India’s Pop wave grows: AJIO partners with Spotify for inaugural I-Pop icons live

Spotify in partnership with AJIO organised the first edition of I-Pop Icons Live on November 7, bringing together several of India’s leading pop artists for a live showcase. The event, positioned as a Spotify Premium experience, featured performances by King, Armaan Malik, Jonita Gandhi, Aditya Rikhari, Kushagra, Hansika Pareek and Sanju Rathod.

At the event, there was a specially curated AJIO Experience Zone. The AJIO Experience Zone included interactive elements such as the GlamCam and introduced attendees to a selection of the brand’s offerings. According to AJIO, the collaboration reflects a shared focus on contemporary culture and youth-oriented communities.

The event comes amid the rising popularity of Indian Pop—or I-Pop—on Spotify over the past few years. Several I-Pop tracks have consistently appeared on Spotify’s Weekly Top Songs India chart, with Aditya Rikhari’s “Sahiba” currently at the No. 1 position. Overall, 12 of the top 20 tracks on the chart belong to the I-Pop genre.

Spotify stated that its flagship playlist I-Pop Icons, launched in August 2024, has crossed 428,000 followers, while other playlists such as I-Pop Rising, I-Pop Mohabbat, I-Pop Chill, I-Pop Sad Feels and I-Pop Party continue to support both established and emerging artists. The platform also offers a dedicated Home of I-Pop hub that consolidates all playlists and related content.

Dhruvank Vaidya, Head of Music and Podcast, Spotify India, said, “Over the last few years, we have seen the consumption of I-Pop music increase significantly on Spotify. Spotify is fully invested in growing I-Pop in India through the I-Pop playlist ecosystem, bespoke content that we create with artists and now the first ever I-Pop Icons Live event. Of the artists that performed at the event, Aditya Rikhari with “Sahiba” currently has the top spot on the Spotify Weekly Top Songs India chart, while King’s “Maan Meri Jaan” was the most streamed song in India in 2023, based on Wrapped data. We expect to see this growth continue, as artists create more I-Pop music and keep growing their fan base. Spotify will continue to play a very key role in bringing these artists closer to their biggest fans”.

Each of the participating artists represents a different stage of India’s expanding pop ecosystem.

- King has over 9 million followers on Spotify, with his track “Maan Meri Jaan” being the most-streamed song in India on the platform in 2023.

- Armaan Malik, with more than 23 million followers, remains one of the most globally recognised Indian pop artists.

- Jonita Gandhi and Aditya Rikhari continue to see strong listener growth, while newer artists such as Kushagra and Hansika Pareek have recorded sharp increases in monthly listeners.

- Sanju Rathod recently became the first Marathi pop artist to cross 100 million streams on Spotify with “Gulabi Sadi”.

The inaugural edition of I-Pop Icons Live marks Spotify’s continued involvement in expanding India’s pop music landscape, as the platform aims to support artists across genres and regions.