Devraj Sanyal

Six consecutive years on @Billboard ’s Global Power Players list. Yes, we’re celebrating our Chairman & CEO @devsanyal today — but more importantly, we’re celebrating what this moment signals. India is no longer an “emerging” market in the global music story. India is shaping it. From sold-out arenas to Indian repertoire streaming across borders, from building a full-stack music-led entertainment business to amplifying artistry onto the world stage — this recognition reflects a larger shift. As Sir Lucian says, we exist to shape culture through the power of artistry. Right now, Indian artistry is doing exactly that. This isn’t about a list. It’s about a country breaking open. India’s time is here. #BillboardPowerList #DevrajSanyal #GlobalRecognition

I’ve waited almost 14 and some years for this time at my house @universalmusicindia x @universalmusicgroup to enter the film music business formally. We’ve been doing a lot with a bunch of labels ( film and allieds) across the country but this one part of fully going in, all guns blazing,we hadn’t done since our last which was Devdas in 2000. We wanted to the best and biggest and brightest in iPop, HipHop and Regional music and of course International where we have been leaders since day 1 and also play a very aggressive old film catalogue game. Now having done that and with this music hitting the highest levels even globally ( yep Big dawgs still is the biggest one of them all even now) it was finally time to start, back we left off. @maddockfilms is not only a huge starting long point cos they believe like us that, music is the center of every story they tell and that makes us kin. Dinoo ( Dinesh Vijan) is as much the best A&R guy I’ve met as much as a storyteller as much as a producer in the best possible combination you can find. And also his teams who are equally passionate and invested as he is and we are. Here’s to the birth of a new baby @madformussic and here’s to a great long term strategic partnership which will hopefully begin to change the old ways and make a path for new, globally kosher paths to success… success for the artists, the community and the larger creator ecosystem cos that’s what this partnership aims to unlock both here and gloablly. This is the first of many more announcements in this space to come so come join us and join the future of music.

At the heart of this collaboration is a shared belief in the power of music and storytelling. As Indian stories continue to resonate with audiences globally, Universal Music Group and Excel Entertainment come together in a truly creative and transformative alliance, one that unlocks fresh opportunities for artists and repertoire across music, film, and emerging formats as India readies to carry its narratives to the world. @devendra_fadnavis @kaustubh_dhavse @ritesh_sid @faroutakhtar @devsanyal #AdamGranite @sanujeetb @kassimjagmagia @vishalrr @universalmusicindia @excelmovies

There are some songs you love. And then there are some songs that somehow become part of your life. “Leaving on a Jet Plane” has always been that song for me. @johndenvermusic wrote it back in 1966, and even today, it still carries the same feeling every single time you hear it. It’s one of the easiest songs to sit down and play. But emotionally, it’s one of the hardest songs to really sing well. Because unless you feel the loneliness, warmth, sadness and hope inside it, you can’t fake your way through the song. That’s what great songwriting does. And then years later, I heard @chantalkreviazuk13 version of it, which completely stayed with me in a different way altogether. Soft, intimate, beautiful. One of those rare covers that doesn’t replace the original, but somehow sits beside it and becomes equally memorable. Ever since then, I’ve always wanted us to do this song on Fridays at Universal. And of course we had to do it for our brother and permanent #FridaysAtUniversal partner @myriadmyopia behind the camera, because he absolutely loves this song too. So this one is for him. And for all of you. Hope you’ve had a really good week and an even better weekend ahead. If you enjoy this one, share it, tag it, send it to somebody you love. But please listen to it on headphones. With love from @ferzad and me 🎥 @manas.mehtaa ⌨️ @wilma.ros

Everything is energy. In the room. In the silence. In the music we leave behind. “Shakti Echoes” came from listening to what was already there before a single note was played. A quiet pulse beneath it all, guiding the track forward. Not playing over the moment. Playing with it. Chad Lawson’s “Shakti Echoes”, with Paayal Lal, is out now. From Awakening: The Stillness Within. Link in bio. @DeccaRecordsUS @VedamRecords @Faustinmissier @devsanyal @ekabypaayal @hersh.desai.9

This was one of those rare nights where everything just clicked. A table of 12, but it felt like so much more. Not just a launch, but something deeply personal. The launch of @kreshabajajhomme and at the same time a continuation of a legacy built on family, friendship and a relentless pursuit of excellence. @kreshabajaj has already created a world of her own, dressing icons across India and beyond. But this felt different. More intentional. Rooted in the journey of her father & my mentor, family and friend, Kishor. The Badasaab himself would have been incredibly proud. @boman_irani and I did the toasts & spoke not as guests, but as people who have lived this story with them. Years of friendship, shared memories, and watching something special take shape. There were laughs, pauses, and moments where words just fell short. The evening itself was magic. Easy energy, great conversation, glasses always full ( mine extraordinarily so with classic negronis which weren’t just background noise 😂😇) , and that rare warmth where everyone in the room truly belongs. @chefhussainshahzad was unreal as per always. Every course just perfect. And @papasbombay , as always, in a league of its own. But more than anything, it was the feeling. Watching someone you love step into a bigger chapter. Knowing this is not just another line, this is intent, craft and legacy coming together. And now it is Kresha’s legacy to write. Big shoes, yes, but if anyone can do it, it is her. To say I am proud of my sister would be the understatement of the year.

