I am such a sucker for Bollywood music that I have a song ready in my mind for any situation that I am in. I would express my happiness by singing a song and then breaking into an impromptu dance gig. And I just cannot function without my dose of Bollywood music on a daily basis! If you can relate to all of that too, welcome to the club!
From classics like Lag Jaa Gale to new hits like Sanam Re, we’ve heard all Bollywood songs over and over again. While singers in Bollywood are doing a great job with these soulful songs, there are some other underrated singers who’re giving a different meaning to these original numbers.
Here are some artists who are rocking YouTube with their Bollywood covers and mashups. You are going to love them:
1. Darshit Nayak
Darshit Nayak is an independent singer and songwriter from Ahmedabad. Darshit has done numerous Bollywood music covers, the most noteworthy being Tum Hi Ho which garnered more than 6 lakh hits. Some of his other popular covers include mashups of Kabhi Jo Badal Barse, Maahi and Judaai and Tum Saath Ho.
You can check out his work here.
2. Vidya
Vidya is an Indian-born American who loves to travel, eat and sing. A student of Carnatic classical music, Vidya performs regularly as a vocalist of the Shankar Tucker Band. Along with her electric voice, her music covers have visuals which are a visual treat. Her covers have fetched as many as 5 million hits on YouTube. Her mashup on Nicki Minaj’s single “Truffle Butter” and Ram Sampath’s Ambarsariya, is one of our favourites. You should also check out her mashup of Hossana and Love Me Like You Do and Lean On and Jind Mahi. She is one talented singer to watch out for!
Check out Truffle Butter’s cover version here.
3. Shankar Tucker Band
Vidya has already been mentioned as the from Shankar Tucker Band but there is more to the band. Shankar’s musical style blends Classical music, Indian folk music traditions, jazz, pop music and electronic to create a unique and original fusion sound. Shankar himself plays a wide range of instruments in his recordings: piano, bass, kanjira, tabla, and other percussion instruments. I just couldn’t get over Shankar’s mashup of O Re Piya and Adele’s Rolling in the Deep. With the tabla and the flute, the song transported me to infinity.
Check out the mashup right here!
4. Studio Unplugged
If you are fond of acoustic covers, Studio Unplugged is the channel you should be subscribing to. They feature both old and new songs, and frequently do some good mashups too. Rasmeet’s cover of Tere Bina from Guru stands out.
Check out more of their work here!
5. Sanam Puri
You might have heard Sanam Puri singing Ishq Bulaava from Hasee Toh Phasee. Sanam was a YouTube artist and the lead vocalist of the band, Sanam, before breaking into mainstream Bollywood music. Their cover of Duaa is worth a listen.
Check out Duaa’s cover version here:
6. Akash Gandhi
Composer and pianist Akash Gandhi started the YouTube channel, 88 Keys To Euphoria, which does instrumental covers of popular songs. With the insanely in-sync musical instruments, the band has now grown to become one of the most recognized brands on YouTube dedicated to acoustic Bollywood music. You’ll love Tujhe Bhula Diya’s piano cover.
Check out the cover here.
7. Shirley Setia
Don’t go by her cute face, Shirley Setia is so much more than that. She created a storm at IIT Hyderabad with her musical gig on Love Me Like You Do, leaving us awestruck. She is quite a sensation on YouTube. Her cover of Bol Do Na Zara reached a million views on YouTube in just 2 weeks. Way to go, girl!
Shirley’s other hits can be found here.
8. Avanie Joshi
Avanie has come a long way since her first appearance on Channel V and MTV. Those who are avid viewers of teen dramas on Channel V and MTV, must be familiar with Avanie. Avanie has done shows like Gumrah, Confessions Of An Indian Teenager and Halla Bol. Before foraying into television, she was a YouTube star who landed up there by a freak chance but just got into the mode! Avanie’s Chahun Main Ya Na, a year ago, catapulted her into limelight with a million views on YouTube.
Her Banjaara’s cover version is a personal favourite. Think, it can become one of your favourites too, check it out for yourself here.
9. Shraddha Sharma
Shraddha Sharma started her career by uploading acoustic cover of Main Tenu Samjhawan Ki but it was Haal-E-Dil from Murder 2 which went viral with more than 2 million views. She has also sung for an ad campaign with Just Trust Me as the song.
You can listen to her tanglish cover on Dum Maaro Dum here.
10. Amika Shail
Amika Shail’s mom is the inspiration behind her music. Her melodious and husky voice is the reason for her breath-taking performances. Not only acoustic covers, instrumental cover and originals on youtube, Amika is behind the screen to give voice for various advertisement campaigns. Her song meri maa made me miss my mom. Mommy, I am coming home!
And, how can I forget, she has done a fantastic job with Gerua’s version! It’s her voice that made me put the cover on loop. Check out Gerua’s cover here.
My weekend just got sorted for the better!*Downloads all the songs from YouTube, right away*
