Telugu Indie Music: 9 Acts to Know

Telugu indie music guide: Rahul Sipligunj, Chowraasta, Ram Miriyala, Mangli and Hyderabad bands Jammers, Capricio and Kanyaräsi, plus a starter playlist.

Key facts

Breakout independent artist: Rahul Sipligunj, who rose through self-released YouTube songs such as Makikirikiri and Galli Ka Ganesh
Reggae-folk pioneers: Chowraasta, formed in 2018 by Ram Miriyala and Radio Mirchi colleagues
Scene hub: Hyderabad live rooms such as The Moonshine Project and Posh Nosh
Oldest active band named here: Capricio, started in 2016 and an early host of virtual concerts
Platform: IMP-X launched its IMP app for independent artists in Hyderabad in October 2023

Telugu indie music is the Telugu-language songwriting that happens outside the Tollywood film system, and most of it comes from Hyderabad. The names to know are Rahul Sipligunj, who built his following with self-made YouTube songs before he sang the Oscar-winning "Naatu Naatu", Ram Miriyala and the reggae-folk band Chowraasta, the folk singer Mangli, and a wave of city bands such as Jammers, Capricio, Elyzium, Deccan Project and Kanyaräsi. Below is where the scene came from, the artists to start with and a short playlist.

What counts as Telugu indie music

For decades almost every popular Telugu song was a film song. Independent music in Telugu began to take shape when singers started releasing their own videos on YouTube, and when Hyderabad's cafe and pub circuit began booking bands that sang in Telugu instead of English or Hindi.

The line between the two worlds is thin. Most of the best-known independent artists also sing for films. What sets indie releases apart is control: the artist writes, produces or commissions the song and puts it out on their own channel, without a film's story or a producer's brief.

Language is a big part of the identity. Our guide to the languages of Indian indie shows how artists across the country are moving away from English, and Telugu bands are part of that shift. Many of them began by playing Telugu film covers in bars and then slowly added their own songs.

The essential Telugu indie artists

1. Rahul Sipligunj

Rahul Sipligunj, born on 22 August 1989, is the clearest example of a Telugu artist who rose through independent releases. He began with online music videos on YouTube, co-producing, writing and singing songs such as "Magajaathi", "Em Maayaloo", "Mangamma", "Makikirikiri", "Poor Boy", "Daawath", "Galli Ka Ganesh" and "Doorame". "Makikirikiri" and "Galli Ka Ganesh" were the biggest of these hits.

Film work followed. His first film song was "College Bulloda" in Josh in 2009, and he later sang "Ranga Ranga Rangasthalana" from Rangasthalam and "Bonalu" from iSmart Shankar. With Kaala Bhairava he sang "Naatu Naatu" from RRR, composed by M. M. Keeravani, and the two performed it at the 95th Academy Awards in March 2023. In July 2025 the Government of Telangana announced a cash reward of Rs 1 crore for him.

Start with: Makikirikiri, Galli Ka Ganesh

2. Chowraasta

Chowraasta was formed in 2018 by Ram Miriyala and colleagues from Radio Mirchi, where he worked as a promo producer. The band's founding idea was to sing and produce Telugu folk songs in the reggae genre. It began releasing originals in 2019 with "Oorellipota Mama" and "Maya", songs about real social issues.

The band kept going after Ram left in 2020. In 2021 The Hindu listed its line-up as Yashwant Nag on keyboard and vocals, Balaji Vishwanathan on vocals, Akshay Athreya on drums, Anantha Krishnan on bass and Manuj Nataraj on guitar. Its songs carry messages, such as "Pisinari" and "Kanche Leni Desam", which imagines a world without borders. For other acts that mix folk with rock and reggae, see our guide to regional rock bands in India.

Start with: Oorellipota Mama, Maya, Kanche Leni Desam

3. Ram Miriyala

After Chowraasta, Ram Miriyala became a playback singer, composer, producer and songwriter in Telugu cinema. He studied Carnatic music for two years and worked in the corporate sector before radio. Because of the band's early hits he is still often called Chowraasta Ram. During the COVID-19 lockdown he sang, composed and wrote "Cheyi Cheyi Kalapaku Ra" for the band, a song made to spread awareness about the disease. His first recorded film song was "Vagalaadi" from Brochevarevarura, released in April 2019.

Start with: Cheyi Cheyi Kalapaku Ra

4. Mangli

Satyavathi Chowhan, known as Mangli, is a singer and television presenter from a Banjara community in Gooty, Anantapur district. She holds a diploma in Carnatic music from Sri Venkateswara University in Tirupati. She sings mainly in Telugu and Kannada and is best known for her cultural songs. Her break came in 2013 as a guest on V6 News for a Dasara special, and she became widely known on the channel's satirical show Teenmaar Vaarthalu. She has won two SIIMA Awards and an IIFA Utsavam Award.

