Leo Kalyan is thrown off by time zones. He was early to the interview, waiting by the phone an hour before the call, having miscalculated the time difference. He asked about daylight savings—does the US have the same system as the UK? Given Kalyan’s music, this mix-up makes perfect sense. His latest single, “time can … Read More
In a time where nostalgia is at a high, there is no shortage of old Bollywood covers. The problem with most of these covers, however, is that many artists and producers fail to retain the integrity of the original songs. Keerat Kaur’s new EP Pink Guava doesn’t suffer from this problem. Kaur and producer Wisechild … Read More
Ahsun Zafar is the South Asian-Canadian creator behind @brownhistory, the Instagram account providing “historical doses of South Asia” to its nearly 200,000 followers. Zafar curates a selection of images and stories from an impressively wide variety of sources ranging from fan submissions of family photos to televised interviews with state leaders. Through @brownhistory, Zafar offers … Read More
London-based dream-pop artist Leo Kalyan dropped his new single “time can wait” last week. The song is as airy as Leo’s falsetto, encouraging a move away from the serious and stressful to the carefree. Kalyan wants us to be caught up in the moment, focused on what’s in front of us. The theme matches many … Read More
Peter Cat Recording Co.’s (PCRC) new album, Bismillah, is meant to be heard in high definition. From the grand gestures of trumpets and keys to the subtle electronics and sound bites knitted into their music, the true intricacy to their sound can only be captured in HD. The chirping birds, distant car horns, and synthesized … Read More
Zain Alam, the mastermind behind the musical project Humeysha, knows how to balance immediacy with legacy. His songs feel conceptual because they are — they reflect his intellectual explorations into language, literature, and culture — but they also pull you into specific places and moments. His work is thoughtful in a soft way that has … Read More
After the emotional high tides from the two eclipses this past July, the Sun’s shift into Leo brings about the end of Mercury Retrograde. The planet of communication, Mars, will appear to stand still in the sky and begin moving at its usual forward speed from July 31 onwards. On that same day New Moon … Read More
Following her debut book of poetry If They Come For Us, Chicago-based poet and screenwriter Fatimah Asghar is back with a new collection. Co-edited with Safia Elhillo, Halal If You Hear Me is an anthology of poetry from Muslim writers who identify as women, queer, genderqueer, nonbinary, or trans. Kajal caught up with Asghar shortly … Read More
The multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Cat Mahatta describes her music as “electronic space pop r&b,” and through that music she hopes to create a dreamscape where folks with marginalized identities can live and dance in exhilaration. Her new music video, “Hymn to Dudes,” pairs ethereal beats with forceful lyrics about independence and non-conformism. The music swells … Read More
Pallaví dropped her latest music video “Identity” this month. In the video, Pallaví (aka Fijiana) tackles the erasure of Indo-Fijian culture in mainstream discourse head-on. She pulls themes of marginalization and appropriation into a powerful song that simultaneously criticizes systemic oppression and celebrates the nuances of her community. The video is full of brown femmes … Read More
