Sonu Nigam jumps on the NFT bandwagon; launches Indian music industry’s first-ever NFT series

Popular Bollywood playback singer Sonu Nigam is the latest celebrity to jump on to the NFT bandwagon. In association with new-age digital entertainment and technology company JetSynthesys, Nigam launched Indian music industry’s first-ever NFT series in London. The series includes his first official English song, “Hall of Fame”. “This song means the world to me. If there is one prized possession for me, artistically, then it is this song,” says Nigam.

Besides the song, the series also captures pages from Nigam’s personal diary where he has himself penned down key moments of his life at the time of happening, writing down details of his practise and recording sessions with the lyrics of popular songs, a habit he has had throughout his career. The first two pages to be released as NFTs include the ever-popular "Kal Ho Na Ho" from the Shah Rukh Khan starrer of the same name and “Sooraj Hua Madhyam” from “Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham”. Nigam claims he has nearly 90 registers where he has written down all the details. “I write everything down before I record the song. So the date, lyrics, the name of the recording studio, music composer, director, producer, co-singer and if anyone is accompanying me then his/her name as well,” says Nigam.

While the NFTs have dropped only today, the idea is to auction them for fans and collectors by mid-December.

'Hall of Fame', results from a strong association between JetSynthesys' digital entertainment arm, Global Music Junction, and Nigam's music company I Believe Music. JetSynthesys' global arm, Jet Media Network, is the tech enabler behind the creation of the NFT series.

“With tokenisation of digital art becoming a global phenomenon, especially in gaming and global pop culture, including global music, Indian music couldn't stay far behind. As enablers of the project, we are looking forward to catering to the diaspora globally and the Indian music fans back home. We're excited to see how music aficionados take to these assets," says Rajan Navani, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, JetSynthesys.

“We believe that a large part of the future of the music industry will get defined through this coming together of technology and creativity. To create a user experience that is unparallel,” he adds.

JetSynthesys recently became the US-headquartered Warner Music Group's (WMG) official India partner for all things related to music label licensing and acquisition, artist management, event management, original content creation across music, short videos and films, along with mobile gaming and e-sports. The company is also known for its global publishing partnerships with the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Salman Khan and Floyd Mayweather.

JetSynthesys is a leading name in the gaming category, particularly known for developing mobile games with high fidelity and network play. It was the earliest entrant in India’s e-sports industry, having had a 50 per cent founding stake in India’s largest e-sports company, Nodwin Gaming. Furthermore, to build e-sports at the grass-root level, JetSynthesys recently acquired Chennai-based Skyesports.

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