Shakira is only the starter to a cracker year ahead, as more and more hotselling international artists make India their stopover. Once a destination for has-been bands and ageing rockstars, India is blinking bright on the music map. “We are one world now. All major Hollywood and Bollywood movies have

simultaneous releases across the world. So,

musicians cannot drop India from their map anymore,” says Sabbas Joseph, director, Wizcraft.

Yet, the roadblocks still exist. “Infrastructure is still a major problem. Taxation is very high. But, with better corporate budgeting, things are looking up. The time is not far when we will have a major artist performing in India every other week,” adds Joseph. Here’s a list of global music acts that you can look forward to this year and the ones that left you breathless

Coming soon: Up next, Aerosmith,

considered America’s answer to the Rolling Stones, performs in India for the first time on June 2. The Mumbai concert is part of the band’s tour of Europe and UAE. The buzz is that the Black Eyed Peas and Red Hot Chili Peppers are also keen to perform in India.

INXS: October 2006 had Australian rock band INXS in Mumbai. Though the band’s single

Afterglow is a huge hit in India, the performance was so-so.

Nelly Furtado: The Canadian singer has long targetted the Indian market with her remixes, including the popular Josh remix of Powerless. There is a bit of an Indophile in Nelly; no wonder she chose to perform in India on New Year’s Eve.

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