How did the television programme Music Mojo influence the south Indian music industry?

Note: What follows is one of my earliest essays during my undergraduate degree (December 2, 2022).

Where did the indie bands Thaikkudam Bridge and Masala Coffee come from? When and where was their big break? Unlike times of the past, Indie Music has today become a very mainstream category. So what changed? In this paper, I will answer that question in the context of South Indian Indie Music. The rise of independent musicians in the south of the subcontinent coincides with the release of an ordinary TV programme called Music Mojo. Multiple artists and bands would perform in this programme, and their performances would be aired on Mathrubhumi TV every Friday. They have a YouTube channel where these performances are uploaded, with some of their videos reaching more than two crore views. They are now a household name in Kerala and much of South India. This is why most of the information presented here is first-hand from the author himself who lived in that culture.

You can find no academic studies on their influence on South Indian Indie Music today, and this paper aims to change that. Music is the universal language we all speak, and I will talk about how an audience of more than twenty-one lakh people began to speak the language of Music Mojo in South India. This paper analyses the influence of the Music Mojo programme in today's music industry. At the end of the essay, you will find a playlist listing some of Music Mojo’s videos to help you understand the paper better.

Indie Music is somewhat of a more recent genre than conventional genres like pop and hip-hop. ‘Indie’ stands for independent, and the genre traces its origins to the West, from where we can trace its meaning too. When we say indie or independent music, we mean music produced by artists who were completely or mostly independent from mainline record labels. However, the meaning has changed with the context of India. Here, Indie musicians are those artists who create music that is not a part of the film industry. Indie Music is a very popular genre among the youth of this country, and it has only been growing since it took root here. The genre of Indie Music is very vast, as its definition is based on the production aspect. Therefore, the need arises for sub-genres like indie-pop and indie-rock.

South India has a very diverse and prosperous music industry within its film ecosystem, where music is generally used as a marketing tool for the films themselves. Such music generally has a commercial aspect underlying it, and so the artist is limited in their creative freedom compared to the indie music scene. South India has a few bands and artists who have made it big in the Indie Music scene, like Agam, Masala Coffee, Thakara and When Chai Met Toast. These are artists who to this day have been performing and releasing new music. A relatively new genre, Indie Music in the south is yet to gain the traction and popularity it has in the north. As the name indicates, Indie musicians are not attached to record labels like mainstream artists. This has its disadvantages—one being the uncertainty of monetary returns. Thus, many of these artists have other jobs that fund their dream. Also, the scene in South India is dominated by older and established bands like Agam, Avial, and Thaikkudam Bridge. Walking alone toward success in this industry can be daunting, compounded by societal and familial pressure against such a risky path. Though we can observe a gradual change in mindset, the situation remains largely the same.

Kappa TV is a music channel which runs primarily on Kerala TV networks. It is run by The Mathrubhumi Group. The channel’s name was inspired by the root of the cassava plant, also called tapioca. The channel focuses on shows for young people and gives music a lot of attention. The popular Kappa TV programme Music Mojo features bands from Kerala and other southern Indian states. The programme is aired every Saturday and Sunday from 9 pm. The show has been running since 2013 and recently completed its sixth season. Kappa TV recently rebranded to Kappa Originals and now goes with the tagline “The Independent Music Label.”

Music Mojo selects artists carefully before giving them a chance to perform in one of their two live studios in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram. The bands and artists who perform here are primarily from South India. Most of the popular hits on their YouTube channel are covers or renditions of folk songs. These include Kaantha, Pallivaalu Bhadravattakam, and Alayal Thara Venam. There are some original pieces and covers of film songs as well. The range of artists and music they perform is vast and has been increasing ever since the first season. A YouTube playlist has been created and attached by the author to help readers understand Music Mojo’s releases better.

By now, we have heard the name Masala Coffee multiple times in this paper. They had their name etched in Malayalam music history after the release of their rendition of the song Kaantha Njanum Varam. This is a very popular traditional song in Kerala. The song revolves around the famous Thrissur Pooram, a temple festival celebrated near the Vadakkunnathan Temple in Thrissur. Gaining over 2.3 crore views on the Kappa TV YouTube channel, Masala Coffee’s contemporary take on the song was a smash hit among the youth of Kerala. The band, with their energetic instrumentals and Sooraj’s melodious voice, brought the song back to life, and it remains their most popular release.

