Tag: A.R. Rahman

Diwali Gets a Dash of Sparkle With Spotify’s New Festive Hub

Diwali hub header showing 5 screens of the in-app experience

Diwali, the “festival of lights,” is one of the most widely celebrated occasions in India. Signifying the victory of light over darkness, of good over evil, the festivities take place over five days, with homes across the country lit up with traditional clay diyas (lamps). It’s a time of delicious food and auspicious beginnings, a time to be among family, friends, laughter, conversation, and music. Adding to this important cultural moment are Spotify playlists that are curated by our India music editors. These playlists set the mood for the many moments that make up Diwali, from saying a prayer to hosting dinner parties with friends. 

This year, Spotify is going beyond Diwali playlists to enhance the in-app experience for our listeners in India and the diaspora by launching an all-new Diwali hub. Packed with features that can connect listeners to their favorite artists and music more deeply, the hub will include personalized playlists, Spotify clips, Blend playlists with some of India’s most popular artists, and more.

Playlists to soundtrack your day . . . and night

If you’re looking for something tailored to your tastes, check out: 

  • Daily Diwali, a refreshed-daily mix of Diwali songs for you to discover.
  • Your Diwali 2022, a playlist with all the songs you need to get into the spirit of Diwali, made just for you. 

If you start each day of Diwali festivities with a prayer, tune in to a variety of devotional playlists curated especially for the festival across several languages. Entertaining in the evening and looking for music to set the mood? Check out Diwali Bash (Hindi), Diwali Party Hits (Punjabi), Deepavali Kondattam (Tamil), Deepavali Dhamaka (Telugu), and much more. 

But, wait… there’s more. We’ve hidden a dash of sparkle in the Now Playing view. See if you can find while playing your favorite tunes in this year’s Diwali playlists. 

Want to know what everyone is streaming through the festive week? Explore the Top 50 Diwali playlist for the songs that are trending in India this season.

diwali experience with sparkle easter egg

India’s Sanjeeta Bhattacharya Dabbles Freely Across Styles

Sanjeeta Bhattacharya may have studied overseas at Boston’s famed Berklee College of Music, but the Delhi-based singer-songwriter is really a lifelong student of music. Growing up in an artistic family, she embarked on taking piano lessons and learning classical dance when she was just five. Fast-forward to today, and at age 24 she plays Balkan music and flamenco as readily as she plays jazz, pop, and folk.

“A lot of my learning was based on ear training,” Bhattacharya tells For the Record, referring to the fundamental method of identifying pitches and other musical elements by hearing alone. “As a result, I still relate to and lean toward eastern harmony, and the melodies I write incorporate these inflections. It has made me open to ideas, and I often find myself drawing parallels in what I hear and see around the world with my own roots.”

That global perspective is what makes Bhattacharya a great fit for India in Spotify’s global emerging artist program, RADAR. The program features artists from over 50 markets worldwide and helps performers at all stages of their careers strengthen their connection to audiences via Spotify’s social channels, RADAR playlists curated by Spotify’s editors, and bespoke marketing initiatives. 

“I feel very humbled and grateful,” Bhattacharya says of her inclusion in the RADAR program. “I love the concept and am thankful they’ve chosen to amplify my music through this initiative. It warms me to know that the music I write truthfully, and the stories I want to share, are able to reach a global audience.”

At Berklee, Bhattacharya had the chance to watch artists like Esperanza Spalding and Herbie Hancock play live. “You have access to music from the world over on the internet, but to experience it in person is very different,” she says. “The one thing I took away from college is humility—to recognize that one of the greatest gifts we have is the power to communicate, and to use that power responsibly.” 

Emotional communication through lyrics is one of Bhattacharya’s obvious strengths, whether she’s duetting with Susmit Bose on the American folk standard “Wayfaring Stranger” for the soundtrack of the 2016 movie M Cream or tenderly plucking heartstrings against plaintive violin and cello on 2017’s “I Will Wait.” Her singing rises and flutters beautifully while remaining controlled and emotionally grounded, even when making a jazzier turn on 2018’s “Natsukashii” or stripping down to smoldering folk balladry for “Watercolour” featuring New Delhi singer-guitarist Dhruv Visvanath.

Though she primarily sings in English, which she grew up speaking, along with Hindi and Bengali, Bhattacharya has sung in Spanish and other languages, too. Inspired by “the divine friendship” between philosophical poets Rumi and Shams-i-Tabrīzī around the turn of the 13th century, her 2018 single “Shams” includes lyrics in both Hindi and Urdu, while “Natsukashii” takes its name from a Japanese word for nostalgia.

“I have always had a fascination for languages,” she says. “They connect me in some way to the history of the places where those languages were born. I like to explore these languages and see how best I can relate them with experiences in my own life.”

Following her studies at Berklee, where one highlight was performing at a live tribute to iconic Indian composer A.R. Rahman at the Boston Symphony Hall, Bhattacharya returned to India, balancing close-quarters gigs with large-scale festivals.

She has toured much of the country, though she has yet to play in Madhya Pradesh, a large state in central India. While that’s very much on her list, she has been limited this year by the impacts of COVID-19. But rather than let that sideline her, Bhattacharya has been hosting live-streamed concerts and donating all proceeds to nonprofit organizations. 

“I love playing unplugged, rather than singing into microphones; it’s very liberating to me,” she says of the live-streaming experience. “That being said, I do miss the energy of an audience that surrounds you. Seeing faces react, hearing their voices, feeling the warmth in the room makes a huge difference to me. I hope we are able to cope and recoup soon, and share our stories at least with an intimate gathering.”

Check Sanjeeta’s top tracks on Spotify.