Femme Music is India’s label to exclusively promote women singers

It might just be a great time to be a female indie artist in India. A new record label, said to be the only one in the country, is dedicated entirely to developing female indie artists. Started by Bengaluru-based musician, music producer and audio engineer, Sanoli Chowdhury and London-based music industry veteran Vinod Gadher, who has also been Sanoli’s manager — Femme Music — aims to create an ecosystem where female voices lead, own their narratives and build sustainable careers — both nationally and globally.

Inspired by the 90s Riot Grrrl Movement, Sanoli and Vinod realised that Indian artists needed help understanding the music industry. They started an NGO — Indie Grrrl — in April last year. “The music industry in India lacks management skills, and there are many gatekeepers. Femme Music will help an artist in terms of not just management and booking, but also publishing copyrights. I always felt music-making needs a society where we exchange knowledge and help each other to develop a way to help female musicians/artists make a living from music,” says Sanoli.

Femme Music has partnered with AWAL (Artistes Without A Label) for global distribution and PRS for Music in the U.K. as well as handling mixing and mastering of all tracks. For their first release, they have announced Nyima Vol.1, a compilation under Nyima Records — one of Femme Music’s flagship sub-labels that champions English-language singer-songwriters from India, who want to reach audiences across boundaries. The compilation releases on November 28. 

Singer-songwriters featured in the compilation are from across the country, with varying levels of experience. Nyima Vol.1 features Aanchal Bordoloi, Aadya Jaswal, ⁠⁠Anjali Manoharan, Kokum, Meera Desai, Ro Maiti, Ruhdabeh, Sahana Naresh, Tabitha Kagoo, Tiana Tara and Zahrah. Few are younger entrants while some have been making music for over a decade. “For us, this is just the stepping stone. We, as a label, believe in their music and talent, and want to provide them with a platform that can help them grow in their careers. We believe they have potential. Their voices and music speak to us, and we hope the world sees what we do,” shares Sanoli. 

The process commenced around April this year, and they already had artists in mind who they reached out to for the release. However, they plan to open calls for submissions for their future sub-labels. “We’re drawn to talent in its most organic form, artists with a unique and potential voice and sound. There’s something special about the way each person perceives and interprets music; it’s that individuality, that personal navigation through sound, which sets one artist apart from another, far more than genre ever could,” states Sanoli.

She and Vinod don’t want to “tether Femme Music to a certain sound”, so each sub-label will explore a different genre, showcasing female Indian talent. “There are no boundaries to what we want to explore. Nyima Records will be exploring pop/indie/singer-songwriter. But, with our future sub-labels, we want to explore hip-hop/rock/classical/fusion/ambient/electronic/Lo-Fi and more,” says Sanoli, who herself has a new EP releasing on artist-first lo-fi music label, Arden Records, next month.

They plan to release EPs with a few artists from the debut album, focus on more genres, do more showcases and develop the indie scene further. Apart from that, they also want to educate and spread the knowledge. “There is a lot of misinformation out there, and we want to help independent artists navigate their careers as much as we possibly can. We live in a world run by numbers and we do not want to be a part of that bandwagon. Genuine talent and honesty will always strive,” believes Sanoli.