“More than weight, it felt like excitement to us."
W.i.S.H, short for “World Inka Stage Hai” (“the world is their stage”), is India’s first mainstream girl group in 22 years, following Viva’s disbandment in 2003.
Sisters Ri and Sim, joined by Zo and Suchi, debuted in March 2024 and immediately captured the nation’s attention.
Ri explained: “The first day that we launched, we realised that people were waiting for this, because we had fan pages pop up and say, ‘Finally, India has our very own girl group’.
“They really took us as one of theirs, and they’ve really been championing us throughout.”
Their debut album, Sweetburn, released on August 10, is more than a collection of songs; it’s a cultural statement.
In a landscape where K-pop precision meets Indian storytelling, W.i.S.H is a girl group that balances global ambition with authentic roots.
Pressure to Excitement
The pressure of expectation could have been overwhelming.
W.i.S.H isn’t just representing themselves; they carry the hopes of every young Indian woman who has longed for a homegrown girl group to rival BLACKPINK or Little Mix.
Yet Zo says the pressure became fuel for their creativity:
“More than weight, it felt like excitement to us.
“We, I think, have been at least for two years working together to develop as a group. And yeah, it doesn’t feel like a wait. We feel like we’re ready.”
Producer Mikey McCleary, the New Zealand-born architect behind W.i.S.H, spent over two years developing the group before their public debut.
Working with Dreampop Entertainment and Bay Music House, the quartet signed with Sony Music in 2024.
McCleary’s goal wasn’t to create India’s version of existing girl groups but something entirely original.
Sim said: “Our creative process is very different.
“Mikey started off with us being a very organic group, like he wanted our process to be very collaborative.
“And that’s how it is with anything, whether it’s songwriting, choreography, styling. We’re very involved in everything.”
Authenticity at the Core
W.i.S.H’s authenticity sets them apart in an industry often criticised for manufactured acts.
Many songs emerge from their candid discussions during “chai and therapy sessions”.
Zo said: “So when we have a little break in the day, we as a group just sit together in the studio and discuss our lives and like, you know, have that little sisterhood, girl gang movement.
“And sometimes that’s where song ideas come from.”
Sim added:
“When we get into a studio, we work with our team.”
“We have a producer, we have Mikey, there’s four of us, and we sit together and we decide what we want to talk about. So it’s very conversational, it’s very organic.”
Their lead single, ‘Bolo Bolo’, an Afro-Desi fusion featuring rapper Panther from MTV Hustle, highlights this approach.
Suchi says the track reflects her passion: “I’m obsessed with Afro beats. I listen to Afro music a lot and I love African culture, and there has been a full-fledged flair in India of Afro-Desi vibes going on.”
Its instant success on Spotify’s Viral 50 India playlist proves the group’s resonance.
Visuals & Representation
W.i.S.H is equally involved in visuals and live shows.
Ri said: “It’s like an expression of who we are, which goes further than the music.
“Like, for example, Zo and I are very into fashion, and I think we’ve also got the girls into it as well.
“Then Suchi and I, we love dancing, and we help out in the choreography. In fact, like our live shows, a majority of it are choreographed by us.”
The group also embraces their role as role models.
Sim acknowledged: “There’s definitely a sense of responsibility, because this hasn’t been done in a really long time.
“There was a huge gap, and I feel like we are here to represent our younger fans, all the young girls who look up to us as role models.”
Zo added: “What we all want the young girls that listen to our music to feel is that they can be who they are.
“They can dare to dream, because we’re doing it. We’re dreaming like up into the sky, trying to break all the barriers and that they should just be confident in their skin and who they are.”
While rooted in India, W.i.S.H has global ambitions, as Ri declared:
“100% global takeover is the dream.”
Outlining her goals, Sim said:
“At this point, we really want to perform at Coachella, that is the dream.”
“And do like a lot of concerts, music festivals, to go on the Jimmy Fallon show, that has been on my bucket list. Who knows? An Indian girl group could win a Grammy.”
Their commercial success reinforces their credibility.
With 192,000 monthly Spotify listeners, 212,000 Instagram followers, and partnerships with Maybelline and Flying Machine, W.i.S.H proves they are both musically innovative and commercially viable.
After a 22-year silence in India, it seems that “everything” might just be within reach.
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