How South Asian music is gaining fans globally, from Spotify to Coachella and the Grammys

In August, the first-generation Indian-American artist Avara sat in a bed of rose petals at a concert hall in Brooklyn, New York, for the opening performance of her first tour. Fans crowded around the stage for a glimpse of the artist, who has gained over 250,000 new monthly Spotify listeners since November 2024 – a more than 250 per cent increase.

“I started getting a bunch of her TikToks,” said audience member Alex Kim, a 22-year-old music assistant. “Everyone has a short attention span these days, but I was like, ‘Wait a minute, I actually really like this.’”

Following Afrobeat, K-pop and Latin music, songs with South Asian influences are the latest global trend around the world. In April, Warner Music Group launched 5 Junction Records, a label dedicated to selling South Asian-influenced artists to North American listeners.

“It’s something that’s been forming slowly,” Billboard CEO Mike Van said about the overseas surge of South Asian-influenced artists. “We started to see these growth spurts over the last couple of years because of all the technology, evolving tastes and activation of these diaspora audiences.”