Arundhati Kalyan

Blue Mena’s “Knocked Out” Reclaims Trans Power

October 7, 2022

Following close on the heels of their first solo music project Ushamami, music producer and multimedia artist Mena Sachdev returns this fall as Blue Mena. With the September release of their music video for debut single “Knocked Out,” Blue Mena exudes continuity and growth from Ushamami, as they construct a distinct alternative pop-rock sound to center queer … Read More

Playlist: Sad Girl Season

September 28, 2022

It’s a quiet day, and rain pours incessantly outdoors. You’re awake and alone, accompanied only by the humdrum of your own breathing. You made yourself a chai, but it quickly lost its warmth while you weren’t looking. You’re feeling blue, but can’t quite discern why. Or perhaps you’re keenly aware, but can’t seem to see … Read More

Prianca RA Celebrates Liberation with “One Time in Lebanon”

September 14, 2022

“One Time in Lebanon,” the third single from British-Indian singer and songwriter Prianca RA, is unusual for placing agency where it rightly belongs – in the hands of protagonist Habiba, who carves and expresses her own life story. In a world that all too often relegates women to unnamed and obscure character roles, the song … Read More

Artist Yullola has short black hair and is wearing a brown dress. They stand against a sunset sky.

“Priestess” by YULLOLA Deconstructs Reality

August 4, 2022

Priestess, a debut album from Karachi-based artist YULLOLA, breaks free from earthly realities and transports us into a new transcendental domain. Set in a galactic black hole, the album shows the artist assuming the identity of an extraterrestrial priestess and carving her own dystopian musical niche. For YULLOLA, this critical distance from humankind is not … Read More

Pain is Strength in Prateek Kuhad’s “Favorite Peeps”

June 28, 2022

Off his latest studio album The Way That Lovers Do, Prateek Kuhad’s new single “Favorite Peeps” explores the feeling of pain and the accompanying desire for human connection. The song’s graceful swung melody overlays a simple guitar rhythm, and is decorated with synthesized pitch bends, melismatic vocal stretches, and shrill bell tones. The music video … Read More

Shine Robbins’ EP “softworld” is a Trip Into the Unknown

June 24, 2022

With his debut EP softworld out last month, electronic music artist and producer Shine Robbins gives us music that is futuristic and genre-defying. From the convergence of classical and modern in “Blue” to graphic evocations of the living world in “Nest,” the eight tracks comprising softworld conjure a multitude of sonic and emotional worlds. Robbins … Read More

Ravi B and Nari’s “Gulabi Aankhen” Takes the Old Classic to a New Level

May 31, 2022

Popular Trinidadian chutney musicians Ravi B and Nari’s recent “Gulabi Aankhen” remake boldly refashions the 1970 Bollywood classic with a global twist. As a master of chutney soca, Ravi B is no stranger to fusion. His music effortlessly weaves Indian filmi and Afro-Caribbean soca styles to create a distinctive chutney sound. This time, with “Gulabi … Read More

The Multicultural Bubble of Bollywood’s Qawwalis

August 14, 2020

Since the 1940s, the beginning of the Golden Age of Hindi cinema, the Sufi song form of qawwali has been a prominent feature in Bollywood film. Due to the rich sociocultural and religious history of qawwali in the subcontinent, it is easy, even for South Asians, to picture the qawwali as a solely Islamic sacred … Read More