While Bollywood bangers still echo through house parties and wedding halls, a quiet music revolution is happening in the headphones of UAE’s Gen Z. From after-hours playlists to pre-dawn drives down Al Wasl, Vivaan Shenoy shows us why it’s the indie artists, not the chart-toppers, who are shaping the sonic identity of the country’s youth.
Platforms like Spotify, Anghami, and SoundCloud have made it easier than ever to discover artists beyond the mainstream. Think Prateek Kuhad’s moody acoustics, Hanita Bhambri’s poetic lyricism, and Anuv Jain’s lo-fi heartache, all mainstays on the playlists of South Asian teens in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. But it’s not just about India, Gen Z here is also vibing with global acts like Laufey, Boygenius, and Beabadoobee, creating a rich, genre-fluid musical mix.
Locally, names like Shebani, Jindi, and Molham are gaining cult followings, blending R&B, soul, and Arabic rhythms into sounds that feel fresh and familiar. These aren’t viral hits made for mass appeal, they’re bedroom tracks turned cultural touchstones, echoing over reels, study sessions, and sunset beach hangs.
This indie wave is more than just music. It’s an aesthetic, a moodboard, a quiet rebellion against commercial noise. And for a generation looking to define itself beyond borders and genres, these artists offer something Bollywood can’t always deliver: intimacy, honesty, and individuality.