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Arooj Aftab became the first Pakistani Grammy winner when she took home the global music performance award for her song \u201cMohabbat\u201d in 2022.<\/p>\n
A year later, actor and singer Diljit Dosanjh stepped onto the smoke-filled stage of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Southern California, becoming the festival\u2019s first artist from the Indian state of Punjab.<\/p>\n
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 \u2013 a more than 250 per cent increase.<\/p>\n
\u201cI started getting a bunch of her TikToks,\u201d said audience member Alex Kim, a 22-year-old music assistant. \u201cEveryone has a short attention span these days, but I was like, \u2018Wait a minute, I actually really like this.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s something that\u2019s been forming slowly,\u201d Billboard CEO Mike Van said about the overseas surge of South Asian-influenced artists. \u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n