5 South Asian Independent Artists to Watch for Future Soundtracks (and How to Discover Them)

Missing a one-stop source for soundtrack-ready South Asian songs? Here are five indie artists you should be queuing up right now

Music supervisors, indie filmmakers, and pop-culture podcasters keep telling us the same pain point: great South Asian tracks are scattered across platforms, metadata is messy, and trustworthy publishing channels that can collect global sync royalties are still new territory. Enter the Kobalt – Madverse deal in early 2026, which could narrow that gap. Below we spotlight five independent South Asian songwriters and composers who are primed to benefit from that partnership, with listening notes, film and TV placement ideas, and practical ways to discover, license, and amplify their work.

From the Variety report in January 2026: Kobalt has formed a worldwide partnership with Madverse Music Group, giving Madverse’s community of independent songwriters, composers and producers access to Kobalt’s publishing administration network.

Why this matters in 2026: sync demand, short-form exposure, and better royalty flow

Three quick context points for supervisors and creators planning placements this year:

• Global streaming platforms are commissioning regional soundscapes more than ever. Since late 2024, US and European streamers have pushed series that feature authentic South Asian voices rather than Westernized interpretations.
• Short-form video syncs (TikTok, Reels, Shorts) are now a core audience funnel for film/TV tracks. A 15–30 second hook placed on social can drive searches and downstream sync revenue.
• Better back-end admin matters. Deals like Kobalt–Madverse in early 2026 mean independent creators gain access to robust royalty collection, international PRO registration support, and Standardized metadata — all critical for reliable catalog monetization after a playlist, trailer, or scene placement.

How we picked these five artists

This is a curated, practical list aimed at supervisors and creators who want immediate, licenseable options. Selection criteria:

• Active independent release history across 2022–2025
• Distinctive sonic identity that fits common on-screen moods
• Existing catalog and profile to benefit immediately from improved publishing admin
• Artist openness to sync (public interviews, indie profile, past placements or sync-friendly releases)

5 South Asian independent artists to watch for future soundtracks

1. Prateek Kuhad — intimate indie-folk for character-led dramas

Link: Prateek Kuhad on Wikipedia

Listening notes: acoustic ballads, warm nylon guitars, spare piano, lyrics that foreground internal conflict and quiet moments. Prateek's songs naturally map to scenes that require emotional specificity — slow burns, reconnections, or character voiceovers.

• Placement potential: indie romcoms, coming-of-age series, late-night montage sequences, film festival shorts that need lyrical intimacy.
• Sync-ready assets to request: instrumental versions, 30-second edits for trailers, stems isolating vocals and guitar for remix-friendly scoring.

2. Ritviz — electronic pop with cross-cultural hooks for high-energy sequences

Link: Ritviz on Wikipedia

Listening notes: bright synths, rhythmic vocal chops, and bounce-ready choruses. Ritviz blends traditional South Asian melodic motifs with global EDM/pop sensibilities, making his work ideal when you want energy with cultural texture.

• Placement potential: sports montages, dance sequences, action-comedic montages, ad spots targeting South Asian diasporas.
• Sync-ready assets to request: radio/clean edits, stems, and versions with local language vocals removed for instrumental use in scenes.

3. Nucleya — bass-driven electronic for action montages and youth culture scenes

Link: Nucleya on Wikipedia

Listening notes: heavy low-end, club-ready drops, and South Asian folk textures reimagined for modern bass music. Nucleya's palette is cinematic in its punch, making many tracks instantly usable for high-adrenaline cues.

• Placement potential: late-night club sequences, chase scenes, montage sequences with cultural edge, youth-oriented brand commercials.
• Sync-ready assets to request: stems emphasizing percussion and low-end, extended DJ-friendly versions, and clean mixes for broadcast.

4. Arooj Aftab — cinematic, vocal-led textures for prestige drama and slow-burn narratives

Link: Arooj Aftab on Wikipedia

Listening notes: ethereal vocals, minimal arrangements, and nuanced modal harmonies. Arooj operates in a space where voice becomes score — perfect for scenes that need emotional gravity without obvious lyrics.

• Placement potential: prestige TV, awards-bait cinema, quiet end-credit moments, arthouse trailers.
• Sync-ready assets to request: instrumental pads, acapella takes for layering, stems for film mixers to place under dialogue.

5. Taba Chake — folk-rock and narrative songwriting for culturally rooted scenes

Link: Taba Chake on Wikipedia

Listening notes: deft guitar work, regional language lyricism, and melodies that carry place-based identity. Taba's songs bring authenticity to sequences set in India's Northeast or stories that benefit from a grounded sonic identity.

• Placement potential: place-driven stories, road-trip montages, documentaries, and culturally specific episodic beats.
• Sync-ready assets to request: radio edits, instrumental folk versions, multitrack stems for remixing into underscore cues.

How the Kobalt–Madverse deal changes the sync game for these artists

Short version: better admin and global royalty collection makes South Asian independent catalogs more attractive and less risky for international supervisors. Concrete benefits:

• Faster international payouts because Kobalt pairs Madverse catalogs with a global publishing admin network and PRO relationships across territories.
• Standardized metadata — accurate song splits and IPI/ISWC registration improve the chance that a placement actually results in royalties flowing to all contributors.
• Scalability — indie composers with catalogs can more easily be pitched for high-volume uses like streaming trailers and ad campaigns.

Practical, actionable advice for music supervisors and filmmakers (2026 edition)

Use this checklist to find and license South Asian indie tracks efficiently.

