Bollywood

Bollywood music is inseparable from the popular Hindi cinema produced in Mumbai (formerly Bombay) since the 1930s. A truly universal musical language in India, it fuses Indian classical influences (ragas, talas), regional folk music and ghazal, alongside Western sounds — disco, hip-hop, electronica — absorbed and reinterpreted through a distinctly South Asian prism. Film songs (filmi songs) form the sonic backbone of the daily life of over one billion people.

Musically, a typical Bollywood song is characterised by highly catchy melodies, exuberant orchestral arrangements blending traditional instruments (sitar, tabla, shehnai) with modern ones (guitar, drums, synthesiser), and vocals with complex ornamental passages. The tradition of playback singing — where professional singers record vocals that actors lip-sync on screen — has produced legends like Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammed Rafi, whose influence on the genre remains immense.

SUZANNE and MARIANNE are artists who explore these Bollywood colours in live and festive contexts, bringing to European audiences the communicative joy and sonic colour of this centuries-old musical tradition revisited by the world's most productive film industry. Their stage presence underlines the importance of Indian diasporas in the global diffusion of this repertoire.

Indian cultural festivals, South Asian diaspora events in Europe and themed evenings in major cities are the principal vectors for spreading Bollywood music outside India. Specialist cultural events in London, Paris and Brussels bring together thousands of enthusiasts every year. Find upcoming Bollywood festivals to immerse yourself in the sonic and visual magic of this inimitable genre.