In 2024, Sanoli Chowdhury and Vinod Gadher launched Indie Grrrl, a community designed to provide a safe and accessible platform for female artistes across India. Their mission was clear: to create a space where women could share performance opportunities, host workshops, and connect without barriers. “Our idea was to provide a space that was safe and accessible for women whether it was posting about shows, hosting workshops and the like,” said Sanoli. However, as they engaged with independent artistes, they quickly recognized a deeper need—sustainable support through investment and structured guidance. “When you are an independent artiste, your main goal is to be able to sustain your career for a long period of time,” Sanoli emphasized.
This realization led to the founding of Femme Music, a record label officially established in 2025. The initiative was born from Vinod’s long-standing passion for promoting women in music and Sanoli’s personal journey into the industry. Sanoli, who began playing guitar in childhood and later pursued music production, first shared her work on SoundCloud. Vinod, upon hearing her demos, signed her to his label in 2019. Following her graduation, Sanoli enrolled in audio school and completed a diploma in audio engineering. Today, she is deeply involved in music production and audio engineering, reflecting on how the industry operates through her hands-on experience. “Until then I had no idea about what the music industry entailed. Running a label full time has taught me a lot about how it operates,” she shared.
Over the past year, Femme Music released *Nyima Volume 1*, a compilation album featuring 11 female artistes, primarily singer-songwriters. The album is released annually through an open submission process, with selected works forming the compilation that goes live on major streaming platforms. While the label initially focused on indie artistes, it is not restricted by genre. The upcoming compilation includes tracks that can be classified as pop music, demonstrating the label’s openness to diverse sounds and styles.
Femme Music currently operates using two types of contracts. The first is a distribution deal, where artistes provide a finished song, and the label handles promotion, public relations, and post-production support. The second model involves exclusive artist signings, where the label invests in the artiste’s entire project from start to finish. The label is structured into three sub-labels: Nyima Records, Tala Root Records, and 34 Beat Records, each catering to different musical genres.
One recent milestone was the re-release of Jyotsna Srikanth’s 2015 EP *Bangalore Dreams* by Tala Root Records, now performed by the Jyotsna Carnatic Jazz Trio. Building on this momentum, Femme Music is launching Femme Power, a live performance series showcasing both upcoming and established women artistes. The first edition of Femme Power is scheduled for June 7, 2025, at The Humming Tree in Bengaluru, starting at 9:00 PM. Tickets begin at ₹499 and are available on Skillbox.
The June 7 event will feature a diverse lineup: Ro Maiti, a Mumbai-based multi-disciplinary artiste whose music draws from soul, RnB, electronic, and alternative genres; Sahana Naresh, a singer-songwriter and classical vocalist from Chennai who blends indie pop with Indian classical sounds, exploring themes of identity, womanhood, and emotional honesty; and Sanoli Chowdhury herself. Updates about future Femme Power events and other initiatives can be followed on @femmemusicglobal on social media.
Through its community-building efforts, investment model, and live platforms, Femme Music is redefining how women artistes in India access opportunities, recognition, and long-term sustainability in the music industry.
