Arooj Aftab made history as the first Pakistani artist to win a Grammy when she received the Best Global Music Performance award for her song “Mohabbat” in 2022. A year later, actor and singer Diljit Dosanjh took the stage at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Southern California, marking the event’s first performance by an artist from Punjab, a region near the Pakistan border known for its rich musical traditions.
In August, the Indian American artist Avara performed on a bed of rose petals at a concert hall in Brooklyn, launching her first tour. Fans gathered eagerly for a glimpse of the rising star, who has seen a dramatic increase in Spotify listeners—over 250,000 new monthly listeners since November 2024, a more than 250% growth.
“I started watching her TikToks,” said Alex Kim, a 22-year-old music assistant. “Even with short attention spans, I was hooked.”
South Asian-influenced music is now a global trend, following the success of Afrobeat, K-pop, and Latin music. In April, Warner Music Group launched 5 Junction Records, a label focused on promoting South Asian artists to North American audiences.
Billboard CEO Mike Van described the surge of South Asian artists as a gradual but growing phenomenon. “We’ve seen these growth spurts over the last few years due to technology, evolving tastes, and the activation of diaspora audiences.”
Mixing genres
Jürgen Grebner, general manager of 5 Junction Records, explained that the label targets artists with strong fan bases in their home countries. A No. 1 hit in India, he said, automatically appears in the Top 20 on Spotify’s global charts.
Nora Fatehi, born to Moroccan parents in Toronto, became a Bollywood star after performing at the FIFA World Cup. Billions watched the closing ceremony in Qatar. A Toronto talent agency encouraged her to explore opportunities in India. Eleven years ago, she moved there, learned Hindi, and began auditioning for every modeling and acting role she could find.
“The Indian audience is the reason why I am what I am today,” Fatehi told The Associated Press. “While I’m becoming a global artist, I’m bringing them with me.”
Grebner noted that collaboration is key for artists looking to expand beyond their local markets. “The only way to succeed in those markets is to collaborate,” he said.
The international girl group Katseye features members of Indian, Japanese, and Filipino descent, and recently appeared in a Gap ad. Fatehi’s single “Snake,” featuring U.S. pop and R&B singer Jason Derulo, reached the top 20 on Spotify charts in both the U.K. and Canada.
Embracing crossover
Professor Francesca Cassio, chair of the music department at Hofstra University, noted that some music from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka evolved as a means of teaching spiritual teachings like Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sikhism. One North Indian classical genre, khyal, gained popularity in the West during the 1960s thanks to sitar maestro Ravi Shankar, who influenced musicians like the Beatles and John Coltrane.
As the U.S. becomes more diverse, Van observed that younger audiences are increasingly accepting of global sounds. “Gen Z and Gen Alpha are leading the charge in embracing cross-cultural music,” he said.
Van pointed out that artists now have direct access to fans through social media. “Short clips, edited down to 10 seconds or less, can go viral and capture people’s attention,” he said. “This is changing how music is promoted, consumed, and discovered.”
“A ‘third culture kid’”
Avara, a 25-year-old artist, built a social media following by blending meditative R&B and soul music with elements of her Indian classical and Western vocal training.
Growing up in Marietta, Georgia, she felt caught between two worlds. “I never fully belonged to the brown community, nor did I feel completely American,” she said.
“I was surrounded by people who didn’t look like me, and I rejected parts of myself,” she added.
Her debut album, “a softer place to land,” celebrated the artistic community that shaped her over the past two years. Her next project, “MARA,” focuses on reclaiming her identity as a “young brown girl” through the lens of a “third culture kid”—someone who balances their parents’ heritage with the cultures they grow up in.
She described the upcoming album as a fusion of every culture that has influenced her over the past 25 years, incorporating Indian vocal riffs, Spanish guitar, reggae, and other styles.
“I’m trying to create something entirely new,” she said. “I’m aiming to craft a new genre based on the influences I absorbed as a child.”