Mumbai, 18th April 2023: ŠKODA AUTO India, along with PHD Media and Laqshya Event Capital launched Phase 3, the final phase of ŠKODA Deccan Beats. Titled “ŠKODA Deccan Beats: Garage Series,” this musical extravaganza which aims to celebrate indigenous musical talent from the heartlands of South India, sees national superstars, namely Neeti Mohan, Amit Trivedi, Jubin Nautiyal, and Kanika Kapoor. Joining them are eminent musicians from the South Indian music industry like Andrea Jeremiah (Tamil), Geetha Madhuri (Telugu), Sithara Krishnakumar (Malayalam), and Raghu Dixit (Kannada).
ŠKODA Deccan Beats, which started its journey on 14th February 2022, was divided into 3 distinct phases: Talent Hunt, On the Road Series, and Garage Series.
Phase 1 was the “Talent Hunt,” where 16 finalists were selected – 4 from each language: Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada. They were then mentored by illustrious names from the South Indian music industry: Andrea Jeremiah (Tamil), Geetha Madhuri (Telugu), Sithara Krishnakumar (Malayalam), and Raghu Dixit (Kannada).
Phase 2 was the ‘On the Road Series’ where 16 finalists got an opportunity to be part of a journey of the road, powered by ŠKODA AUTO India. The music videos were a beautiful mix of music and travel, and the contestants along with top South music influencers embarked on a journey to the depths of the mainland and discovered unexplored sounds and tunes.
In Phase 3, the grand finale, titled “The Garage Series,” all 16 contestants got a platform to perform with some of the best names from the music industry. Sunny M.R. has composed songs for Neeti Mohan, Amit Trivedi, Kanika Kapoor, Geetha Madhuri, Sithara Krishnakumar, Raghu Dixit, and Andrea Jeremiah. These medleys are released on the Sony Music South YouTube channel. Payal Dev and Aditya Dev have composed music for Jubin Nautiyal, and his medleys will be released on the ŠKODA Deccan Beats YouTube channel on the 18th & 20th of April.
Here are the names of the finalists and their pairings with eminent music artists:
| Artists | Contestants | Language | ||
| Sithara Krishnakumar | Madhavan Nair | Malayalam | ||
| Sithara Krishnakumar | Ananthu Gopi | Malayalam | ||
| Andrea Jeremiah | Uthara Pattathil | Tamil | ||
| Andrea Jeremiah | Arun Naik | Tamil | ||
| Geetha Madhuri | Sainath Kakinad | Telugu | ||
| Geetha Madhuri | Soujanya Bhagavatula | Telugu | ||
| Raghu Dixit | Sunil Nakod | Kannada | ||
| Raghu Dixit | Keerthana Vijaykumar | Kannada | ||
| Neeti Mohan | Hemanth Kumar | Tamil | ||
| Neeti Mohan | Gayathry Rajiv | Tamil | ||
| Kanika Kapoor | Malavika Suresh | Malayalam | ||
| Kanika Kapoor | Keerthana K S | Malayalam | ||
| Jubin Nautiyal | Vishal Anand | Kannada | ||
| Jubin Nautiyal | Madhura Balaji | Kannada | ||
| Amit Trivedi | Adviteeya Vojjala | Telugu | ||
| Amit Trivedi | Swathi Bekkera | Telugu | ||
Alok Jalan, Managing Director, Laqshya Media Group said, “Laqshya Media Group believes in collaborative partnerships that deliver tangible results. ŠKODA Deccan Beats is a testament of that philosophy: it gave a unique platform to emerging singers from the South of India to interact with the superstars of Indian music and become better performers. I am sure that the whole country will welcome them with open arms, because music is not limited by language.”
Monaz Todywalla, CEO, PHD India, said, “With the Deccan Beats Garage Series, ŠKODA AUTO India continues exploring the intersection of music and culture – a key aspect of the brand’s ‘India 2.0’ ambition, helping build deeper connections and creating an emotional imprint with consumers. It is heartening to see the final leg of this campaign unravel so beautifully and witness South India’s aspiring talent bring their journey to fruition with some of the top names from the industry.”
Neeti Mohan, Playback singer and performer said, “ŠKODA Deccan Beats is very special and very close to my heart because it’s good music, it’s about bringing people together, it’s about crossing the barrier of language. And just doing good music together.”
Amit Trivedi, Playback singer and performer said, “I feel that ŠKODA Deccan Beats has created a massive platform by providing an excellent opportunity for emerging musicians to gain invaluable exposure and recognition within the music industry. Its unique format supports and encourages promising talent, making it an amazing opportunity for aspiring artists to showcase their abilities and establish themselves in the competitive world of music.”
Shailja Saraswati Varghese, Chief Content Officer, OMG India, said, “For ŠKODA AUTO India – who has always been passionate about fostering a stronger connection with its Indian consumers, music is one of the striking differentiators that makes it stand a cut above the rest. Bringing their vision of an extraordinary musical voyage to life, OMG Content is thrilled to have played a role in bringing ŠKODA India’s affinity to music to life and a platform for nurturing indigenous music from across the South.”
