Northeast India Bands and Artists: 8 Names to Know

Eight Northeast India bands and artists to know, sourced: Rewben Mashangva, Papon, Zubeen Garg, Alobo Naga, Tetseo Sisters, plus Ziro and Hornbill.

Key facts

Zubeen Garg: Assamese singer (1972-2025)
Alobo Naga: Kohima singer-songwriter born in 1984; formed Alobo Naga & The Band in 2010
Shillong Chamber Choir: Founded in 2001; won India's Got Talent season two in October 2010
Ziro Festival of Music: Founded in 2012 in Ziro, Arunachal Pradesh
Rewben Mashangva: Manipur folk musician born in 1961
Papon: Angaraag Mahanta, Assamese singer and composer born in 1975

Northeast India has shaped Indian independent music far more than the size of its cities would suggest. The region gave the country a Padma Shri-winning "father of Naga folk blues," Assam's most influential modern singer, an MTV EMA-winning rock band from Kohima, a folk quartet that sings in Chokri, and a blues duo many musicians still revere. It also hosts two of India's most distinctive festivals. This list of Northeast India bands and artists picks eight essential names across Manipur, Assam, Nagaland and Meghalaya, then explains where to hear the region's music live. Every fact is sourced at the end.

A note on scope: this list covers the whole region. For the full story of one city, read our Shillong scene guide: https://discography.in/articles/shillong-music-scene

1. Rewben Mashangva (Manipur)

Rewben Mashangva, born in 1961, is a folk musician and singer from Manipur. Wikipedia credits him with reviving the musical traditions of the Tangkhul Naga and with using traditional instruments in his songs. Influenced by Bob Dylan and Bob Marley, he has written many Naga folk songs over blues and ballad rhythms. That has earned him names like the "Bob Dylan of the Nagas," "King of Naga folk blues" and "Father of Naga folk blues."

He received the National Tribal Award 2011–12 from the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, and the Government of India gave him the Padma Shri in 2021. He appeared in the first season of MTV's The Dewarists, and Wikipedia notes he has played the Ziro Festival of Music.

Start with: his folk-blues songs built on Tangkhul Naga melodies.

2. Papon (Assam)

Papon (Angaraag Mahanta, born 1975) is a playback singer and composer from Assam, and the son of noted Assamese singers Khagen Mahanta and Archana Mahanta. Wikipedia lists more than ten languages he has sung in, including Assamese, Hindi, Bengali, Bodo, Mising and Tiwa.

For independent music fans, the key project is Papon and The East India Company, an electronic folk-fusion band he formed in 2007. Its members come from backgrounds ranging from Assamese folk to metal, blues and trip-hop. His first album, Junaki Raati, came out in 2004. His Hindi film work includes "Jiyein Kyun" (Dum Maro Dum, 2011) and "Moh Moh Ke Dhage" (Dum Laga Ke Haisha, 2015). In 2016 Red Bull released Hometown Heroes, a seven-part documentary web series about his youth and career.

Start with: Papon and The East India Company.

3. Zubeen Garg (Assam)

Zubeen Garg (1972–2025) worked mainly in Assamese, Bengali and Hindi film and music, and also sang in about 40 other languages and dialects. Wikipedia describes him as a multi-instrumentalist who played instruments including the dhol, dotara, guitar, harmonica, mandolin and tabla. It also says he was regarded as one of the most influential musicians in Assam, and records more than 40,000 songs over a 33-year career. He died on 19 September 2025.

Garg's career overlapped with Papon's. Wikipedia notes that the two sang "Nasaba Sokule" together on the 1998 album Snigdha Junak.

Start with: his Assamese work, where his influence runs deepest.

4. Alobo Naga (Nagaland)

Alobo Naga (Alobo Achümi, born 1984) is a singer and songwriter from Kohima. Wikipedia records that he left a full-time construction job in 2008 to study music and formed Alobo Naga & The Band in 2010. The band's video single "Painted Dreams" premiered on VH1 in August 2011, won three awards at the 2011 Music Awards of Nagaland and won Best Indian Act at the 2012 MTV Europe Music Awards. His debut album was Road of a Thousand Dreams, and his second, Kini, came out in 2017.

His career also shows the risks of touring. On 25 February 2019, protesters set fire to his band's vehicle, with all their instruments inside, at the venue of the first Itanagar International Film Festival. Alobo Naga has also built infrastructure: he founded Musik-A, also known as the Alobo Naga School of Music, and has hosted The Alobo Naga Show since July 2021.

