W.i.S.H. Ends India’s Girl Group Drought With ‘Sweetburn’ Album

Twenty-two years. That’s how long India waited for its next mainstream girl group after Viva disbanded in 2003. But W.i.S.H., which stands for “World Inka Stage Hai” (“the world is their stage”) — comprising sisters Ri and Sim along with Zo and Suchi — didn’t just fill the void when they debuted in March 2024. They exploded into it with the force of pent-up demand that no one fully understood until they arrived.

“The first day that we launched, we realized that people were waiting for this, because we had fan pages pop up and say, ‘Finally, India has our very own girl group,’” Ri tells Variety. “They really took us as one of theirs, and they’ve really been championing us throughout.”

The quartet’s debut album “Sweetburn,” released Aug. 10, represents more than just a collection of songs — it’s the sound of a cultural awakening. In a landscape where K-pop precision meets Indian storytelling, W.i.S.H. has crafted something unprecedented: a girl group that refuses to choose between global ambition and authentic roots.

The weight of expectation could have crushed them. After all, they’re not just representing themselves — they’re carrying the dreams of every young Indian woman who wondered why her country couldn’t produce its own Blackpink or Little Mix. But according to Zo, the pressure transformed into something else entirely: “More than weight, it felt like excitement to us. We, I think, have been at least for two years working together to develop us 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 their sound, spent over two years developing the group before their public debut. The quartet was launched in March 2024 after being put together by McCleary and the teams at his talent agency Dreampop Entertainment and management company Bay Music House, and signing with Sony Music. His vision wasn’t to create India’s answer to existing girl groups, but something genuinely new.

“Our creative process is very different,” explains Sim. “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.”

This hands-on approach extends to their most intimate creative moments. “Some of our songs actually have come about based on our chai and therapy sessions,” reveals Zo. “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.”

It’s this authenticity that sets W.i.S.H. apart in an industry often criticized for manufactured acts. “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,” says Sim. “So it’s very conversational, it’s very organic.”

The album’s lead single “Bolo Bolo” exemplifies their cross-cultural ambitions. An Afro-Desi fusion featuring rapper Panther from MTV Hustle, the track emerged from Suchi’s personal 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.” The song’s success has been immediate — it’s currently featured on Spotify’s Viral 50 India playlist.

But “Sweetburn” showcases their range beyond any single genre. “One thing we really wanted to show with our music is our versatility, our diversity,” explains Zo. “Because we have different emotions. We have different moods and different vibes. And also, just as a group, we have that sweet sense. We have a spiciness and an edge to us as well. So we wanted to give everyone the whole picture of us.”

The visual component proves equally important. It’s “like an expression of who we are, which goes further than the music,” says Ri. “Like, for example, Zo and I are very into fashion, and I think we’ve also got the girls into it as well. And 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.”

Beyond the music lies a deeper mission. “There’s definitely a sense of responsibility, because this hasn’t been done in a really long time,” acknowledges Sim. “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.”

That representation means everything to Zo: “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.”

Their aspirations stretch far beyond India’s borders. When asked about global ambitions, the response is immediate and unified. “100% global takeover is the dream,” declares Ri. “The sky’s the limit.”

Sim’s bucket list reads like a pop star’s ultimate fantasy: “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 confidence isn’t misplaced. With 174,000 monthly Spotify listeners, 210,000 Instagram followers, and brand partnerships with Maybelline and Flying Machine, W.i.S.H. has already proven their commercial viability. More importantly, they’ve demonstrated something India hasn’t seen since Viva: the power of four women supporting each other’s dreams while inspiring countless others to dream bigger.

“We are aiming for everything,” says Zo. For a group that’s already broken a 22-year silence, “everything” might just be within reach.