<p>Sing-along jamming sessions are gaining in popularity at restaurants in Bengaluru. Beginners and hobbyist artistes perform without a stage, surrounded by the audience in a circle or semi-circle.</p>.<p>These ticketed events attract 120 to 350 attendees, primarily from the 20-35 age group. Bollywood songs dominate the playlist, as the crowd largely consists of students and working professionals from outside Karnataka. However, hits in Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, and English are also in the line-up. Slow and hummable classics like ‘Lag ja gale’ and ‘Jaane jaan’, along with hits from the 2000s like ‘Mitwa’ and ‘Zara si dil’ are crowd-favourites.</p>.<p><strong>Groups at a glance</strong></p>.<p>When Ajay Varghese launched Soul Jams at a startup hub in Koramangala in May 2022, his goal was to bring people together for the sheer joy of singing — without the pressure of being pitch-perfect. Today, his startup also operates in Mumbai, and Delhi.</p>.<p>“We want to be the McDonald’s of live music, where there’s no divide between performer and spectator,” says Varghese, a law student and a singer-songwriter who plays the guitar and cajón.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Their sessions follow a three-part format: an open mic, a socialising segment, and a sing-along finale. A vocalist and an instrumentalist guide the audience from one song to the next. “We call them frontrunners — some started as audience members,” adds the 25-year-old.</p>.<p class="bodytext">More groups followed in 2023. Abhishek Mishra founded Let’s Jam after a spontaneous jam session at a friend’s house party became a huge success. He is a product manager-turned-YouTuber and hobbyist singer-guitarist. Mishra hosts a mix of regular and themed events (Diwali specials, Bollywood character nights, and Sufi evenings). The sessions feature open mics, sing-alongs, and games like ‘Guess the Song’. About 25% of attendees return for future gigs. “Once, they even stood in the rain and sang for three hours, all the way to the end,” he recalls.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Bajabies (short for Bangalore Jamming Buddies) began as a casual meetup in Cubbon Park. Just six months into learning the guitar, entrepreneur Giridhar <br />Rai wanted company while strumming. As the group grew to 50-60 members, park authorities intervened, but restaurants welcomed them, seeing their potential to boost footfall and F&B sales. Bajabies hosts candlelit sessions. There are no setlists — performers go with the flow, and even let attendees lead songs.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Make Some Ochha curates community events. Founders Divya S and Thejus Ajay ensure that every gathering — whether comedy or dance — ends with a <br />jamming session featuring Malayalam hits alongside Tamil, Hindi, and English songs. “Our college events always ended with open jamming,” says civil engineer Divya, explaining their inspiration. Their lineup spotlights emerging artistes.</p>.<p class="CrossHead">To join: </p>.<p>Follow @souljams_live, @letsjam_bangalore, @bajabies and @makesomeochha on Instagram</p>
<p>Sing-along jamming sessions are gaining in popularity at restaurants in Bengaluru. Beginners and hobbyist artistes perform without a stage, surrounded by the audience in a circle or semi-circle.</p>.<p>These ticketed events attract 120 to 350 attendees, primarily from the 20-35 age group. Bollywood songs dominate the playlist, as the crowd largely consists of students and working professionals from outside Karnataka. However, hits in Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, and English are also in the line-up. Slow and hummable classics like ‘Lag ja gale’ and ‘Jaane jaan’, along with hits from the 2000s like ‘Mitwa’ and ‘Zara si dil’ are crowd-favourites.</p>.<p><strong>Groups at a glance</strong></p>.<p>When Ajay Varghese launched Soul Jams at a startup hub in Koramangala in May 2022, his goal was to bring people together for the sheer joy of singing — without the pressure of being pitch-perfect. Today, his startup also operates in Mumbai, and Delhi.</p>.<p>“We want to be the McDonald’s of live music, where there’s no divide between performer and spectator,” says Varghese, a law student and a singer-songwriter who plays the guitar and cajón.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Their sessions follow a three-part format: an open mic, a socialising segment, and a sing-along finale. A vocalist and an instrumentalist guide the audience from one song to the next. “We call them frontrunners — some started as audience members,” adds the 25-year-old.</p>.<p class="bodytext">More groups followed in 2023. Abhishek Mishra founded Let’s Jam after a spontaneous jam session at a friend’s house party became a huge success. He is a product manager-turned-YouTuber and hobbyist singer-guitarist. Mishra hosts a mix of regular and themed events (Diwali specials, Bollywood character nights, and Sufi evenings). The sessions feature open mics, sing-alongs, and games like ‘Guess the Song’. About 25% of attendees return for future gigs. “Once, they even stood in the rain and sang for three hours, all the way to the end,” he recalls.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Bajabies (short for Bangalore Jamming Buddies) began as a casual meetup in Cubbon Park. Just six months into learning the guitar, entrepreneur Giridhar <br />Rai wanted company while strumming. As the group grew to 50-60 members, park authorities intervened, but restaurants welcomed them, seeing their potential to boost footfall and F&B sales. Bajabies hosts candlelit sessions. There are no setlists — performers go with the flow, and even let attendees lead songs.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Make Some Ochha curates community events. Founders Divya S and Thejus Ajay ensure that every gathering — whether comedy or dance — ends with a <br />jamming session featuring Malayalam hits alongside Tamil, Hindi, and English songs. “Our college events always ended with open jamming,” says civil engineer Divya, explaining their inspiration. Their lineup spotlights emerging artistes.</p>.<p class="CrossHead">To join: </p>.<p>Follow @souljams_live, @letsjam_bangalore, @bajabies and @makesomeochha on Instagram</p>