Filmmakers Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti, Singer-Songwriter Ankur Tewari Launch Tiger Baby Records

Indian film directors and writers Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti — among the most charged-up minds in cinema right now — have often worked with singer-songwriter and music supervisor Ankur Tewari on projects like Gully Boy and Made In Heaven. With Akhtar and Kagti’s film production company Tiger Baby launched in 2015, the duo have now called on Tewari to unveil Tiger Baby Records, a music label geared towards “the audio world” for “compelling storytelling.”

The first release from Tiger Baby Records will be the title track off Tewari’s Aaja Nindiya EP for children, releasing on March 17th. The children’s music space will remain the label’s immediate focus in 2023. In the longer term, we can expect albums, EPs and singles, “music-driven documentaries,” podcasts and live events from Tiger Baby Records. Specially created and signed musical projects by artists are also expected to be released and promoted by the label.

Akhtar and Kagti say in a joint statement, “We are excited to be delving into the audio world with Tiger Baby Records. The world of music represents an exciting opportunity and partnering with Ankur was an obvious and natural decision. We hope to continue to empower newer voices and create sounds that break the clutter, and our roster of releases will reflect that.”

Tewari lays out the chronology that led to launching the label, one that found new momentum when he was collaborating with music company Platoon Music. Owned by Apple and extending artist services, A&R, and music distribution, Platoon Music is working on Aaja Nindiya and three more children’s music EPs by yet-to-be-announced artists, all of which felt like the right time to kickstart Tiger Baby Records, according to Tewari.

While Tewari’s six-track, sing-along EP Aaja Nindiya will be released on March 24th, Tiger Baby Records will announce additions to its roster of artists and releases soon. Going beyond boutique labels and vanity projects, there’s a sense of cultural investment with Tiger Baby Records, one that we’ve seen previously in labels like IncInk, launched in 2019 by actor Ranveer Singh and filmmaker Navzar Eranee to platform hip-hop in the country.

Follow Tiger Baby Records here.