Beyond Lifafa: The Women Who Are Rewriting India’s Alt-Music Narrative

For years, India’s alternative music scene has been shaped by the likes of Lifafa, Peter Cat Recording Co., and other male-fronted acts. But beyond this familiar soundscape, a new generation of women artists is rewriting the narrative, blending genres, languages, and lived experiences into bold, genre-defying musical expressions. These musicians are not only redefining the sound of Indian alt-music but also carving out space for voices long pushed to the margins. Their music is intimate and political, rooted and global, experimental and soulful, all at once. Here are eight such artists who are leading this sonic shift.

LAVI

LAVI, the stage name of singer-songwriter Lavanika, is emerging as a powerful voice in India’s indie pop and R&B scene. Her 2023 EP, "529," captures the raw emotions of heartbreak, introspection, and navigating love in a hyper-digital world. With smooth synth lines and a lo-fi pop sensibility, LAVI brings a diaristic intimacy to her songs, inviting listeners into a soundscape that feels both fresh and familiar. She’s part of a new wave of women turning vulnerability into lyrical power.

Sanjeeta Bhattacharya

A graduate of Berklee College of Music, Sanjeeta Bhattacharya seamlessly blends jazz, R&B, Latin grooves, and Indian classical influences in her work. Her multilingual lyrics, often sung in Hindi, English, Spanish, and Bengali, expand the cultural and emotional reach of her songs. Her debut album, "Shuruaat," showcases her storytelling ability, with each track flowing like a short story. Sanjeeta’s music feels like a conversation across continents and traditions, bound by soul and sincerity.

JANANI

Also known as S.J. Jananiy, JANANI is a genre-bending producer, vocalist, and composer who blends her deep roots in Carnatic and Hindustani classical with experimental electronica. Her music is richly layered, bringing together orchestral strings, devotional textures, ambient synths, and complex rhythmic structures. Her work isn’t just a fusion; it’s a full-scale reconstruction of what spiritual, classical, and electronic music can do when allowed to play together.

Akshara

Akshara is a classically trained vocalist who infuses her Indian classical foundations with smooth R&B, soul, and pop elements. Her debut original "Edges" captures the balance she strikes between tradition and modernity. With vocals that oscillate between the meditative and the experimental, Akshara’s work feels like a bridge between her heritage and her diasporic experience. She brings an unmistakable emotional intensity to each note, making space for softness and strength alike.

Priya Ragu

Swiss-Tamil artist Priya Ragu calls her genre “Raguwavy”, a bold, unfiltered mix of Tamil folk, electronic beats, and global R&B. Her debut mixtape, "damnshestamil", and album "Santhosam" are odes to diasporic joy, cultural reclamation, and sonic liberation. Priya raps in Tamil and sings in English, moving fluidly between traditional rhythms and glitchy, future-pop production. Her music feels like a joyful rebellion against genre borders, and against the idea that identity needs to fit neatly in one place.

Mary Ann Alexander

Mary Ann Alexander’s voice is steeped in gospel warmth, indie soul, and R&B grooves. Drawing from her Malayali heritage and personal faith journey, her songs often centre themes of heartbreak, vulnerability, and hope. With each release, she asserts that R&B in India isn’t just possible, it’s necessary. Her music is equal parts soothing and strong, offering the kind of emotional catharsis that lingers long after the song ends.

Kinari

Kinari (formerly known as Finsta) is a Delhi-based queer indie artist whose work spans acoustic folk, spoken word, and alt-hip-hop. Her projects "Jimmy Vogue" and "Queerbops" are not just musical experiments; they’re political acts. Through stripped-down beats and poetic lyrics, Kinari explores queerness, caste, softness, and community. She doesn’t just write songs; she starts conversations, especially in a scene where queer voices are still fighting to be heard without tokenism.

SANJ

SANJ is known for crafting ambient electronic tracks with a meditative, almost transcendental quality. Her work fuses minimalist synths with deeply emotional soundscapes, influenced subtly by her South Asian roots. There’s a quiet, expansive power to her music; it doesn’t demand attention but instead draws you into a dreamlike state. SANJ represents a growing niche of Indian women producers who are taking control of the sonic moodboard, not just the microphone.