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Time of India

Coldplay of Code: Meet Trilok, India's wild AI rock band that fuses mantras, machines and sounds human

India's newest music act doesn't breathe, doesn't sweat, and doesn't need a sound check. But it does chant, scream and strum—courtesy of artificial intelligence. Trilok , a full-fledged AI-powered rock band , has been launched by Collective Media Network , part of Collective Artists Network, as an experimental leap into the future of music, storytelling and digital fandom. Billed as a first-of-its-kind Indian AI band, Trilok blends spiritual themes and traditional mantras with modern rock , turning centuries-old ideas into edgy, high-energy performances designed entirely by machines—with human direction. It is a product of Collective's in-house AI innovation lab, which previously created virtual influencers such as Kavya Mehra and Radhika Subramaniam. But Trilok marks a different scale and ambition. 'Trilok is what happens when you let technology channel something deeper and express it through a traditional rock lens. It's India's sonic past reassembled for a future audience,' said Vijay Subramaniam, Founder and Group CEO of Collective Artists Network. 'This is a deeply personal project, it takes me back to my college band days. I just hope it hits listeners with the same kind of meaning and memory,' he added. This is no ambient music generator or background score tool. Trilok is designed to be heard, watched, streamed, memed and debated. The band's debut single, 'Achyutam Keshavam,' is out now across YouTube, Instagram, and major streaming platforms, accompanied by stylised visuals introducing the band's digital avatars . The visual identity, lyrics, vocals, and aesthetic choices are all AI-generated, based on spiritual motifs reimagined without sanctimony. The band strips ancient chants of their rigidity and repackages them into performance art with modern grit. It's both reverent and rebellious. Live Events For Subramaniam, the project isn't just a musical experiment—it's a statement of belief. 'We're not pretending Trilok isn't AI — that's the point,' he said. 'The bandmates are fully digital characters, each with their own identity, personality, and journey. We're building something that goes far beyond music. This is a new genre, a new storytelling format. I've always believed technology is a friend and not a foe and it should fuel creativity.' At its core, Trilok is Collective's way of combining AI, pop culture, and spiritual heritage into something that speaks to a generation fluent in both Instagram and introspection. According to Sudeep Lahiri, Head of Channels and Distribution at Collective Media Network, the band was conceived as a property that lives well beyond music. 'Trilok wasn't just created to drop music — it was built to spark discovery, community, and conversation across platforms,' Lahiri said. 'We approached this band like we would a pop-culture property that has character arcs, immersive content, and a strong distribution engine behind it. Every track, visual, and post is part of a larger universe we're shaping. We see Trilok not just as a band, but as a format that lives across music, story, and fandom.' While AI-generated music and digital bands have gained traction globally—think of Japan's Hatsune Miku or the synthetic voices of K-pop AI idols—Trilok is India's first attempt at merging cultural depth with digital performance. And rather than pretend to be human, it embraces its machine-made identity fully. Collective Media Network is betting that audiences will lean into this synthetic spirituality. 'Trilok is unapologetically performative,' said a company insider. 'It's about feeling something—even if that something was made by code.'