Meet Nexa Music Top 24 Artist: Aarifah Rebello

If you’ve been following the country’s independent music scene closely for the last couple of years, the name Aarifah Rebello probably rings a lot of bells. The Mumbai-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist has been making waves playing at house gigs, multiple venues and festivals in India, not only as a solo performer but also with her band Ladies Compartment. Now Rebello is part of the Top 24 for Nexa Music, the nationwide hunt for English-language artists from across the country.

Ask Rebello her thoughts on being part of such a platform and she says, “I’ll get exposure [which] is pretty much the main thing that will help me, but more importantly since this is associated with [composers] A.R. Rahman and Clinton Cerejo, being big names in the industry, they have access to a wider audience.” She adds, “Plus the amount of effort being put into this will ensure that not only people in the indie scene, but also Bollywood [fans], music listening people in general. People who basically have access to the Internet and YouTube will be exposed to 24 very different musicians that sing in English.”

The singer-songwriter also feels that with Nexa Music, more folks will attempt to make music in English that will create a demand for it at performing spaces. She says, “[It will bring] more means of revenue for musicians in the country.”