Seyie Intreprid
Kohima, August 28 (MExN): Nagaland’s growing music ecosystem will take centre stage at Soundscapes of India Season 3, with senior representatives of the state’s leadership joining two of its emerging musical acts.
Abu Mehta, Advisor to the Chief Minister of Nagaland and Chairman of IDAN and, Theja Meru, Chairman of the Task Force for Music and Arts (TaFMA), Government of Nagaland, will be present at Soundscapes of India Season 3, being organized by the Indian Performing Right Society (IPRS) from August 29 to 31 August 2026 at Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi.
Their presence at the festival comes with an objective: to strengthen connections between Nagaland’s artists and the national and international music industry and explore pathways that can take Naga music to global audiences, festivals and markets.
Theja Meru, said “Our participation at Soundscapes of India is in line with our continued efforts to create wider national and global pathways for artists from Nagaland and the Northeast. Platforms like SOI are important because they bring artists directly into conversations with festival programmers, industry professionals and international music networks. We are grateful to IPRS for creating this platform and for recognising the immense talent emerging from the Northeast. TaFMA is glad to participate in and support this initiative, and we look forward to building stronger bridges that can take our artists and their music to the global circuit.”
Rakesh Nigam, CEO, IPRS commented, “IPRS has shared a valuable and enduring association with TaFMA, built around a common commitment to nurturing and taking forward the extraordinary musical talent emerging from Nagaland. Having the state leadership team from Nagaland join the artists at the SOI Showcase further strengthens that commitment and creates a valuable opportunity to build stronger connections between Naga artists and the wider national and global music ecosystem.”
Two Distinct Voices from Nagaland
Representing Nagaland on the performance stage will be Seyie Intrepid, led by Gold Award-winning artist Seyievinuo Chuzho, and Street Stories, two acts reflecting very different but equally compelling sides of the state’s musical landscape.
Seyie Intrepid draws from traditional Naga folklore and cultural heritage, combining these elements with contemporary musical expression.
Seyievinuo Chuzho has also been associated with cross-cultural collaborations, including the Wales–Nagaland musical exchange, demonstrating the potential of Naga musical traditions to engage with international artistic communities.
Meanwhile, Street Stories brings the raw energy of Nagaland’s contemporary rock culture to the Soundscapes stage. The band channels that tradition into high-energy pop-punk, drawing inspiration from global acts such as Blink-182 and Green Day while grounding its songwriting in the members’ own travels and experiences.
Together, the two acts present a snapshot of Nagaland’s musical diversity-where indigenous storytelling, traditional heritage, rock and global contemporary influences coexist.
Nagaland has long had a distinctive musical identity, shaped by its rich indigenous traditions and a vibrant contemporary music culture. The state’s artists have increasingly found audiences beyond the Northeast, but creating sustained access to international festivals, touring circuits, labels and collaborators remains an important next step.
Soundscapes of India provides a platform for that next step.
With artists, industry professionals, festival programmers, labels, touring agents and international delegates coming together, the festival creates opportunities that extend beyond the concert stage. Through performances, industry pitching sessions, panels and mentorship programmes, artists can directly engage with professionals who can help develop their careers and take their music to new markets.
For Nagaland’s delegation, the festival will therefore be as much about building relationships and opening doors as it is about showcasing music, Meru said.
The larger objective is to ensure that musicians from the state can move from being discovered on showcase stages to becoming part of international touring and festival circuits.