5. Jammers

Jammers are a five-piece Hyderabad band: Krishna Tejasvi, a Carnatic-trained vocalist, Shashank Bhaskaruni on drums, Naren RK Siddartha on keyboard, Chinna Swamy on guitar and Jagadish Chintala on bass. According to Telangana Today, they started in 2016 with college mashups, formed as a band in 2018 and turned to original songs in 2021.

They first became known for fusion covers, such as blending a Raghuvamsa kirtana with Chiranjeevi's hit "Yamaha Nagari". During the first lockdown, from April 2020, their Quarantine jam series put out 35 covers, mostly Telugu. Their originals include the singles "Valalo" and "Bird's Eye" and the release Diary, which has "Tholi Adugu", "Sneham", "Prema", "Pelli" and "Tudi Malupu" with lyrics by Sri Raag.

Start with: Tholi Adugu, Valalo

6. Capricio

Started in 2016, Capricio is one of Hyderabad's older Telugu bands. It was also one of the first to stage virtual concerts on its own YouTube channel. In 2021 the line-up was Eknath Kiran Goparaju and Ayaan Khan on vocals, Sai Teja on percussion, Shravan Pakalapati on keyboard and Nishanth Shekar on guitar. Before the pandemic the band played up to five shows a week. Its originals are the singles "Naanake" and "Sare Chaale".

7. Elyzium

Elyzium, whose name means paradise, was formed around the start of 2021 by musicians who were already well known in Hyderabad. Playback singer Dinker Kalvala, guitarist Kaali and Anurag Varma had all played in Capricio. They were joined by Richard Madella on bass, Vidya Sagar on drums and programming, and NVS Charan on keyboards. The band launched with the singles "Pretty Ponnu" and "Prema". Dinker told The Hindu that the band's focus is "performing and releasing original songs".

8. Deccan Project

Deccan Project is a band of IT professionals who quit their jobs to make music full time, a decision the pandemic soon tested. The 2021 line-up was Nikhil Vanam on guitar, Vivek Nethi on drums, Srikanth on vocals and keyboards, Kanakaraj on bass, Sai Madhav, Rahul Nagula and Nithin Kotha on vocals, and Tarun Krishna as mix engineer. Known for what it calls "explosive music", the band has played Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Chennai, Bengaluru, Jaipur and Goa.

9. Kanyaräsi

Kanyaräsi is a younger trio formed in December 2022: Priyanka on vocals and guitar, Nikhil on keys and Abishek on drums. The name comes from the Telugu film Ee Nagaraniki Emaindi. The band plays covers at local venues and its own Telugu songs at gigs, on themes such as personal experience, women's empowerment and relationships. It credits Hyderabad's Independent Music Platform for helping it find a stage.

The platforms behind the scene

Live rooms matter more than labels here. The Hindu's reporting names venues such as The Moonshine Project and Posh Nosh, where bands like Jammers and Merakee have played regular weekly shows. Merakee, led by vocalist Ganesh Kroviddi, built its following by reworking old Telugu melodies.

In October 2023 Siddharth Bhargav's Hyderabad company IMP-X launched the IMP app, a social and streaming platform for independent artists, with an Indian Ocean concert at Odeum By Prism. Hyderabad is also home to English-language songwriters such as Peekay, whose album we covered in our Peekay Cast in Chaos review. In a Radio City interview she called it "a huge misconception that Hyderabad does not have indie musicians".

A Telugu indie starter playlist

Makikirikiri by Rahul Sipligunj
Galli Ka Ganesh by Rahul Sipligunj
Oorellipota Mama by Chowraasta
Kanche Leni Desam by Chowraasta
Tholi Adugu by Jammers
Maya by Chowraasta

FAQ

Who are the best Telugu indie artists?

Start with Rahul Sipligunj, Chowraasta, Ram Miriyala and Mangli, then the Hyderabad bands Jammers, Capricio, Elyzium, Deccan Project and Kanyaräsi.

What are some good Telugu indie songs?

Makikirikiri and Galli Ka Ganesh by Rahul Sipligunj, Oorellipota Mama, Maya and Kanche Leni Desam by Chowraasta, and Tholi Adugu by Jammers.

Is Rahul Sipligunj an independent artist?

He began as one, co-producing, writing and singing his own YouTube music videos, and later became a major film playback singer, including Naatu Naatu from RRR.

Where can I hear Telugu indie bands live?

Hyderabad is the centre. Bands such as Jammers have played weekly at The Moonshine Project and Posh Nosh, and the IMP-X platform also curates live events.