We Spent a Day With W.I.S.H; The Indian Girl-Pop You’ve Been Waiting For

W.I.S.H's debut single 'Lazeez' has more than 6.5 million views on YouTube.

Ri (Riya Duggal), Sim (Simran Duggal), Zo (Zoe Siddharth), and Suchi (Suchitra Shirke) make W.I.S.H.

(Photo Courtesy: Instagram/ Altered by The Quint)

We caught W.I.S.H right before their soundcheck for their performance that evening. India’s newest girl group (it’s been more than 20 years since Viva! entered the scene), was somehow all smiles even in the sweltering Mumbai heat. 

"I've been called for girl group like situations before but it never seemed right or legit. It never seemed like it would actually work out," one of the members, Ri, revealed, adding that she knew right from the start that there was 'something special' about W.I.S.H.

The Quint followed the group around for a day to get a glimpse into the lives of these pop stars – Ri (Riya Duggal), Sim (Simran Duggal), Zo (Zoe Siddharth), and Suchi (Suchitra Shirke). “I was always dreaming of being a pop star, at least a little close to a pop star; dancing and singing is just my thing,” Suchi recalled. She left a production job for a full-time career in music. 

On the other hand, Ri and Sim had a musical act of their own before W.I.S.H called ‘Simetri’. Sim talked to us about how her sister Ri got into W.I.S.H first, “My sister Ri got selected first – she was selected at least six months before me. I also wanted to be a part of the group but I think because we were sisters and we already had our own act, I hadn’t been asked to be a part of it yet.”

But the label Bay Music House reached out to her soon after. Being in a girl group is tiring work but the W.I.S.H four have an impeccable camaraderie together that definitely helps. By the time we sat down to figure out what to order for lunch, it was obvious that all four of them had distinct personalities that match together perfectly. And Zo highlighted,

“If you have a disagreement, you have three other girls on your side.”

Zo, Musician

W.I.S.H’s first single ‘Lazeez’ crossed 6.5 million views on YouTube quickly – many have compared them to the immensely popular k-pop industry (the word i-pop was thrown around). Their second single ‘Galti’ released in April. The group does look up to several musicians – Diljit Dosanjh and Sunidhi Chauhan, for instance. Zoe is a huge BTS fan (we found a middle ground with our love for Hwasa from Mamamoo) and the group is inspired by artists like Destiny’s Child and Ariana Grande. 

After talking to them about how they got into W.I.S.H, what being in a girl group is like, their other hobbies (did you know Ri makes comics in her free time?), we were on our way to the venue as the girl did some vocal warmups (the pitch they can reach would surprise you). And if you’re wondering, yes you’ll get to see them perform on stage too. 

Watch the video to see what a day in W.I.S.H’s life looks like!

Video Editor: Arnab Chakravorty