To promote hip-hop music, Pepsi announces recording studio in Dharavi

PepsiCo India has announced that it will set up a recording studio in Mumbai’s Dharavi neighbourhood for students of ‘The Dharavi Project’— a unique hip-hop afterschool. The Dharavi Project is a curated platform by Qyuki Digital and Universal Music. Started in 2016, the platform’s aim is to discover, nurture and showcase the burgeoning hip-hop culture within the community.

The PepsiCo recording studio was formally announced by global pop group Now United, currently on a two-week tour in India supported by brand Pepsi. Introduced in 2017 by Simon Fuller, the creator of the popular American Idol series, pop group Now United comprises 14 talented singers and dancers from across the world, including India, Brazil, Philippines, Finland, Senegal and the United States of America, among others.

Speaking about the new recording studio, Tarun Bhagat, Director, Marketing, Hydration and Cola, PepsiCo India, said, “The goals of the Dharavi Project resonate strongly with our aim to give people the chance to create outstanding art. We hope the PepsiCo recording studio opens up new opportunities for the students who are a part of the programme.”

Samir Bangara, MD and CEO of Qyuki Digital and Devraj Sanyal, MD and CEO, Universal Music group, India and South Asia, both Trustees of The Dharavi Project, said, “The studio will serve as an enabler to our students to create more music than ever before, which in turn will help firmly propagate the hip-hop culture of our incredibly diverse and musical country via digital and live events.”