# South Asians - Western Pop Music **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 27, 2014, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-asians-western-pop-music/699701 "2014-09-27T04:12:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![IndianStones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ebca7d/32.png) [@IndianStones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IndianStones)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2014, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-asians-western-pop-music/699701/1 "2014-09-27T04:12:06Z")
Any significant South Asian composers of beautiful, happy or catchy songs on the radio, movies, or video games? Haven’t really found any yet. Except maybe Cornershop’s “Brimful of Asha”. Tjinder Singh’s the guy. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2014, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-asians-western-pop-music/699701/2 "2014-09-27T04:50:31Z")
Moved to Cafe Society. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2014, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-asians-western-pop-music/699701/3 "2014-09-27T04:54:59Z")
Granted I can’t understand the lyrics, but I’d think a lot of bhangra would meet your criteria. The soundtrack of _Rang De Basanti_ isn’t lyrically happy, but it’s certainly catchy. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2014, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-asians-western-pop-music/699701/4 "2014-09-27T05:25:41Z")
I watch a lot of Coke Studio Pakistan on YouTube and I can’t think of any examples off hand but it airs plenty of songs that fit your criteria. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2014, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-asians-western-pop-music/699701/5 "2014-09-27T07:12:50Z")
Do you mean Indian songs with a Western pop sensibility, or do you mean songs by Indians or those of Indian backgrounds that have gotten pop/Top 40-type radio play in the West? If the latter, I do recall the remix of [Mundian Te Bach Ke](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJztXj2GPfk) by Panjabi MC being popular a good number of years back, hitting #5 on the UK charts, and the [Jay Z](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0ScOuaTb54) collaboration made the US top 40 (looks like peaking at #33). Not sure if that’s what you’re looking for, though. Or do you mean stuff like [this (“Deewangi Deewangi” from _Om Shanti Om_)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3OcBJyiYJw), which is Indian Bollywood music with a Western pop sensibility? If that, there’s a ton. ---
**Author:** ![truthSeeker2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7cd45c/32.png) [@truthSeeker2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/truthSeeker2)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2014, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-asians-western-pop-music/699701/6 "2014-09-27T08:20:06Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Do you mean Indian songs with a Western pop sensibility, or do you mean songs by Indians or those of Indian backgrounds that have gotten pop/Top 40-type radio play in the West? If the latter, I do recall the remix of [Mundian Te Bach Ke](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJztXj2GPfk) by Panjabi MC being popular a good number of years back, hitting #5 on the UK charts, and the [Jay Z](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0ScOuaTb54) collaboration made the US top 40 (looks like peaking at #33). Not sure if that’s what you’re looking for, though. > > Or do you mean stuff like [this (“Deewangi Deewangi” from _Om Shanti Om_)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3OcBJyiYJw), which is Indian Bollywood music with a Western pop sensibility? If that, there’s a ton. 2 English songs by ethnic Indians come to mind Angel eyes - Raghav Dance with you , _Tere naal nachna_ - Jay Sean, Juggy D ---
**Author:** ![IndianStones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ebca7d/32.png) [@IndianStones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IndianStones)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2014, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-asians-western-pop-music/699701/7 "2014-09-27T09:07:11Z")
Sorry, I meant songs “that Westerners like/have liked” that were composed by South Asian composers (composers/songwriters either from South Asia or England/USA/western country). Yes, songs with a Western pop sensibility. But they can be from anything (movies, video games, radio, etc.) ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2014, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-asians-western-pop-music/699701/8 "2014-09-27T09:36:27Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > I watch a lot of Coke Studio Pakistan on YouTube and I can’t think of any examples off hand but it airs plenty of songs that fit your criteria. Just go to www.tune.pk ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2014, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-asians-western-pop-music/699701/9 "2014-09-27T09:57:23Z")
A. R. Rahman - Jai Ho. Due to Slumdog Millionaire-related Oscar wins and such. Indian-American etc. musicians but not from India Norah Jones (Ravi Shankar’s daughter) The guy from No Doubt 2/3 of Das Racist Kim Thayil (Soundgarden) Nicki Minaj? No? Probably not? M.I.A. Tamil-British ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2014, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-asians-western-pop-music/699701/10 "2014-09-27T12:55:54Z")
Bhangra Knights and Husan hit #7 on the UK charts in 2003 with “[Husan](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjhlUa7mJRk)”. Panjabi MC had a minor hit with “[Jogi](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wfzp4cdcuYc)”. ---
**Author:** ![truthSeeker2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7cd45c/32.png) [@truthSeeker2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/truthSeeker2)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2014, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-asians-western-pop-music/699701/11 "2014-09-27T14:00:04Z")
Apache Indian - Boom Shack-A-Lack ---
**Author:** ![truthSeeker2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7cd45c/32.png) [@truthSeeker2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/truthSeeker2)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2014, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-asians-western-pop-music/699701/12 "2014-09-27T14:03:04Z")
Apache Indian - Chock There ---
**Author:** ![IndianStones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ebca7d/32.png) [@IndianStones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IndianStones)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-asians-western-pop-music/699701/13 "2014-10-01T00:48:48Z")
When will we be relevanttt ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-asians-western-pop-music/699701/14 "2014-10-01T02:03:08Z")
British singer-songwriter/rapper [Jay Sean](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Sean), ne Kamaljit Singh Jhooti, has already been mentioned, but it sounds like [Rishi Rich Productions](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rishi_Rich#The_Rishi_Rich_Project) is what you might want to keep an eye on. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-asians-western-pop-music/699701/15 "2014-10-01T03:17:12Z")
Agree with Jai Ho. ---
**Author:** ![IndianStones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ebca7d/32.png) [@IndianStones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IndianStones)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2014, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-asians-western-pop-music/699701/16 "2014-10-04T04:10:06Z")
Jay Sean is official, but I wish I liked his music ---
**Author:** ![Hector\_St\_Clare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5ac83/32.png) [@Hector\_St\_Clare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hector_St_Clare)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2014, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-asians-western-pop-music/699701/17 "2014-10-04T14:30:09Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > A. R. Rahman - Jai Ho. Due to Slumdog Millionaire-related Oscar wins and such. > > Indian-American etc. musicians but not from India > Norah Jones (Ravi Shankar’s daughter) > The guy from No Doubt > 2/3 of Das Racist > Kim Thayil (Soundgarden) > Nicki Minaj? No? Probably not? > > M.I.A. Tamil-British Nicki Minaj purports to be ‘mixed race’, which in the Trinidad contect probably means half African descent, half Indian. The electronica group Krewella, which seems to be all the rage right now, is made up of two half-Pakistani sisters. ---
**Author:** ![IndianStones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ebca7d/32.png) [@IndianStones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IndianStones)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-asians-western-pop-music/699701/18 "2014-11-17T17:21:27Z")
bump