Maithili Thakur: Taking Mithila’s music legacy to the global stage

Maithili Thakur has carved a unique space in music and entertainment industry. She carries Mithila connections and heritage not only in her name but also in her singing at the world stage.

She was born on 25 July 2000 at a small place called Benipatti in Madhubani district of Bihar. Maithili is fondly called “Tannu”. Her family is immersed in musical traditions. Her father, Ramesh Thakur, is a trained musician who taught music in Delhi, while her grandfather was the one with an age-old legacy of folk singing, igniting the flame of passion inside her.

By age 4, she began vocal training under her grandfather, and at 6, formal classical tuition began under her father. Targeting better opportunities for her, the family then shifted from Bihar to Delhi.

As a child, Maithili followed the musical traditions along with two younger brothers: Rishav on tabla and Ayachi on vocals and percussion, the three siblings later became a popular performing trio. Around age 10, she began performing in events at jagrans and community functions, polishing her stage skills.

Her initial moments of fame were gained through televised competitions: Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Little Champs (2011) and Indian Idol Junior (2015), yet her major break was in 2016 upon winning “I Genius Young Singing Star.” This paved way for her album Ya Rabba, released under Universal Music. Her defining moment arrived in 2017 as runner-up on Rising Star. Her rendition of “Om Namah Shivaya” gave her a direct pass into the finale; she lost by two votes, but her popularity rose tremendously, with subsequent uploads gaining over 7 million views on YouTube/Facebook.

HER DIGITAL RISE

Maithili utilized the digital platform after television. She self-uploaded on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram, with folk, classical, and devotional music. She sung bhajans and cover songs in more than a dozen Indian and international languages-Bhojpuri, Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil, Urdu, English, etc.

At the age of 20, she had an estimated 14.6 million Facebook followers, 600 thousand YouTube subscribers, and 2.5 million Instagram followers. As reported in Dainik Bhaskar, her live “Manaspath” series which was recitations of the Ramcharitmanas with her brothers completed 302 episodes by April 2024 and was remarkable for preserving ancient traditions in an accessible form .

RECOGNITION, AMBASSADORSHIPS & INFLUENCE

Her influence extends far beyond music itself. Towards the end of 2022, she was appointed brand ambassador of Bihar’s Khadi, handloom, and handicrafts, thus promoting the crafts that are native to the region . According to Outlook India, in January 2023, she was declared as the State Icon of Bihar by the Election Commission in an effort to mobilize the youth to engage in the electoral process in civic engagement outreach. Meanwhile, she also became a recipient of the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar (2021) by the Sangeet Natak Academy for her contributions to Bihari folk music.

The ultimate recognition came on March 8, 2024, when she was awarded the National Creators Award for the first time as “Cultural Ambassador of the Year” by PM Narendra Modi, who went on to praise her devotional bhajans, and then went viral with a selfie taken with her on stage.

ART & GLOBAL ASPIRATIONS

Trained in classical and folk music and possessing vocal, harmonium, tabla, piano, and guitar skills , Maithili performs devotional (Ram, Shiva), folk (Maithili, Bhojpuri), and Sufi-influenced tunes.

She emphasizes music’s ability to transcend linguistic barriers, a philosophy she shared during her performance in Melbourne’s Federation Square, where she enraptured an international audience.

“In India, a song from any language can go viral even if we don’t understand the words… Music has no differences, no language barriers” .

In December 2024, performing amidst loud claps internationally at Melbourne Federation Square, her international presence was acknowledged. She wishes to perform worldwide, exploring cultures globally through sound, sharing with the world the richness of Indian and especially Mithila traditions.

“I never thought I would go that far and go on TV. So that happened gradually and people started to recognise me and people started to call me for events”, she says.

IMPACT AND LEGACY

Being only 24, Maithili Thakur bears a multifaceted impact: She has given a new face and meaning to Maithili and Bihari folk songs by bringing them into the present.

Digital Influence: Her balanced digital presence credibly created a pan-Indian and international sphere of fans comprising over 20 million across platforms.
Empowerment of Youth: Through various campaigns of election outreach, promotion of artisanship, and digital literacy, she inspires heightened social engagement among the youth.

Global Exposure: Her shows in Australia and beyond assert the growing international appeal.

As she expressed to ABC Asia in December 2024, “My dream is to perform in as many countries as possible, sharing Indian culture through music.”

Maithili Thakur shines not only as a singer, but as a cultural icon and a global ambassador of Mithila’s rich heritage.