Awakening: The Stillness Within is now LIVE on all streaming platforms! 🎧 https://chadlawson.lnk.to/AwakeningTheStillnessWithin With immense gratitude for these incredible artists: @nushlewis @rasika.shekar @purbayanch @ekabypaayal @hersh.desai.9

Thoughts soften, the body slows, and something within begins to settle. Raga Bhairav, reimagined on piano and sitar. Bhairav Rising is out now, with Chad Lawson on piano and Purbayan Chatterjee on sitar. From Awakening: The Stillness Within. Link in Bio.

A little under six months to go for 30 years of something that changed the game forever. November 1, 1996. Bombay witnessed history. A concert that still feels larger than life, even today. For me, this one is personal. A song by one of my all time heroes. One of the reasons I got into music in the first place. @michaeljackson . It also reminds me of three bold men who made the near impossible happen. Wiz @timmins.andre , Wiz @sabbas_joseph , and Wiz @virafsarkari True visionaries who brought that moment to India. With the world once again celebrating his legacy, especially after a biopic that has shattered every record in sight, we felt it was the right time. This #FridaysAtUniversal, @ferzad & I celebrate the Wizzes. We celebrate the legend. And we attempt something different. A version of this song in a style you have probably never heard before. Not easy to sing. Not easy to play. But every second of it was worth it. Enjoy it. And if it moves you, if you groove with it, if you feel it, share it and tag us. 🎥 @myriadmyopia x @latikesh.sutar33 Edit @latikesh.sutar33 Everything else @manas.mehtaa

There is a quiet power in stillness. A soft, steady space where the noise recedes, the mind unwinds, and rest becomes a ritual. Today, we share Awakenings…The Stillness Within — a full-length sleep album by the incomparable @chadlawson . A true consultant of calm, a prince of pause, Chad composes not just music, but moments. Gentle currents of clarity. Sonic sanctuaries that cradle the mind and guide it toward deep, restorative sleep. This album is a global journey in every sense. A coming together of my very own @vedamrecords , @deccarecordsus , and @deccarecords UK. A shared belief that calm is universal, that rest is essential, that sleep belongs to all of us. Across borders, across cultures, across every diaspora. Because the need to pause, to breathe, to restore is something we all carry. Creating this album has been deeply personal. My brother Chad Lawson came to the Bay and immersed himself fully. He absorbed the rhythm, the rush, the relentless energy of the city. And then, with remarkable sensitivity, he translated that intensity into stillness. Into music that soothes, centres, and settles. What he has created here is not just an album. It is an experience that will endure. A special acknowledgment to my little bro @faustinmissier , the driving force behind Vedam Records. Faustin has been there at every step. Planning, shaping, refining. A true co-producer in every sense. He has done the hard work, learned the language of calm and focus, and helped bring this vision to life with precision and care. I am deeply proud of what we have built together. To our teams at Vedam & @universalmusicindia @universalmusicgroup , in India and across the world, this is a defining moment. A collective effort, a shared intention. From the Awakening will come The Stillness Within as we offer something simple yet profound. A pathway to peace. A return to calm. An invitation to rest. Because in the end, stillness is not the absence of sound. It is the presence of peace.

Some legacies are built in boardrooms. This one began with a single sewing machine in a 400 square foot store on Waterfield Road in 1976. Kishore Bajaj did not just build a brand. He built trust, taste, and a way of life that touched everyone from film stars to corporate leaders to everyday families. Over fifty years, that one idea grew into something far larger than sartorial wear. It became an institution. For me, it became a school. He taught me everything I know about style, food, and what it means to live with a certain sense of cool. I miss him more than words can hold. Today, that legacy finds a new chapter. Kresha aka @kreshabajaj , my little sister & KB’s oldest takes that foundation and builds forward with @kreshabajajhomme . Already an established designer with global creds for her @kreshabajajofficial this one now is the next one.. To see her do this, while already creating at the level she does, is deeply emotional. This is not just a launch. This is a continuation of something sacred. A tribute to a father, to a family, and to a journey that so many of us have been a part of for decades. I have had the privilege of being around this story since 1995. Thirty one of those fifty years. And yet today feels like day one again. More power to you baby girl…. More power to everything you create. You think in beauty and you build with heart. @nikitasanyal @serasanyal and all the family loves you and are so proud of you…and to the pillars who stand with you @vanrajzaveri @kryshbajaj @alizehagnihotri @karynabajaj @_jai.gandhi_ @kintubajaj you guys are truly incredible in every sense of the word. Here is to making this one of the biggest stories ever told. Men are about to be dressed the Kresha Bajaj way, and I for one cannot wait, cos I’m pretty high up in that line see….

It’s always been #FridaysAtUniversal and now Two years in and somehow this one took its time getting here so it became #SaturdaysAtUniversal This one’s kinda special. For my little brother Prithwi, aka @myriadmyopia and for my forever bestie @suvmopi and the Singapore crew who’ve lived with this song for a while. Tried playing bass and singing this at the same time. Not easy. Too many notes, too much feeling, and nowhere to hide if you slip. But @billyjoel has always been a constant for me. This song in particular just does something. It lifts you, even when it shouldn’t. You know what I mean. So here’s one that always brings me back to joy. This Saturday, turn it up. Play it for someone. Share it. Tag it. Tag us. That’s the whole point. Music connects, always has. From @ferzad @manas.mehtaa and me to you, as always. #SaturdaysAtUniversal