Why are international stars hitting India now?

“Please come to my city!”

A familiar cry from music fans around the world hoping their favorite artists will come to their hometown.

However, fans in India have often seen this appeal fall on deaf ears.

Artists including Sabrina Carpenter, Gracie Abrams and Arctic Monkey appear Spotify's weekly country album chartwhere Ed Sheeran ÷ (split) spent 217 consecutive weeks.

Many world-famous musicians tend to skip the country.

But that seems to be changing now.

Dua Lipa's recent performance in Mumbai has gone viral, and Coldplay will soon begin their tour – nine years after their last visit to India.

Their dates include two shows in Ahmedabad where over 100,000 people are expected to attend each night.

“Having this experience in our country, it's really great to see it happening more and more,” music lover and aspiring artist Anushka Maski told BBC Newsbeat.

Demand for live music appears to be growing in India, with ticketing platform BookMyShow recording 18% growth in 2024.

Ed Sheeran is set to undertake his biggest ever tour of the country, and artists including Shawn Mendes and Louis Tomlinson will appear at the Lollapalooza festival in March.

Marketing professor Dr Surendra Banerjee, from the University of Leeds Business School, says India's population of 1.4 billion people – and their ages – is a big draw for artists.

“You have a large part of the world, young people, living in India,” Dr Banerjee tells Newsbeat.

“So, if I were in the music business, that would be the place I would target, to reap the benefits of the demographics.”

According to global market research company Statista, Value of Indian music industry In 2021 it was 19 billion rupees (£178 million).

By 2026, it is expected to grow to 37 billion rupees (£346 million).

says Dr Banerjee The rise of K-pop in India It showed Western artists the country's potential to find new fans.

“The big music companies have research teams that would have noticed that someone else[could]control a big market,” he says.

More broadly, it feels Indian Increasing wealth and connections with the wider world This makes it an important place for artists to get a foothold and “collaborate.”

“Not only to reach the Indian market, but also to reach the large Indian (population) living outside the country.”

For local Indian artists, there is hope that big names will provide big opportunities for them.

Pop/folk singer Anushka has been making music since 2020 and feels that Western artists provide an opportunity for local acts to gain greater visibility.

She gained experience herself after opening for Brit Award winner Ben Howard.

“It's an opportunity I never thought I'd have in the country,” she says.

The opportunity to collaborate with major artists “puts you on the map,” says independent singer-songwriter Anumita Nadesan.

“It is very inspiring too, because before a big artist came to India, we had to travel to another country to watch their concerts.

“And you will learn a lot as an artist by going to these concerts,” says the Indian artist.

Pop artist Frizel D'Souza, from Bangalore, says seeing acts from abroad starting from humble beginnings can send a strong message to Indian audiences that local talent can achieve global fame.

She describes Ed Sheeran as her “songwriting hero” and says his background singing in the streets and playing in popular venues is relatable.

“It's very reassuring to know that someone like him can actually do this,” Frizzell says.

“Even though he's a big star right now, he kind of started in the same place I started.”

Frizzell also sees an opportunity for cultural exchange, with Western music figures being exposed to Indian sounds.

She points to rapper Hanumankind, who has charted globally with Big Dawgs and collaborated with A$AP Rocky.

“This is proof that international acts coming to India also helps Indian artists (globally) achieve success,” she says.

But artists point out some potential drawbacks to the influx of international stars coming to India.

The biggest risk Frizzell sees has to do with money – and the audience budget that is allocated mainly to major artists.

“I hope I'm wrong about this, but maybe (they) prefer the bigger international tournaments and don't want to risk it for smaller or upcoming acts.”

There is also a chance that artists will overshadow the attention given to younger artists, adds Anumita.

“But then it also challenges younger artists to raise the bar.”

According to Bonnie Hirwani, music journalist at Rolling Stone India, the risk of being overshadowed is low because the companies involved in the events often ensure that local artists are the main support acts.

She cited G-Eazy's 2024 tour as an example, which only supported Indian artists – which helped boost their careers.

Instead, she told Newsbeat, the focus should be on improving infrastructure to attract bigger names like Taylor Swift and Beyoncé – both of whom did not bring their tours to India.

The fans have He often complained In terms of facilities, concerts are often held at sports grounds used during India's long cricket season and are not always available throughout the year.

“So we need bigger and bigger venues and a better music system,” says Peony.

The Lollapalooza festival is held at Mumbai's horse racing track, the only venue with enough space to host it safely.

“Even some of the (prestigious) stadiums we have now…there definitely needs to be conversations about what everyone needs to do to make our infrastructure and venues better,” says Peony.

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