Thirty-three days after release, Anand Bhaskar Collective's melodic guitar-led single Rihaa lands on Billboard India's No Skip list — while three earlier ABC cuts keep holding space on Spotify's Rock in India.

Anand Bhaskar Collective Rihaa is a four-minute-twenty-nine-second Hindi indie single from the Mumbai band, released on 10 September 2026 and credited on Apple Music and Spotify to Anand Bhaskar Collective. Billboard India's No Skip roundup for the week of 5–11 September 2026 (published 14 September) calls it melodic, guitar-led alternative rock with a measured drum arrangement and a strong guitar line, and reads Anand Bhaskar's vocal as giving the track the feel of a soft liberation anthem. In our 13 October 2026 snapshot of Rock in India, the Collective already sit at No. 5 with "Main Hoon Zameen", No. 33 with "Dholaa" (with Mame Khan) and No. 40 with "Laajawaab". It continues a Mumbai Hindi rock catalogue that playlist has carried for years — a different beat from The DANGERMEN Bloom dual-playlist moment out of Pune.

Anand Bhaskar Collective Rihaa at a glance

  • Released: 10 September 2026 (Apple Music / iTunes Lookup; Spotify artist embed)
  • Format: single; one track, 4:29; Independent (℗ 2026 Anand Bhaskar Collective)
  • Origin: Mumbai; Artist credit: Anand Bhaskar Collective
  • Genre: Indie Pop on Apple Music; melodic guitar-led alternative rock in Billboard India's No Skip note
  • Billboard India No Skip (week of 5–11 Sep 2026); band in their 12th year per that write-up
  • On Rock in India (13 Oct 2026): "Main Hoon Zameen" (No. 5), "Dholaa" with Mame Khan (No. 33), "Laajawaab" (No. 40) — Rihaa not on that snapshot
  • Verdict: a measured continuation of ABC's Hindi alt-rock voice — soft liberation rather than Excuse Me-era shout

Who are Anand Bhaskar Collective?

Anand Bhaskar Collective grew out of vocalist-guitarist Anand Bhaskar's solo writing. Rolling Stone India reported in 2014 that he had been in Delhi rock band Descant and Mumbai act MH 04, and began recording the debut Samsara in 2012 with producer Adhiraj Singh; Apple Music dates that album to 22 November 2014. Excuse Me (24 January 2017) was the heavier follow-up — downtuned guitars, breakdown-style sections — that Anurag Tagat covered as Hindi alt rock/fusion.

Bhaskar frames the project as Hindi heavy alternative rock. He told The News Minute in June 2019 that he trained in Carnatic music for 20 years and found the ABC cornerstone in Hindi on the night of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks: "The song and the lyrics got made in 15 minutes. It's called 'Hey Ram'." Indulgexpress's June 2019 Shukraguzaar Tour interview documented a five-piece of Bhaskar, Hrishi Giridhar (guitar), Shravan Sridhar (violin), Neelkanth Patel (bass and backing vocals) and Shishir Tao (drums). Apple Music and Spotify credit Rihaa simply to the band name.

How does Rihaa sound?

Billboard India's editors hear melodic guitar-led alternative rock that leaves room for a song to build, with measured drums, a strong guitar line and Bhaskar's assured vocal as a soft liberation anthem — "a familiar strain of Indian indie rock, but one the Collective continue to make distinctly their own."

That fits the arc from Excuse Me's political heat to the more open 2020s singles. "Main Hoon Zameen" (24 March 2020) celebrated unpaid everyday heroes, with lyrics by director Anand Karir — the first ABC lyric Bhaskar did not pen himself, he told Rolling Stone India. "Laajawaab" followed on 8 November 2024; "Dholaa" with Mame Khan on 6 May 2025. At 4:29, Rihaa has room for the patient guitar-and-drum work Billboard describes. Apple Music tags it Indie Pop; playlist listeners will still hear the Hindi rock band Tagat wrote about in 2017.

Why does Rihaa matter next to Rock in India?

Rock in India is a longer shelf for DIY and indie guitar history, as we mapped in our essay on the DIY roots of Rock in India. ABC's three placements in our 13 October 2026 check — especially "Main Hoon Zameen" inside the top five, beside Thermal and a Quarter and Indian Ocean — show trust in a Mumbai Hindi catalogue that never waited for English to be taken seriously. Guitarist Chandan Raina's 2017 line in Rolling Stone India still hangs over that choice: if you sing in Hindi, it can be heavy, and people will still like it.

Rihaa had not entered that 100-track snapshot when we checked. Billboard India's No Skip nod is the early critical marker — and a clean entry point for listeners who know ABC only from the playlist's older anthems.

Should you press play?

Yes, if you want Mumbai Hindi alternative rock that builds instead of only bludgeons. Start with Rihaa; then walk to "Main Hoon Zameen" on Rock in India, "Dholaa" for the Mame Khan colour, and back to Excuse Me for the heavier side. Stream it on Spotify or Apple Music.

FAQ

When was Anand Bhaskar Collective Rihaa released?

10 September 2026, as a one-track single, per Apple Music and the iTunes Lookup API (album 6805503868, track 6805504127). Duration is 4:29.

Is Rihaa on Rock in India or Fresh Finds India?

In our 13 October 2026 Rock in India snapshot: not among the 100 tracks. The same check listed "Main Hoon Zameen" (No. 5), "Dholaa" with Mame Khan (No. 33) and "Laajawaab" (No. 40). Fresh Finds India that day did not carry Rihaa. Playlist order changes; verify on Spotify.

Who is Anand Bhaskar Collective?

A Mumbai Hindi alternative rock band led by Anand Bhaskar. Debuting with Samsara (2014) and following with Excuse Me (2017), they are known for rock weight, Carnatic-trained melody and Hindi writing such as "Hey Ram". The 2019 Shukraguzaar Tour five-piece was Bhaskar, Hrishi Giridhar, Shravan Sridhar, Neelkanth Patel and Shishir Tao.

What did Billboard India say about Rihaa?

In its 14 September 2026 No Skip list, Billboard India called Rihaa melodic, guitar-led alternative rock with a measured drum arrangement and a strong guitar line, and described Anand Bhaskar's vocal as giving the track the feel of a soft liberation anthem from a band in its 12th year.

Sources

Cover: official Rihaa single artwork via Apple Music (Rihaa - Single). Modified: placed on a blurred extension of the artwork and resized to 1200×630; metadata stripped.