Vow to play it right: Indie music at Indian weddings

Independent artistes are playing at wedding ceremonies. Three musicians discuss what it takes to cater to the shaadi crowd

What to wear to an indie-music gig? How about a sequinned lehenga, embroidered achkan, a glitzy cocktail sari, or a white lace ballgown? At sangeets, receptions and other wedding events, many couples are now swapping generic DJ music for performances by their favourite indie bands.

Maroon 5 performs at weddings too, in their video for the song Sugar (2015).

Drummer Nama Datta says that at any celebratory gathering, people want to hear sing-along anthems and dance numbers. (Instagram/@naman_datta)

A couple recently asked singer-songwriter (above) Aronjoy Das to play Killing In The Name by Rage Against The Machine at their sangeet. (Instagram/@aronjoy23)

Bassist Aradhya Khurana reckons it’s unfair to say that commercial music only gets musicians paid. “The dilemma is where you realise how much money you need to succeed as a musician. And seeing how little you get paid for the of music that you want to play.” (Instagram/@aradhyakhurana)