WAVES 2025 to be held in Mumbai will see an amalgamation of Hindi songs from Bollywood to classical and folk played by national and international bands

Registration is open for international bands for the Battle of Bands India contest, with Hindi songs at the core. The grand finale with top five bands each from within and outside India will be showcased at the WAVES Summit 2025 in Mumbai in May.

After the success of Battle of Bands India round, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, has now opened the event to international bands who can register and showcase their skills in playing and singing Hindi songs, from Bollywood to classical ragas to traditional folk.

Interested music groups are required to submit a video of maximum two minutes in MP4 format containing an original piece of music and lyrics composed by them in Hindi. Maximum five members including a vocalist is compulsory for registration via the official Doordarshan website. Participating bands can fill in the details such as the Band name, contact information, names of all the members and, the social media handles. The registration will close on March 15. Only the first video uploaded by each band would be considered for selection.

Between March 16 and April 30, the clips sent by the participants would be played on Prasar Bharati on set dates and time and the bands would be ranked. First, the top 13 would be shortlisted and from among them the top five will get the opportunity to perform at the World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2025, to be held in Mumbai from May 1 to May 4.

The grand musical finale will bring a melodious fusion of local and global music with top five bands each from within and outside the country playing together.

Ribha Sood from I&B Ministry assures of an electrifying moment for the public who would be exposed to a variety of musical performances spanning genres and celebrating the diverse taste of music lovers. The WAVES initiative is an ongoing mission of the government to nurture and elevate the country’s creative ecosystem.

The Battle of Bands is one of the 25 ‘Create in India’ challenges that were launched last November to promote talent in animation, reel and film making, gaming, content creation, poster making, music and dance among others. Battle of Bands is one of the key pillars of the event that has been taken to the global level, says Ribha.

Creators and technologists are expected to join the Summit to redefine India’s entertainment industry. Apart from cultural events, there would be meetings, workshops and conversations to push the limits of creativity while promoting a sense of innovation and growth within the industry, she adds.