Music Mojo’s primary viewership comes from YouTube, where it has gained an audience crossing linguistic and cultural barriers. With over 2 million subscribers and 900 million views, YouTube has given them a platform that reaches demographics their television programme never could. The platform helps their music reach the youth—something Music Mojo kept in mind while producing its releases. By maintaining a strong social media presence, they have reached a peak of influence in the industry.

Some of Music Mojo’s greatest releases were from the earlier seasons up to the fourth. After this period, only a few performances gained as much traction. This decline could be attributed to the emergence of other channels and shows facilitating indie music. Another reason could be Kappa TV’s venture into other sectors such as fashion, which has caused a decrease in viewership. The channel has moved from focusing solely on music to embracing other areas. It is also observed that some recent releases have been original pieces, which may not resonate with audiences as well as covers or renditions of popular songs. That said, there are still similar movements happening globally, and studying them helps us understand these influences better.

Coke Studio Pakistan is one of the most well-known music programmes in South Asia, running since 2008. They brought lesser-known musicians into the spotlight and reintroduced genres like Qawwali and Sufi music to the nation’s youth. They provided a platform for young musicians to showcase their talents to the entire nation. The parallels between the two shows are clear: appealing to the youth, introducing or reviving genres, and targeting regional audiences. Like Music Mojo, Coke Studio Pakistan also benefited from YouTube, which expanded their audience beyond national borders. This is exactly how television programmes influence the music industry—social media enlarges their audience, increasing popularity, and inspiring new programmes and compositions that trace their roots back to one influential show.

This programme has been the breakout point for many musicians. For some, their performance propelled them to stardom; for others, it introduced them to a new audience. One major way this programme has influenced indie music is by giving a platform to artists who went on to become trailblazers for the genre.Since their time on Music Mojo, bands like Masala Coffee, Thaikkudam Bridge and Thakara have built successful independent careers and continue to influence the industry today. Their influence can be observed in Kerala’s music scene, even a decade after Music Mojo began. Kappa TV has shown what this genre can accomplish, and the talent it brought into mainstream media has helped the growth of others like them.

Take Thaikkudam Bridge as an example—they have gained over one hundred thousand subscribers on YouTube. Their music remains popular despite some tracks being quite old. Recently, their song Navarasam was found to be the alleged inspiration for the song Varaha Roopam in Kantara. The fact that a mainstream film song traces connections to an indie song from six years earlier demonstrates the band’s influence. What we observe in the artists from Music Mojo is that their post-show success pushed them to produce better music, perform in more locations, and reach larger audiences—including foreign listeners.

The fusion of folk and modern styles became a signature aspect of many of these bands, especially Thaikkudam Bridge. These bands made such fusion famous, and it has now become a common theme. With greater artistic freedom, these artists combined traditional instruments with modern ones, creating a style that is now widespread. Their national and international recognition is a testament to their influence on the industry—an influence that shaped Indie Music into what it is today in South India.

A casual Google search for top Kerala bands brings up names like Thaikkudam Bridge, Masala Coffee, and Avial. These were once local artists known only in small music circles, and they now dominate the Indie Music scene. The art of covering and fusing traditional songs with modern styles like rock, pop, and hip-hop, and bringing genres like heavy metal and death rock into Malayalam folk styles, are some of the strongest influences Music Mojo has had on the South Indian indie scene.

These once-independent and underground musicians have today influenced music across the subcontinent, even appearing in film soundtracks. Kappa TV has become synonymous with independent music in this part of the country, and its influence stretches far beyond its local fanbase. Newer bands and artists have followed the trail left by these legendary groups and found unique voices—while still carrying the imprint of Music Mojo’s musical legacy. Having explored the similarities between Music Mojo and similar programmes, we understand how, with the aid of digital platforms like YouTube, they have influenced Indie Music in the South.