Neshma Friend, has never shied away from political topics. Her music and ideas, refined over a trilogy of albums, find expression in the persona of Micropixie, an alien come to Earth to realize has settled on a planet riven with strange and terrible ideas like misogyny, xenophobia, racism, and a host of other human ills. … Read More
From No Doubt’s Tony Kanal to Zayn Malik, the rise of South Asian faces in mainstream places has felt continuous. Every year, our presence as a creative force in pop culture is receiving more and more recognition. And music journalist Anupa Mistry’s latest project Indians From All Directions shows it. According to her website, the project … Read More
Welcome to Aries season and Happy Astrological New Year! After the watery, emotional, and vaguely overwhelming season of Pisces, we’ve transitioned into a new realm. This fiery and intense zodiac sign is represented by the ram and brings a sense of purpose and passion to our lives. Aries is the first sign of the zodiac … Read More
Madhur Jaffrey, erstwhile guardian of our cookbook collections and silver screen diva, blesses rapper Mr. Cardamom’s latest music video “Nani.” Her Ying-Yang-style turn as a crime syndicate-running, slap-you-till-you-cry, take-no-shit grandmother is the epitome of internety diaspora feelings. The video premiered online today and received a write-up in the Food section of the New York Times. … Read More
“We’ve been waiting for a song like this.” This is what Rolex Rasathy says she hears from so many Tamil women, in response to her latest music video, Raavanan. In the video, which dropped first on Valentine’s Day, New York-based singer Rolex Rasathy and Toronto-based rapper Navz-47 team up to confront a man who has … Read More
Qais Essar is back with a new addition to his opus “I Am Afghan, Afghani Is Currency.” Volume III, “Zahir” extends his lyrical statement about Afghanistan and Afghan identity. It’s a sweeping five-song collection of mood-focused tracks, each of which seems to centralize and distill the essence of feeling. It’s as if Essar led with … Read More
Ashni Davé is a musician of today – supported by a studied background in classical music and Kathak dance, her music is trained but her aspirations have an unrestrained DIY energy. Her melodies and vocals are beautifully solid while her visuals take on the flighty airiness of someone who leverages the space around her, everything … Read More
British-Indian musician Reeta Loi, aka LOIAL, dropped her latest track “Too Late” today. Echoing vocals layer over a painted animation to produce a haunting, hypnotic piece of art. This song follows you and tracks you down, pinning your feelings under its assertive hook, “I’m not lost. I found my way. I’m moving on from yesterday.” … Read More
Happy Pisces season! My name is Anisa (Aquarius sun, Sagittarius moon, Leo rising) – I’d like to introduce myself as Kajal Magazine’s new horoscope writer. Each month we will explore the stars and planets through an insightful look at each of the 12 zodiac signs. Astrology helps me create a space to attend to my … Read More
DJ and musician Mena Sachdev, who goes by Ushamami on stage, premiered their new music video for “Jinx” with Dazed last week. With a very 80s inspired melody and gorgeous, decidedly queer visuals, “Jinx” is a song to find comfort in. While the chorus croons “she loves you bad, don’t turn away,” images of intimacy … Read More
