pop bands, says, “I think every generation needs these kinds of groups. It’s a tale as old as time. As long as there are teenage girls, there will be pop bands — and I think that’s a beautiful thing.” Citing his own growing up years listening to groups like Boyz II Men and The New Kids On The Block and later being part of the development of influential British pop group One Direction, Kotecha says he saw “firsthand the impact they had on their fans and the music industry as a whole.” He adds, “As I’ve grown older, I’ve come to appreciate the nostalgia and timeless appeal of these groups. With this project, I’m excited to bring that same magic to a new generation of fans in India.”
While he’s had a continual role in developing pop music in the West, Kotecha says another reason to launch a talent hunt for an Indian boy band is to change Indians’ apparent “feeling of sometimes being treated as second-class citizens compared to the West.” He adds, “We need to stop looking outward for validation and start looking inward.”
Even as pop groups in India take off and introduce Indian elements, Kotecha is clear that they don’t want a band “chasing Western trends.” The group’s songs will be made bringing in “the best songwriters in India.” He says, “We want them to sound and feel Indian — proud of the culture, the rich musical history, while still being fresh and progressive.”
Most of 2025 will see Kotecha working on the talent hunt with Represent, Universal Music India, Jugaad Motion Pictures and Republic Records. “From collaborations with talented Indian artists to exploring new sounds and styles, I’m pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in Indian pop music. Stay tuned for some big announcements in the coming months,” he says.