Gaana Recap 2025 shows rise of regional music and paying listeners

Gaana’s 2025 listening recap indicates a shift in how Indian audiences consume music, with longer time spent on the platform, increased regional discovery and repeat engagement across Indian-language genres.

As a subscription-only platform, Gaana tracks listening behaviour solely from paying users, referred to internally as 'TrueFans'. According to the platform, higher time spent listening per user during the year reflects deliberate and sustained engagement rather than casual or background consumption.

Regional languages drive growth

Regional music accounted for a significant share of listening growth in 2025. Assamese emerged as the fastest-growing language on the platform, recording a 42% increase in time spent listening, driven largely by users in eastern India.

Punjabi pop continued to attract repeat listeners, with tracks such as Azul by Guru Randhawa and For A Reason by Karan Aujla and Ikky. Bhojpuri music retained strong listener loyalty, led by tracks including Aaho Raja, Dilwa Le Ja Rumaal Me and Arrah Ke Othlali by Pawan Singh. Haryanvi music sustained its upward trajectory through tracks by Masoom Sharma, including 2 Khatole, Teri Ramjhol Bole Gi and Raat Ke Shikari.

Marathi listening remained steady, with Sanju Rathod’s Shaky and Sundari continuing to see traction. In the South, Telugu listeners gravitated towards Devi Sri Prasad’s Bujji Thalli and Viral Vayyari, while Tamil engagement centred around tracks such as Oorum Blood, Monica and Pathikichu. Malayalam users repeatedly returned to Neeye Punchiri from Lokah, along with Minnalvala and Jaalakaari.

Bollywood and indie maintain relevance

Hindi film music recorded a 25% increase in time spent listening. Saiyaara emerged as one of the most listened-to tracks of the year, followed by Tu Hain Toh Main Hoon from Skyforce. Indie music also grew by 14%, with artists such as Kushagra (Finding Her), Aditya Rikhari (Sahiba) and Anuv Jain (Jo Tum Mere Ho) maintaining consistent engagement.

Genre trends and catalogue depth

Pop was the fastest-growing genre on the platform, rising by 48%, driven largely by younger listeners. Indian-rooted genres, including devotional and culturally anchored music, also saw sustained listening growth.

Listening patterns showed coexistence between newer releases and older catalogues. Music from the 2020s recorded the highest growth, while earlier decades remained stable, indicating parallel consumption of nostalgia and new content.

Artists and listener loyalty

In Hindi music, Arijit Singh continued to be among the most returned-to artists, alongside Pritam and Alka Yagnik. Reflecting on the response to Saiyaara, Faheem Abdullah said, “The love that I have received for Saiyaara is beyond words. Knowing that the song is the most listened to on Gaana, where every play comes from a paying listener, makes this recognition even more meaningful.”

Tanishk Bagchi added, “It’s always special when a song connects the way Saiyaara has. I’m grateful to everyone who listened on Gaana this year and happy to see it become one of the most played tracks on the platform. Thank you for giving the music so much love.”

In Marathi, Sanju Rathod and Sonali Sonawane remained among the most-streamed artists. Sonali Sonawane said, “So grateful for all the love from my listeners. Your support is the reason I’m among the most-streamed artist in Marathi on Gaana year after year. This year has been incredible, and I’m promising you to share better music with you next year. Thank you for all the love. Keep loving the same. I love each one of my listeners.”

Aditya Gadhvi led Gujarati listening. He said, “It’s an honour to be among the top-streamed artists on Gaana. Seeing Meetha Khaara and Khalasi travel so far and wide makes me incredibly proud of Gujarati music and the love listeners continue to show it.”

Tamil listening combined contemporary and legacy appeal, with Anirudh Ravichander alongside S. P. Balasubrahmanyam and A. R. Rahman. In Kannada, Sonu Nigam emerged as the most listened-to artist. He said, “This year has been a year of special love for me from Pardesia, to Bijuria and Jogiya and now Yeh Ishq Ishq hai and Mayavi Hindi. And to know that I'm the most listened to artiste in Kannada too on Gaana, pleases me to no end. I only have love and gratitude for the listeners and Gaana.”

Punjabi listening remained anchored by Karan Aujla and Diljit Dosanjh, with Shubh also contributing to repeat engagement. Bhojpuri music continued to see loyalty-driven listening, led by Shilpi Raj, Pawan Singh and Khesarilal Yadav. Haryanvi music maintained momentum through Masoom Sharma, Ashu Twinkle and Dhanda Nyoliwala. Assamese listening reflected regional loyalty, driven by artists including Zubeen Garg, Neel Akash and Deeplina Deka.

Internationally, Justin Bieber, Alan Walker and Ed Sheeran remained the most-streamed English-language artists on the platform.

Listening patterns in 2025

According to Gaana, the year reflected a move towards localised discovery, devotional content and independent music across languages, supported by longer listening sessions and repeat engagement from paid users.

(afaqs! got this information in a press release)