1. Start at the source: search the Madverse catalog after the Kobalt integration, or contact Madverse directly for curated lists. If a given artist has Kobalt admin, they are more likely to have clean metadata and efficient clearance paths.
2. Request sync-ready assets: 30/60 second radio edits, stems, instrumental, and acapella. Ask for tempo and key info up front.
3. Check PRO registrations and splits: ensure ISWC/ISRC and IPI numbers are present. This avoids hold-ups when the cue sheet is filed after airing.
4. Negotiate clearances up front: get publishing and master rights confirmed. When you work with artist-administered catalogs, ask if Kobalt or Madverse will clear the publishing side.
5. Think short-form-first: request 15–30 second stems formatted for vertical video. Many tracks earn their largest audience via social clips that then drive long-tail sync revenue.

Practical, actionable advice for independent artists hoping to benefit from the deal

If you are an artist reading this, consider these tactical steps to make your catalog sync-ready and discoverable in 2026:

• Register everything — ISRCs, ISWCs, IPI numbers, and ensure your PRO registration is up to date. Kobalt's admin relies on accurate metadata.
• Create clean stems — vocal, guitar, keys, percussion. Supervisors love stems for scoring transitions and dialogue-friendly placements. See compact studio options in our field review: compact home studio kits.
• Make short-form edits — 15 and 30 second edits in vertical-friendly mixes. Add an instrumental hook-only version for social use.
• Build a one-sheet / sync kit — include contact info, rights clearance statement, representative sync fees, and a few scene pairing suggestions (e.g., "use for intimate reconnection" or "energetic club montage").
• Leverage AI for deliverables, not composition — use AI tools to generate stems, time-coded edits or metadata tags faster, but keep creative authorship human-led and document any AI contribution for rights clarity.

Multimedia strategies to surface these artists (podcasts, short-form, highlight reels)

Think beyond a text list. Here are content formats that help supervisors, fans, and supervisors discover and champion soundtrack-ready South Asian talent.

Podcast playbook

• Create a 20–30 minute episode series called "Sync Stories: South Asia" with artist interviews, breakdowns of how a specific track would work in a scene, and legal primers with a Kobalt/Madverse rep or sync attorney.
• Include audio clips of stems and instrumentals so listeners can hear placement-ready versions during the episode.

Short-form video tactics

• Make 30–60 second reels for each artist pairing a track with a candidate scene (public domain or licensed footage) to demonstrate mood fit. Tag music supervisors and use hashtags like #SoundtrackReady #Madverse #Kobalt.
• Create "behind the stem" shorts where composers talk through a 15-second stem and explain where it could land in a show. Those micro-educational pieces are quickly consumed by supervisors on phones.

Highlight reels and placement sizzle reels

• Assemble 2–3 minute sizzle reels that mix catalogue tracks with quick scene references. Export versions formatted for landscape (for supervisors) and vertical (for social). Use lightweight, "excuse-proof" camera kits for quick edits (PocketCam Pro field review).
• Include timecoded references and a contact line: this speeds up the first commercial contact and encourages supervisors to preview without friction.

Case study snapshot: how a Madverse artist could land an international trailer

Imagine an independent Madverse artist with Kobalt admin who has a five-track EP. A streaming service requests a trailer for a diaspora-based drama. The supervisor finds a hook on Madverse, confirms metadata, requests stems, and because Kobalt handles the publishing admin, the supervisor receives a timely publishing confirmation and a clean invoice. The trailer runs globally across territories; Kobalt collects performance and mechanical royalties in multiple regions and remits accurately to the songwriters — a model that scales across trailers, season promos, and user-generated short-form clips.

Advanced strategies: how supervisors and labels are using AI and metadata to scale placements in 2026

Two trends to leverage right now:

• AI-assisted cue matching — tools that analyze mood, tempo, and vocal timbre are helping supervisors shortlist candidates in seconds. Make sure your tracks have accurate mood tags and key/tempo metadata to show up in these systems.
• Micro-licensing for vertical content — platforms now allow direct micro-sync licenses for short-form clips. Artists with Kobalt admin will benefit because admin partners can track and collect even these micro-payments globally.

Quick checklist: what to ask for when you're licensing a Madverse/Kobalt-administered track

• Confirm publishing admin: is Kobalt the publishing administrator?
• Get ISRC/ISWC and split sheets
• Request stems, radio and social edits, instrumental and acapella
• Clarify territory and exclusivity for the license
• Ask for a point person at Madverse for fast clearance

Final takeaways — why these five artists matter for 2026 soundtracks

In 2026, the combination of increased demand for authentic South Asian sounds and improved publishing administration via partnerships like Kobalt–Madverse creates a unique opportunity. The five artists above represent different placement archetypes — intimate songwriter, electronic hookster, bass producer, cinematic vocalist, and place-rooted folk-rocker. For supervisors and indie filmmakers, they offer immediate, licenseable options that bring cultural specificity and modern production value.

For artists, this is the moment to tidy metadata, craft sync-ready deliverables, and build short-form assets that make licensing irresistible. For supervisors, it is time to integrate Madverse/Kobalt catalogs into your workflow and to prioritize tracks with clean metadata and stems.

Resources and next steps

• Read the original industry report: Kobalt Partners With India’s Madverse to Expand Publishing Reach
• Build a "soundboard" playlist on your platform of choice with the five artists above and export 30-second cue clips for quick pitching
• Contact Madverse directly for sync-ready lists, or reach out to Kobalt for confirmation of publishing admin on specific tracks

Call to action

Want a ready-to-license playlist and a 60-second sizzle reel featuring these five artists? Subscribe to our soundtrack-ready drops and join our next live watch party where we demo cue placements in real time. If you’re an artist, drop us your sync kit — we run biweekly guest spots on our podcast where we connect creators with music supervisors. Let’s turn great South Asian songs into unforgettable on-screen moments.

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