Nyima Vol. 1 brings women’s stories to the fore

It's time to turn the volume up, as there’s a quiet yet powerful shift happening in India’s indie scene, and the wave is hitting Chennai this weekend. At a time when conversations around gender equality in music often fade after hashtags, Femme Music arrives to give women the mic, the stage, and the space to own their narratives.

When women lead the indie wave

Co-founded by musician and audio engineer Sanoli Chowdhury and UK industry veteran Vinod Gadher, Femme Music is India’s first independent label dedicated entirely to female artistes. “As a young girl who started her journey playing guitar and singing, I could have only dreamed of a label like this,” says Sanoli, who also produces and writes her own material.

Now, the label is making its first mark with a sub-label, Nyima Records, that champions English singer-songwriters from India who deserve a global audience. Its debut compilation, Nyima Vol. 1, features 11 singer-songwriters from across the country. Ahead of the release, the label is taking the music on a four-city India tour, with a stop in our city this weekend, featuring performances by Sahana Naresh, Tabitha Kagoo, and Anjali Manoharan.

For artistes like Sahana Naresh, a multilingual, genre-fluid singer-songwriter from Bengaluru, joining Nyima felt like coming home. “Their vision immediately resonated with me, a label that puts women at the centre, uplifts independent voices, and creates a space where our stories aren’t an afterthought but the main narrative,” she shares. Her track, which blends vulnerability and strength, brings a reflective pause to the compilation’s emotional landscape.

“I’d love for it to start a conversation about how diverse women’s voices actually are,” she adds. “There’s no monolithic ‘female artist sound.’ We’re experimental, bold, soft, fierce, classical, electronic, indie, folk — sometimes all at once. I hope listeners ask: why haven’t we heard these stories and sounds more often, and what do we need to change so we hear them all the time?”

Anjali Manoharan, a Chennai-based educator and artiste, adds that being part of an all-female lineup brought out genuine camaraderie. “There was a sense of sisterhood, not the performative kind, but the kind where you genuinely feel seen,” says Sahana. “Competition didn’t even enter the room. The energy was more, ‘If you win, we all win.’”

Anjali, whose song is deeply personal, says her track “is about addressing all my vulnerabilities and weaknesses and coming to accept them.” She adds, “It’s a unique song even for me, as it took me a while to come to terms with it.” As for what she hopes the album sparks, she says, “That would be about our musicality. Everyone has their own song and their own story, and I think it’s going to blend into a beautiful journey for listeners.”

For Sanoli, who is also behind the NGO Indie GRRRL, Femme Music is about building a long-term ecosystem, not just producing records. “The music industry in India lacks management skills, and there are many gatekeepers,” she says. “I hope this movement results in artistes feeling more empowered to put themselves out there and ask for help,” she says. “At the end of the day, Femme Music is about creating space, and making sure we never go back to a time when those voices were missing.”

Rs 300 onwards. On  November 15. From 6.30 pm onwards. At Vinyl & Brew, Alwarpet.

Email: shivani@newindianexpress.com
X: @ShivaniIllakiya

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