To continue celebrating Rising Women across all genres and styles of music, today we’re highlighting Rising Women in India. From Punjabi to Kannada to Dutch Pop influences, these women have paved the way for their voices to be heard through music.
Mitika Kanwar (Mitika Kanwar / 86sonics)
Punjabi singer-songwriter Mitika Kanwar (Mitika Kanwar / 86sonics) has made a name for herself through covers of Punjabi folk songs. She’s well-known for her distinctive style, eccentric arrangements, and mastery of intertwining a variety genres with Punjabi and Hindi languages.
Mitika has over 8 million streams across streaming services and has collaborated with acts such as Jaz Dhami, Tech Panda/Kenzani, Salim Merchant, KSHMR, and more!
This past April she released her single “jhalle aa”, a soulful Punjabi track with afro-soul production. The theme of the single is about “trusting the solo journey of life and faith, and manifesting love and success.” Upon the success of the release, the song was added to Apple Music’s Worldwide Indie GLOBAL playlist.
In May, she released the second single, “wine & chill” of her upcoming EP Ascension. This new endeavor is a Punjabi R&B project of 5 original songs that touch on love, heartbreak, and self love. Kanwar aims to encourage women to validate and empower themselves rather than searching for it externally.With a growing audience of over 150k monthly listeners on Spotify, she is sure to make her mark in the Punjabi space and beyond moving forward.
Sangeetha Rajeev (Sangeetha SR dba Sara Records)
Sangeetha Rajeev, aka SaRa, is an Indian playback singer, composer, stage performer, independent artist and an actress. She is recognized as the first female independent artist of the Kannada music space who introduced the Ka pop genre to millions via social platforms. Sangeetha Rajeev’s track “Nee Hinga Nodabyada” which is sung, composed and performed by her remains one of the biggest viral Kannada independent tracks.
On World Music Day, YouTube featured Rajeev on the front page of major publications making her the first and only artist from Karnataka to be featured as part of the Creating for India campaign. Now she’s working on original songs and recreating some popular folk songs from different regions of India. Look out for her Punjabi single titled “Laung Gawacha” and the Kannada version of it.
SHARONA (Sharona Wrld Ent)
Punjabi/Hindi singer SHARONA is introducing a new wave sound inspired by her roots. Being born and raised in the Netherlands, she aims to fuse her cultural backgrounds and make an impact on the Indian music scene with her traditional lyrics and melodies with a sprinkle of a Dutch pop sound.
In 2018, Mumbai became a second home to the artist while she was involved in several writing camps from Universal India, Sony Music India/Latin and worked on collaborations with well-known writers, producers, and artists. Eventually she was offered a deal by one of the biggest recording companies in India, but kindly turned it down. She wanted to go back to Europe and redefine her sound before launching her artistic career.
Now, she’s ready to show the world her new wave sound and is excited to launch into the Indian Diaspora audience. Check out her latest release “Nai Rehna” here!
