Guwahati: Stereo Groove from Nagaland has been crowned the winner of Toyota Kirloskar Motor’s NE Star 2026 music talent hunt, which concluded with a grand finale in Guwahati featuring 16 finalists from across the eight Northeastern states.
Pateng Band from Meghalaya finished as the first runner-up, while Naad Band from Sikkim secured the second runner-up position. Pateng Band also won the Mogo category.
Special Judges’ Choice Awards were presented to Samuel from Nagaland, Pallavi from Assam and Immanuel from Mizoram for their performances during the finale.
The finalists were evaluated by a judging panel comprising Subir Malik, Founder Member and Keyboardist of Parikrama, and Kaushik Dutta, Founder Director of Music Connect. Participants were assessed on musical talent, stage presence and overall performance.
The finale also featured a performance by singer Deeplina Deka, adding a professional concert element to an evening otherwise centred on emerging artists from the region.
NE Star 2026 was organised by Toyota Kirloskar Motor as a platform for young singers, musicians, bands, choirs and other performers from Northeast India.
Speaking on the occasion, Sachin Sharma, Vice President – East Region, Sales-Service-Used Car, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, said, “NE Star 2026 musical talent hunt was conceived with the vision of providing talented young artists from the region a platform to showcase their passion and potential. Over the course of this journey, we have witnessed extraordinary talent, dedication and creativity from participants across all eight Northeastern states. The grand finale is not only a celebration of musical excellence but also of the rich cultural heritage that makes this region unique. We congratulate the winners and all the contestants for their outstanding performances and wish them success in their future endeavours.”
The competition was open to aspiring performers between 18 and 35 years of age. Toyota Kirloskar Motor said the programme received more than 300 registrations, followed by auditions across Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura.
Two finalists from each state were subsequently selected for the grand finale, creating a 16-member field competing for the NE Star 2026 title.
The format gave musicians from different parts of the Northeast an opportunity to perform on a common stage while representing a region known for its strong and varied musical traditions. With bands, solo performers and other acts competing together, the finale offered plenty of variety — and, perhaps inevitably in a music contest, no shortage of difficult decisions for the judges.
For Toyota Kirloskar Motor, NE Star forms part of its wider community-focused initiatives aimed at supporting young talent and local cultural participation.
The conclusion of NE Star 2026 puts the spotlight not only on Stereo Groove’s victory but also on the broader pool of emerging performers across Northeast India. With more than 300 registrations and representation from all eight states, the competition underlined the depth of musical talent in the region and provided several young artists with a larger stage on which to be heard.