Start with: "Painted Dreams."

5. Tetseo Sisters (Nagaland)

The Tetseo Sisters are four sisters who grew up in Kohima and belong to the Chakhesang Naga tribe. They sing in Chokri, a language of Phek District, and their parents taught them Li, their tribe's traditional folk songs. Wikipedia credits them with starting Nagaland's folk-fusion movement.

They often perform as Nagaland's cultural ambassadors. Their appearances include Handshake Concerts in Bangkok, Yangon, Kunming and Gwangju, and in August 2014 two of the sisters performed with a Naga troupe at the Royal Military Tattoo in Edinburgh. In 2014 they joined Papon, Lou Majaw, Soulmate and Alobo Naga on "We are the 8!", the anthem of Indian Super League club NorthEast United FC.

Start with: their arrangements of Chokri folk songs.

6. Soulmate (Meghalaya)

Soulmate is a blues rock band from Shillong built around Rudy Wallang (guitar, vocals, songwriting) and Tipriti "Tips" Kharbangar (vocals, guitar), with session musicians on tour. Wikipedia describes Kharbangar as considered one of the finest female singers to have emerged from North East India, and Wallang as considered one of India's most respected blues guitarists.

Start with: any live recording. Soulmate is a band built for the stage.

7. Lou Majaw (Meghalaya)

Lou Majaw, born in 1947, is the Shillong musician best known for his Bob Dylan tribute shows. Wikipedia records that he taught himself guitar, sang in Kolkata bars with groups such as the Dynamite Boys and Vanguards, and organised his first Dylan tribute concert in Shillong in 1972, a tradition he has kept going every year since. He received the Bhupen Hazarika Award in 2016, and a documentary about him, The Platinum Gong, came out in 2023.

Start with: footage of his yearly Dylan birthday shows.

8. Shillong Chamber Choir (Meghalaya)

Founded in 2001, the Shillong Chamber Choir won the second season of India's Got Talent in October 2010. Earlier that year it won gold diplomas in all three of its categories (Musica Sacra, Gospel and Popular) at the 6th World Choir Games in China. It has 11 singers and sometimes performs with a 30-piece orchestra.

Start with: its choral versions of Hindi film classics.

Where to hear Northeast music live

Ziro Festival of Music (Arunachal Pradesh)

The Ziro Festival of Music is an outdoor festival in Ziro, Arunachal Pradesh. It was founded in 2012 by Bobby Hano and Anup Kutty, guitarist of the Delhi band Menwhopause. Wikipedia describes it as a four-day festival hosted by members of the Apatani people, with an emphasis on emerging acts from Northeast India. Its line-ups have ranged from Indus Creed to Rewben Mashangva. The cover photo on this page shows the Siyon Ensemble, a folk and experimental group from Imphal, Manipur, performing at Ziro in 2019.

Hornbill Festival (Nagaland)

The Government of Nagaland organises the Hornbill Festival every year in early December, usually from 1 to 10 December, to promote the heritage of all of Nagaland's ethnic groups. The first edition was held in December 2000. The main venue is Kisama Heritage Village, about 12 km from Kohima, and the programme includes cultural performances, songs and dances. Contemporary rock acts appear too: Wikipedia records that Kochi band Motherjane played Hornbill during its 2024–2026 reunion.

Always check official dates before you travel. Our Music Festivals in India 2026-27 calendar lists verified dates.

What this list tells independent musicians

Tradition is a launch pad. Rewben Mashangva and the Tetseo Sisters built careers on their communities' folk songs.
Regional artists can win global awards. Alobo Naga & The Band won an MTV EMA from Kohima.
Build what's missing. Alobo Naga's music school and Anup Kutty's Ziro festival fill gaps in the region.
Collaborate across states. "We are the 8!" brought artists from Assam, Meghalaya and Nagaland onto one song.

FAQ

Who is the father of Naga folk blues?

Rewben Mashangva of Manipur is known as the "Father of Naga folk blues." He received the Padma Shri in 2021.

Which Northeast band won an MTV EMA?

Alobo Naga & The Band from Nagaland won Best Indian Act at the 2012 MTV Europe Music Awards for "Painted Dreams."

What is the Ziro Festival of Music?

It is a four-day outdoor festival in Ziro, Arunachal Pradesh, founded in 2012, hosted by members of the Apatani people and focused on emerging acts from Northeast India.