Indian indie artiste Sahil Verma rocks the Belgian Beer Stage at Tomorrowland 2023

At 14, Sahil Verma dreamed of performing at Tomorrowland Music Festival. In 2023, his dream came true when he became the first independent artiste from India to perform at the event with a mix of Tech House, Latin House, Afro House and Indian songs.

At 14, Sahil Verma had the Tomorrowland Music Festival logo stuck on his closet at home in Mumbai where he grew up; he even dreamed of being part of that EDM extravaganza someday.

As the years passed, the dream became stronger. When Sahil saw Tiesto perform in Mumbai, that he realised this is exactly where he wanted to reach. However, his mother wanted him to be a Bollywood singer; so she put him through training in Indian classical music.

“As a young boy, I used to be jealous of my friends playing sports whereas I was practising my ragas in a room with a harmonium. Now, when I look back, I couldn’t be more thankful, Indian classical music has helped my musical abilities/instincts in more ways than I could ever imagine. I promise, this is only the beginning and I am going all in; but what a beautiful beginning though,” says Sahil.

When he received an invitation to be part of Tomorrowland 2023; he says “it felt like the dots connected.” One of the top music festivals in the world, the event, which was on July 21, featured a lineup of EDM icons including Amelie Lens, Steve Angello, The Chainsmokers, Tiësto, Afrojack, Alesso, Alok and Martin Garrix.

Delhi-born DJ and producer Sahil aka ADGRMS, was the first independent artiste from India to perform at Tomorrowland Belgium aka Belgian Beer Stage, without a label or management backing. Lots of hard work and being his own manager helped him reach the Adscendo mainstage of Tomorrowland 2023 on the final day, believes Sahil.

“I did not wait for someone to spot my potential and sign me, I just became my manager,” he says. “It is a luxury to be just an artiste and be backed by a team, but I just had to force myself to learn how the business works. It is a big industry and to become a part of it, you have to know the various elements that support it: Publishing, licensing, marketing, bookings, touring, understanding contracts and a million other things.”

Sahil’s set at Belgium Beer Stage was mostly a salad of Tech House / Latin House and Afro House. He also played tech house flips of Indian songs like ‘Banno’, ‘Aaja Sanam’, ‘Mundian Toh Bach Ke’, ‘Guddi Riddim’ and a couple of others.