By now, I am pretty sure that most of you have seen how music from countries all over the world are becoming more loved by the global public. From artists like BTS and Blackpink popularizing Korean pop music, to artists like Bad Bunny and Karol G making everyone go crazy for reggaeton, to artists like Tyla getting us all bumping to amapiano beats from South Africa, it has been amazing to see just how music in different languages and sounds outside of the western soundscape are becoming much more appreciated by music lovers everywhere.
Now, not to be incredibly biased, but I think that the next genre to send the world into a frenzy will be Desi Pop. Desi Pop is a genre of music that combines traditional Indian music with modern pop music. It is a fusion of traditional Indian instruments, such as the sitar, tabla, and harmonium, with modern electronic instruments and production techniques. More specifically, I believe that Shevya, an Indian American artist who combines both the sounds apparent in classical Indian music with RnB beats, and has so far released songs only in Hindi, will be the next big thing that will ultimately help push Desi Pop into the mainstream.
Shevya Aswathi, who goes by her first name, was born and raised in San Diego, California and is now currently living in New York City. From the age of 10, she started learning Hindustani Classical music, and as she was growing up, she participated in acapella groups and experimented a lot with songwriting and composing. She officially started releasing music in 2021, with the single “Aao Na.” Since then, she has released three other singles: “Nasha,” “Chaand,” and “Shah Rukh Kaun?” Additionally, she posts on her TikTok account, @shevthehev, covers of popular Western and K-pop songs. However, the big twist to all her covers is that she writes her own Hindi lyrics and only keeps the original language’s choruses and instrumentals as seen in her covers of Le Sserafim’s “Easy,” Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For,” and Dua Lipa’s “Houdini.” Shevya also helps to run “Desi Standard Time,” a concert organizing group dedicated to helping fellow South Asian artists book concerts in New York City as well as help them gain exposure.
As someone who grew up listening to Bollywood music and is now a huge RnB-head, Shevya’s music is the best of both of my musical worlds. I find that her voice is absolutely gorgeous; it’s rich, silky, and just an overall delight to listen to after a hard day. I also love how her instrumentals pull from both Hindustani Classical and RnB soundscapes; while these were two genres that I never thought could ever go together at first, hearing how creatively she incorporates these two seemingly different sounds is so fun and lends to a musical treat for listeners regardless of how familiar they are with either genres. Finally, despite my very limited understanding of Hindi, I find that her lyrics are so well thought out and really clever. In particular, I loved the lyrics to “Shah Rukh Kaun,” a title which combines the name of the famous Bollywood actor “Shah Rukh Khan” to the word What in Hindi, while the rest of the song details a relationship where the lines are blurred between what is real and what is actually just a Bollywood inspired dream.
But my favorite part about her is how she remains steadfast in her goal to popularize Hindi music despite many outside forces discouraging her from doing so. In many of her TikToks, she expresses how American record labels are actively encouraging her to only make music in English. More specifically, she writes that A&R reps have asked, “If you are trying to make it in the American Music Industry, why would you make music in Hindi? Barely anyone will listen.” Regardless of pressure, Shevya continues to put out music she’s proud of. “People don’t see different languages as a barrier to enjoying music anymore” is her main philosophy when asked why she makes music in Hindi, and I am so glad she stands on her business when it comes to this. I hope to see her in concert one day before she becomes worldwide famous.