India’s all-girl pop group VIVA, featuring Neha Bhasin, Anushka Manchanda, Pratichee Mohapatra, and Mahua Kamat, is returning to streaming platforms more than two decades after their debut. After years of effort and persistence, the band worked in collaboration with JioHotstar to make the music available to audiences across the world through KaanPhod and all major audio streaming platforms.
The announcement was made on May 25, 2026, with the band issuing statements through a press note.
How VIVA was formed
The hunt to form the band came to a close on April 11, 2002. The music channel Channel V had found its five members in Pratichee Mohapatra, Neha Bhasin, Mahua Kamat, Anushka Manchanda, and Seema Ramchandani. Together they formed India’s first mainstream girl group, VIVA.
They were the winners of Channel V’s Coke V Popstars, the official Indian version of the British reality TV show Popstars, and were put together into a band by the show’s judges. By the end of their eight-episode arc, the girls were left with chic new hairstyles, well-developed voices, the trendiest stage outfits courtesy of Manish Malhotra, and a record deal.
Albums and notable songs
The group released their self-titled debut album in 2002, followed by “VIVA Reloaded” in 2003. The debut album released under the Times Music label and featured compositions by eight music directors, including Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and Jatin-Lalit, with lyrics by Javed Akhtar.
The band worked with composers including Salim-Suleiman, Sandeep Chowta, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, and lyricist Javed Akhtar on songs like “Jahan Ho Pyar Ka Mausam,” “Jaago Zara,” and “Hum Naye Geet.”
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Their debut album met with an outpouring of love and, according to The Economic Times, sold over half a million copies. The album topped music charts across India and outsold many Bollywood soundtracks upon its May 30, 2002 release.
Their first concert, held in Mumbai in April 2002, created a new Limca Book of Records entry for being the first debut band to pull in over 50,000 people.
Seema Ramchandani’s departure
The band originally had five members, not four. Within a year after the band’s first album released, Seema Ramchandani quit the band. At the time, The Times of India reported that she had quit to follow the Art of Living course and wanted to complete a teacher training course.
The band continued as a four-member group and released their second album, VIVA Reloaded, in 2003.
After dropping their sophomore album, the group did not officially disband, but they gradually faded away as each member pursued a solo career.
Members’ careers after VIVA
After the band went dormant, each member moved on to build individual careers in the Indian entertainment industry.
Anushka Manchanda joined Channel V as a VJ and has since become a playback singer for Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu films.
Neha Bhasin also turned to playback singing in 2006.
Pratichee Mohapatra turned to acting and worked in the TV serial Mr. and Mrs. Mishra. Manchanda also participated in the reality show Khatron Ke Khiladi.
The long wait for streaming
For years, VIVA’s catalogue remained largely inaccessible to listeners. Bhasin had responded to fan demands to have VIVA’s music made available beyond the few music videos on YouTube. The music was not on any major streaming platform, which meant younger listeners had no easy way to discover it.
The release coming through KaanPhod and all major audio streaming platforms. The return makes the full catalogue officially available for the first time in the streaming era.
What the members said
Each member shared a statement for the announcement.
Anushka Manchanda said VIVA “represents a powerful moment in time that laid the foundation for us to be strong, independent women” and described the return as “magical.”
Neha Bhasin described VIVA as “India’s first pop girl band”. She said she was happy the songs “will now finally be available for newer generations to discover, experience and enjoy.”
Pratichee Mohapatra said VIVA “feels inseparable” from her identity and that it was “where my musical journey truly began.”
Mahua Kamat said the music is “finally returning to where it has always belonged. Listeners have carried these songs in their hearts for all these years.”
At the dawn of the new century, the girls became female youth icons in the Indian pop culture scene. They were unapologetic about their behaviour and were making waves, for all the right reasons.