A Beginner’s Guide to South Asian-American Music

Shruthi Krishnan

My musical inventory, growing up, felt very much black and white. I would have an archive of white, American artists on one side and Bollywood, or traditional Indian artists on the other. I always felt the desire to listen to people like me—Indian American. I wanted to see these two aspects of my life, and myself blend. The lack of South Asian-American representation (in general, but specifically in the music industry) is a problem that has a long way to go before it’s completely gone. However, this small guide to South AsianAmerican albums is a start.

Lucid - Raveena

This mellifluous voice is no stranger within the South Asian-American community. Raveena has developed quite the loyal fanbase throughout the years. The masterpiece that is her debut album will take the listener on an ethereal journey exploring themes of sexuality, heritage and familial bonds. The alternative R&B bedroom pop tracks blend together seamlessly with transitions placed in between songs. The stacked harmonies and dreamy strings pay homage to the album’s title, Lucid, as they come together to form a sensual atmosphere. The track “Salt Water’’ stands out from the rest of the album with its highly memorable chorus and intricate production. This song is a symbol of the artist’s healing following a traumatic event, where she sings “A year lost in an hour, I cry into my limbs. I froze in a hot shower, I scrub away his sins.” Raveena makes use of a lot of traditional instruments on this track (e.g. piano and guitar), but the usage of the flanger effect (mixing two identical sounds, one of them being delayed) gives the

song an angelic feel. Despite the quick BPM of this song, the rhythm of the drums slows it down, giving the song and the artist space to breathe; Raveena really takes her time with the vocals. The track ends with the sound of rain pouring down, which blends into the next track—“Stone.” The soul heavy feel of the record combined with the traditional gospel elements gives the artist’s emotions a more raw sentiment.

Skin - Joy Crookes

Joy Crookes, known for her vocal resemblance to Amy Winehouse, is a half Bangladeshi artist from South London, whose latest album, Skin, showcases her voice above anything else. The opener of the album, “I Don’t Mind,” is a synth-heavy, orchestral string-sounding self-produced track, where the 808 doubles as the bass and a part of the melody.. The song fades out with a jazzy brass interlude and a spoken message — her saying goodbye to her grandmother. Crookes stated in an interview that she wrote this song about “being alright with not having a serious relationship; and being alright with [her] body.” “19th floor,” the album’s second song, starts off with cinematic strings, centering the feeling of belonging and finding home. There are a number of topics explored in addition to that, including: the immigrant experience, gentrification, and the opportunities given to Crookes by her mom and grandmother. All of this is tied together with pop-punk percussion. Moving onto the gorgeous ballad that is track six, Crookes starts off the track with a spoken intro of her grandmother sharing some lessons. In this lyrically dominant track, she sings “Will I hurt you like they hurt me?” She explores the fears that come with loving something—fear that you will let them down, or not be enough. Overall, the album is highly produced. She puts herself at the front of every track; while there are background instruments supporting her vocals, Crookes is clearly the focal point. The sound engineer was incredibly consistent in making sure each track was balanced.

Bollywood fusion anyone? Shreea Kaul scratches the itch perfectly. Her powerful R&B ballads explore broken relationships and female power while adding a dash of Bollywood spice. In this no skip album, Kaul explores each of the deadly sins in a catchy manner. Her voice fully shines throughout the entire album; the dominating vocals link with messages promoted in Kaul’s lyrics. The concept of the album is very innovative— the artist explores one specific experience and writes about it through the perspectives of the seven deadly sins: lust, gluttony, pride, anger, sloth, greed, and envy. Some songs on the album sample some classic Bollywood hits. These tracks include “Gluttony” and “Envy.” The album starts off slow and erotic with the track “Lust.” The bass is hard to miss and will have the listener grooving in their seat. In the chorus, Kaul sings “baby come inside, the water’s fine.” During this part of the song, she layers a water droplet sound over the snare to give the chorus a punch. The next track, “Gluttony,” is easily the most notable one on the album. It incorporates innovative techniques by mixing traditional R&B with Bollywood music by sampling from “Zara Zara Behekta Hai.” The highlight in production of the entire album comes when Kaul sings an intricate riff that is matched perfectly with an 808 riff, showcasing the producer’s talent. Towards the end, the album gradually transitions from R&B to hip hop. “Envy” closes out the album nicely, by reinforcing the artist’s Desi identity incorporated with her R&B sound.

This record takes on another spin of R&B, as it sits on the more acoustic side of things. While the chord progressions are very bumpy, the album provides the best songs to chill out to. The album grapples with a lot of personal growth themes mixed in with relationship struggles. The

Water, I’ll Grow - Sanjana

song “Falling” centers around a breakup, but that isn’t the focal point. It starts off with a rhythmic guitar riff in a minor key. The highlights of this song definitely has to be Sanjana’s vocals. She uses this song to show off her strong vibrato and breath control. The second song “Can I” takes the cake as the top track of the album. The chord progression as a Tori Kelly feel and the guitar riff in the intro is captivating. While this song is melody heavy, the song “Beautiful Mind” shines in the lyricism. It poignantly lays out the struggles of a perfectionist who is too hard on herself. Sanjana sings “On her dinner plate, a lovely array of her favorite failures … When she makes a mistake, she magnifies the blame and she breaks.” This is a universal struggle, however, it is extremely prominent within the Asian American experience. Most of us, especially those with immigrant parents, put an enormous amount of pressure on ourselves to perform better than anyone around us to make our parents proud, and show appreciation for the sacrifices they made in order for us to have the opportunities we do. Apart from family, societal expectations cause Asian Americans to become perfectionists, due to the stereotypes placed on us.

This South Asian American album starter pack is more than enough to suit any mood — from having a dance party to crying yourself to sleep — these artists have you covered. The next time you find yourself wanting to discover new songs, support these South Asian musicians and give these records a go.