Why are global stars now coming to India?

“Please come to my city!”

A familiar cry from music lovers around the world waiting for their favorite artists to come to their hometown.

However, fans in India have often seen that plea fall on deaf ears.

Artists such as Sabrina Carpenter, Gracie Abrams and Arctic Monkeys appear on Weekly Country Spotify Albums Chartwhere Ed Sheeran’s ÷ (Divide) has spent 217 consecutive weeks.

Many world-famous musicians have tended to leave the country.

But that now seems to be changing.

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 to attend each night.

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

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

Ed Sheeran will be taking his biggest tour to date across the country, and artists including Shawn Mendes and Louis Tomlinson will appear at the Lollapalooza festival in March.

Dr Sourindra Banerjee, a marketing professor at the University of Leeds Business School, says India’s 1.4 billion people – and their age – are a big draw for artists.

“A large part of the world, of the youth, lives in India,” Dr. Banerjee tells Newsbeat.

“So if I was in the music business, that would be the place I would go, to reap the benefits of the demographic.”

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

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

Dr Banerjee says The rise of K-pop in India. has shown Western artists the country’s potential to find new fans.

“The big labels have research teams that would have seen that someone else can take over a big market,” he says.

More generally, he believes that India Growing wealth and links with the rest of the world. makes it an important place for artists to establish themselves 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 can give them big opportunities.

Pop/folk singer Anoushka has been making music since 2020 and feels that Western artists offer an opportunity for local acts to find greater visibility.

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

“That’s an opportunity I never thought I’d have within the country,” he says.

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

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

“And as an artist you learn a lot by attending these concerts,” says the Hindi artist.

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

She describes Ed Sheeran as her “songwriting hero” and says his experience busking and playing at grassroots venues is relatable.

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

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

Frizzell also sees an opportunity for cultural exchange, exposing Western music figures to Indian sounds.

She points to rapper Hanumankind, who hit the global charts with Big Dawgs and teamed up with A$AP Rocky.

“And that is proof that international artists coming to India also helps Indian artists break through (globally),” he says.

But artists point out some potential drawbacks to the influx of global stars coming to India.

The biggest risk Frizzell sees has to do with money and that the public budgets primarily for bigger artists.

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

Anumita adds that there is also the possibility of artists overshadowing the attention that smaller artists receive.

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

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

He gives as an example G-Eazy’s 2024 tour, which only featured Indian supporting artists, which helped launch their careers.

Instead, he tells Newsbeat, the focus should be on improving infrastructure to attract bigger names like Taylor Swift and Beyoncé, who did not bring their tours to India.

The fans have often complained In terms of facilities, concerts are often held in sports stadiums used during India’s long cricket season and are not always available year-round.

“That’s why we need more, bigger venues and a better system for music,” says Peony.

The Lollapalooza Festival takes place at a horse racing track in Mumbai, the only place with enough space to host it safely.

“Even in some of the (notable) stadiums we have now… there definitely needs to be conversations about what everyone needs to improve our infrastructure and our facilities,” Peony says.

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