A catchphrase can travel fast. But when it’s set to a beat, it can reach millions.
Salman Khan first used the line “It’s done bro” on Jul 23 during the Cockroach Janata Party, or CJP, protests, while urging activist Sonam Wangchuk to end his hunger strike.
Leader of the opposition Rahul Gandhi picked it up on Oct 6, carrying a poster bearing the phrase at a demonstration demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Between those two dates, a 22-year-old undergraduate student in New Delhi took the line, added new verses and turned it into a song using FL Studio, Suno AI and audio plug-ins, writes Hindustan Times.
The result was “Gyanesh, It’s Done Bro” — a rap track that has become a recurring soundtrack to reels featuring the youth-led protests in India.
Since its release on Sept 25, the song has been used in more than 3,800 reels. One has drawn 41,700 views, while another has been watched 2.2 million times.
The track is among a growing collection of songs accompanying protests against CEC Gyanesh Kumar and the Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, process.
No longer confined to songs and slogans chanted by marchers, protest music is now shaped for Instagram, YouTube and Spotify. It borrows from memes and online references and can be cut into anything from a 10-second clip to a minute-long reel or story, making it easy to share, remix and send viral.
“‘It’s done bro’ was trending everywhere. I thought, let’s integrate it with ‘Gyanesh’. It might make a catchy hook,” said the composer, who uses the handle Bluflamë on Instagram and Amit Kumar on Spotify. Both are pseudonyms intended to protect his identity.
“I built the chorus around ‘It’s done bro’ to make it catchy and memorable, while using the verses to convey the seriousness of the issue and people’s frustration. The lyrics had to be relatable, rhythmic and easy to understand.”
From Meme to Protest Song
Memes thrive on repetition and reuse. A combination of words, visuals or music built around a recognisable hook can be adapted endlessly, allowing the same reference to appear in different contexts.
“It’s done bro” was already a popular meme before Bluflamë recycled it into a song and gave it a new role as the soundtrack to political protest.
“I belong to the unheard clan, and I make music for the unheard, the people surviving broken systems. My music comes from the very people whose stories often go unheard,” he said.
A similar trajectory can be seen with “Tax”, released by hip-hop artist Yashraj Mehra, better known as Yashraj, on Jul 30.
The song has been used in around 10,000 reels since its release, although Instagram does not count its use in posts and stories.
It has also become a backdrop for the popular “I know how I love” meme.
While the song refers to “vote chori” — a slogan from the July protests used by critics who allege that the SIR process led to names being dropped from electoral rolls — its hook, “where is my tax money?”, has travelled beyond that specific issue.
Its demand for accountability has made it particularly adaptable to reels featuring protests against the CEC and SIR.
‘Saheb’ Finds a Second Life
Older protest songs are also finding new audiences.
“Saheb”, written and released in 2024, has resurfaced in the latest wave of protest videos, even as its writer and composer Rajesh Nirmal continues to produce music inspired by Gen Z protesters.
Nirmal wrote “Saheb” ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election. It was released in seven languages, including Kannada and Assamese, and has since attracted hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube.
“I think the word ‘Saheb’ is culturally specific and relatable. We Indians have a tendency to assume that a position of power automatically makes the person occupying it better than the common man,” Nirmal said.
“It’s a psychology I am deeply familiar with, especially where I hail from, in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh.”
Aditi Sharma, who sang the Hindi version, said she had also worked on other songs under the Janta Radio project, including one specifically about voting.
But it is “Saheb” that has gained traction again in the latest cycle of protest reels.
“Protest music has always served the same purpose: to call out power imbalances and the injustices around us,” said Sharma, who is also a political consultant.
“The most viral protest songs arrive at the right moment, speak a language people understand, and make a political reality feel personal. But above all, they must articulate a truth people recognise.”
She said “Saheb”, released amid the 2024 election campaign, captured an emotion many people felt but struggled to express, without tying itself to a particular political party.
A 30-second clip from the song has now been used in more than 2,700 reels linked to the latest protests, despite the videos having little to do with the 2024 election.
Nirmal said the song takes a tongue-in-cheek approach to people in positions of authority.
“It’s beyond ideology, and touches upon the basic question of survival.”
The Cost of a Protest Soundtrack
Writing the soundtrack to political dissent can, however, carry consequences.
Nirmal, a scriptwriter in the Hindi film industry, said some collaborators had been reluctant to have his name associated with their projects because of his political work.
Bluflamë has taken extensive steps to protect his identity, including using artificial intelligence to generate vocals.
“I have received numerous threats and abusive messages in my Direct Messages… individuals have become exceptionally aggressive and directed abuse towards both my family and myself,” he said.
Yet he says the threats will not stop him from making music.
For a generation whose political expression unfolds as much on phone screens as on the streets, the protest song is changing with the medium, setting revolution to a soundtrack.