Veteran American pianist Chad Lawson describes his latest album, Awakening: The Stillness Within, as an attempt to hold hope, grief and memory within what he calls stillness.

To realise that vision, Chad collaborated with flautist Rasika Shekar, sitar maestro Purbayan Chatterjee, singer Nush Lewis and sound healer Paayal Lal on the nine-track album. Produced by Vedam Records in collaboration with Decca Records, a British-American record label, it blends Western classical compositions with Indian cadences, mantras and healing frequencies. In doing so, it taps into the booming wellness music genre, rooted in Indian musical traditions and gaining increasing global attention.

“The album was made in India with musicians who understand that kind of space far better than I do. So much of what the rest of the world now calls wellness music grew out of traditions that have been alive in India for centuries,” says Chad, who has previously topped the Billboard Top Classical Albums chart with his interpretations of Frédéric Chopin’s works.

So, is wellness music a fact or a fad?

“Music definitely has a calming effect. From infants lulled to sleep to older adults, music is not limited by age or demographic. It is a powerful auditory stimulus, a biological phenomenon rather than merely a socio-cultural one,” says psychologist Shantala Hegde, faculty-in-charge of the Music Cognition Lab, which advances research in music cognition and neuromusicology, and additional professor of Neuropsychology at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru.

Shantala points out that Indian psychology is deeply intertwined with philosophy, yoga and Ayurveda. The latter two were conceived with general wellness in mind, with mental health seen as a by-product.

“Similarly, certain forms of music were designed with wellness in mind. Psychologists understand that some ragas evoke peacefulness and devotion rather than serve as a cure,” she says.

However, Hegde adds that existing research remains contradictory and the evidence is insufficient to prescribe music as an intervention. “Background music can influence cognitive function, attention and processing speed, but it may not benefit everyone,” she says.

Growth of wellness labels

Devraj Sanyal, chairman and CEO, India and South Asia, Universal Music Group, says, “A few years ago, we started hearing about mental health issues more than ever before,” adding that this led to the formation of Vedam Records in September 2024. The label delves into the Vedas and India’s traditional wellness practices, such as yoga, while classifying wellness music into five verticals — yoga, meditation, focus, sleep, and chakra balancing.

In May 2025, Vedam Records collaborated with Apple Music to launch Sound Therapy, releasing music for focus, relaxation, and sleep — blending songs with sound waves to attain the desired results. Featured artistes include Imagine Dragons, Katy Perry, Kacey Musgraves, Ludovico Einaudi, AURORA, Jhené Aiko, Chelsea Cutler, and Jeremy Zucker.

“The top search keywords from a wellness perspective are focus and study, followed by guided meditations and yoga/chakra music. The last one is sleep,” says Devraj. Frequency music is another genre on the rise, he says, referring to music that uses precisely calibrated sound frequencies such as binaural beats, white noise, and so on. These claim to stimulate the brain’s rhythmic patterns, creating an environment of auditory balance.

“Wellness is no longer just an option,” says Devraj. “We observed a requirement, for instance, during the exam season, when we saw our music and videos being streamed. There was a huge upswing in focus and calming music. Every single song has a specific intent, and every genre has a great amount of thinking; we go through this process multiple times to ensure the best product possible.”

The festival ecosystem

The rise of wellness music has also fuelled the growth of wellness music festivals.

“People now expect a holistic, sensory and almost transformational experience at these festivals,” says Nathan Menezes, founder, ELVT Live, which organises wellness music festivals in Mumbai. He attributes the growth of the sector to several factors: fatigue following revenge tourism — the post-pandemic surge in travel to make up for lost vacations — the rise of the fitness and longevity industry, increased international travel and, most importantly, a collective desire for deeper and more meaningful experiences.

Chad sees these gatherings as offering something more fundamental. “Something special happens when a roomful of people agrees to be still at the same time,” he says. “We are social creatures. Many of us won’t slow down until we see the person next to us doing it too. These festivals offer permission to pause, and that often turns out to be the missing piece.”

Wellness music practitioners

Mumbai-based veteran tabla player Anuradha Pal, a stalwart in the field of music for wellness, has worked with around 27,000 people. She started Healing Tabla Experience (HTE), a meditative, rhythm-based routine, during the lockdown. Her other initiatives, Positive Weekends and Wellness Workshops, nurture mental health, focus, and calm through rhythm and breath. She uses guided meditation and yoga to accompany her instrumentals at her wellness programmes, which focus on tabla beats, exhibiting a rich tonal palette and complex rhythmic flexibility. “When the rhythm in our hearts and lives flows gently, we are well.”

Sitarist Rishab Rikhiram Sharma has gained global attention through his project Sitar for Mental Health, which promotes mental well-being through the fusion of Indian classical music and sound therapy. Rishab’s sitar concerts feature vocals, tabla, bass, guitar, and khartal. His album, Navarasa, features nine songs that channel nine emotions with an immersive sound design.

There are other wellness music programmes in the country, such as Anahat Music Therapy, founded by Hindustani musician Santosh Ghatpande. Labels such as Saregama Wellness also exclusively produce wellness music.

Based on research

“The features of music can depend on how someone perceives it,” says Shantala, a trained Hindustani singer, who finds relaxation in it. “I have had participants at our lab who are exposed to Hindustani music on television, evoking a sorrowful feeling for them.”

The psychologist also warns that mental health issues are an overused term on social media and suggests that the real goal should be to attain general wellness rather than relying solely on such music. “We are also looking at unhealthy parts of music,” says the psychologist who researches brain functions in non-musical domains and their interplay with music, further complicating the fact versus fad debate.

Devraj, however, remains optimistic about the role of music in wellness. He says, “It is not a cure, but meant to make people feel better, be calmer, and focus better. And if we develop it over a period, with the right amount of resources, India will be a major part of the future wellness music space, globally.”